Gene Wilson (also
known as Gene Forrest) and wife Eunice Levy,together formed the duo of Gene and Eunice. Together, they recorded more than fifteen original records. They hit the Billboard
pop charts with Poco Loco in 1959, and appeared on the R+B
charts two times with Ko Ko Mo and This
Is My Story. Beginning on Combo records of Los Angeles, they quickly
moved to Aladdin,then to the Case label with four releases, a stop on king for a pair, and another recording for the
small Lily label. One LP was released on
Score, that included their recordings along with Shirley
And Lee, Marvin And Johnny, and others. Bom Bom
Lulu and several others were additionally issued on Jamaica's
Blank label, and did well. The duo sold a bunch of records
in their career, and were very successful on the
road performing their music,right into the 1990's. Eunice passed away
in 2002, and Gene is currently unable to perform. They
leave a great legacy of fine music for us all to enjoy.
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This is one of several recordings Gene Forrest made before pairing up with Eunice. This was his next to last outing, from 1953, featuring "Aching And Crying" and the flip of "I Want To Hold You. Both were great efforts, with my nod going to the "A" side. |
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Here's the first
release for the duo, as Gene and Eunice. This is the
78 originally released in 1955 on the Combo record label out of Los
Angeles."Ko
Ko Mo" was the hit side, and sales were brisk, with the
record climbing to #6 on the R+B charts. "You
And Me" was the flip.
The 45 RPM
version is shown above. The song "Ko
Ko Mo" was recorded in the owner of Combo records'
basement, Jake Porter. Jonsey's Combo included Brother William Woodman's
band, who were like the house band for Combo.The original
bright red with black lettering was the same on
original Combo records from issue 1 through 100, when it then changed to purple.
The titles
are the same, but the recording is different and they are on Aladdin.
Seems Gene Wilson was still under contract to
Aladdin as Gene Wilson and the Feathers. After the record starting
selling, Aladdin rushed Gene and Eunice into the studio,
this time with the Johnny Otis band, and re-cut both "Ko
Ko Mo" and "You And Me". Notice it is now "Johnny's Combo", a direct dig against the previous Jonesy's combo. To make matters more
confusing, Aladdin then advertised their record as the original!
Ultimately, Aladdin was the bigger of the two independent labels, and they won out, in a real messy situation.
Here is the 45
of the record. The Aladdin label has more orange to it than the later maroon issues. All the other information is similar to the 78 issue.
In the summer
of 1955, "This
Is My Story" was just as big of a hit as "Story"
shown above. Johnny's Combo is back again providing the background
instruments. The flip "Move It Over Baby", an up tempo for the pair.The duo wouldn't
have another major hit until they changed to Case records,however,they
had a bunch of excellent sides.
On to the Maroon
label color with the 45 RPM issue. Again, no real variation from the 78 RPM issue.
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"Flim
Flam" was the follow-up to their first two hits, but did
not have quite the big success. A great record nonetheless, as were
most of their efforts. "Can
We Forget
It" is the flip. |
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The usual maroon
label 45 of the the same record. Notice the X and Q that are on all the aladdin releases. This is designating A and B sides to the record.
The fourth release
for Gene And Eunice, "Have
You Changed Your Mind",
is a nice slow bluesey number.The flip,"I
Gotta Go Home", another great up tempo side. This is the last record with Johnny's Combo listed.
On
to the Maroon label color with the 45 RPM issue. Again, no real variation
from the 78 RPM issue. The
maroon Aladdin label continues for all but one 45 RPM release.
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"I'll Never Believe In You", is a slow ballad that is not one of their better efforts.The Flip "Hootchy Kootchy" was a dance craze with a Latin mambo feel to it. A nice solid up tempo effort for a dance that didn't last too long.This was also issued on the Downbeat label out of Jamaica. |
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The 45RPM issue is shown above. I find it interesting that the subtitle of I'll Never Believe In You" is Rhythm And Blues Waltz. Both sides are penned by the duo.
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The next release from 1956 was "Let's Get Together" and "I'm So In Love With You" . This is the 78, on the blue and silver Aladdin 78. I don't believe any other colors were used up to the point that they quit producing this speed. |
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On the maroon 45 RPM release, both sides were decent records in the typical Gene And Eunice style. Both sides shared writing credits by the duo. |
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Possibly my favorite recording of Gene And Eunice, "Bom Bom Lulu", it's another solid up tempo recording."Hi Diddle Diddle",is a nursery rhyme type song and up tempo as well. A good pairing for the group, to be sure. In addition, this was released on Jamaica's Blank label. Bom Bom Lulu was considered an early reggae song. |
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The maroon 45 version of "Bom Bom Lulu" is shown above. This was purchased at the "House Of Music" in Walnut Hill Village. I believe that would be the Dallas Texas area. A great record for the pair. |
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"Strange
World" is an interesting song, quite a departure from many of
the previous efforts. Kinda popish, but quite
enjoyable. As can be seen, Ray Ellis and his Orchestra are
now featured on the recording and label. This may have something to do with the different sound. "The
Vow"on the flip side,is a nice ballad,without quite the same orchestral arrangements as the "A" side.
The 45 RPM release.
Notice on all the Aladdin releases pictured, the 45 shows Beverly Hills,
and the 78 lists Hollywood.They are not all that far apart geographically,
but it is an interesting variation.
"Don't
Treat Me This Way"is the A side of their 9th release.This is
the last one with the Ray Ellis Orchestra. Doodle
Doodle Doo is an up tempo fun, light, and airy song for the flip side.
Two up tempo sides,both
very nice, on Gene And Eunice's last Aladdin release. "The Angels Gave You To Me" is the scheduled "A" side,and "I
Mean
Love" on the flip side. I seem to prefer the
B side. Notice Earl Palmer and the band are now
the musicians. Also, this appears on a blue aladdin label.
All the copies I have seen of this record are blue. Release
3259 was supposed to be the last blue colored aladdin label.This appears
to be a special circumstance.
They switched
labels in 1959,and recorded their biggest hit by far,"Poco
Loco".They answered their own earlier record with "Go
On Kokomo" on the flip. Another real nice two sided record for
the pair. Case was a new label, distributed by United Telefilm. This was the label's first issue.
Looking almost
the same as the previous two pictures, this is the second issue
of the record . Notice the distributed by United Telefilm on the bottom
right. Also, the scrolly work on the middle lines is gone.
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Ah! Ah! was their follow up recording. Not a bad song,but not strong enough to create major sales. "You Think I'm Not Thinking"is a bluesy ballad that does go over well. See that that the Telefilm distribution is on the release in the middle of the label, and Gene And Eunice are now the "Poco-Loco Kids"! |
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Here is the black label stock release from Case records. Observe that Gene and Eunice both collaborated on each song.
Their third try
on Case records, "Without
Love", was more in the Poco Loco style, and is a very catchy song. It should have done better."You
Drive
Me Buggy", is an OK up tempo flip. Notice the Telefilm reference
information is gone from the label.
The Up tempo"Sugar
Babe" is another great effort. It should have had more spins
on the radio.The flip was also a great up tempo song, called "Let's
Play
The Game". Heck, either one could have been a hit.This was their
last regular 45 RPM release for the Case label. Look at the bottom and see that Garry "Skip" Paxton had involvement on both sides of
the record.
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This is the only Case label EP I know of, and it certainly made sense to issue it on the strength of Gene and Eunice's "Poco Loco". Using the number 100, and originally issued with the paper sleeve shown above in 1959, it was not a big seller. A bargain at $1.00!
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This is an LP
that was issued in 1958, though technically not a
Gene And Eunice only LP,they shared billing with Shirley And Lee,Marvin
And Johnny, and a couple of other artists. It was released on the Aladdin subsidiary,
Score. Click on the pictures for an enlargement.
This is the lone
release on the Lilly label. "Got
A Right To Know" backed with "Ever
Lovin Baby".A bit removed from the sound of the Aladdin and Case
labels,but these are very good recordings by the duo. Unfortunately, not
too many people have had the chance to hear them. Be sure to enjoy the
fabulous guitar work in Got A Right To Know.
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This is quite possibly their last release. The sound is more of the mid 1960's soul and is still a decent two sided record for the pair. "Soul Lovin" and "Walking Away" are featured on this release from probably 1967. |
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I don't usually feature reissues from the 70's, unless they are a bit off the beaten path. This Deltone issue is likely from the early 70's, and they had trouble with the spelling and names of Gene and Eunice's songs. It made me think of some of the Jamaican releases, but this does not appear to be one of those. |
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Gene And Eunice
as a duo, consistently recorded great songs. They sounded
good together, and really sang together,on key with one voice and were
in demand for at least six years during their heyday. They
sold lots of records, made a statement in Jamaica, and hit the Billboard
top 50 with "Poco Loco".
Gone
Missing: The Aladdin 78 not shown - 3376. I do have the
Jamaican Blank label releases, but they are not too photogenic, as the
label is in fact blank.
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