The Chords are best know for one single record - Sh-Boom. It was a huge hit for the group, and they were the first R+B group of the 1950's to hit the pop charts. The Chords were originally from the south Bronx and started singing in 1951. The group consisted entirely of members that broke off from other groups. Second tenor Floyd McRae and bass Ricky Edwards both came from the Keynotes, Ricky Edwards also belonged to the original Chords - first tenor Jimmy Keyes came from the 4 Notes, First Tenor Carl Feaster and brother Claude(Baritone) of the Tunetoppers. Their big hit was supposedly written in 1953, and then put on disc in April of 1954. Sh-Boom was partly slang and somewhat influenced by "The Bomb". The Chords ended up at Atlantic records where "Cross Over The Bridge" was to be the plug side for it's new subsidiary Cat records. It was a cover of the Patti Page hit, and perfect for the group. The Chords record was turned over by the DJ's and Sh Boom was the hit. And then came the twists. The Chords had covered "Cross Over The Bridge" by Patti Page who was on Mercury, so Mercury immediately released a pop cover version by the Crewcuts. Atlantic records replaced "Cross Over The Bridge" with a Chords penned tune "Little Maiden". Atlantic owned the publishing, so they didn't have to give it up to someone else. There are 2 sides of a record, with publishing, both sides are treated the same in reference to payments. The record went #2 R+B. After a couple of follow up releases, they hit another snag. There was already a registered Chords group.They could no longer use the name! This other group had recorded on Gem records and was legit, but the name association was gone. They tried with the Chordcats and the Sh Booms, but to no avail. Some great records, but not enough buyers. Below is a record label history of the group. For a complete listing of the Cat records label, go HERE!
This is the 78 of the first pairing of Chords' sides."Sh Boom" backed with the original flip "Cross Over The Bridge".Bridge was supposed to be the "A" side and is indicated as such in the dead wax numbers. Many DJ's started flipping, and Sh Boom became the monster hit. Notice the Dr. Jive sticker on Sh Boom. He was a legendary DJ in the New York area.
This is the 45 version of the original pairing. Notice that the 45 label is a maroon color compared to the flat black 78's. A very colorful design. This pairing lasted for about 2 months.
Once Sh Boom became the popular side, Atlantic decided to drop "Cross Over The Bridge" and replaced it with "Little Maiden". The 78 is shown above. Actually, it was Atlantic that wanted more publishing money, and possibly it was retaliation for Mercury issuing the Crew Cuts version of Sh Boom.
Canada knew a hit when they saw it. This is the original 78 pressed on the Canadian based Quality label. By using Little Maiden on the flip, it tells me that there was a slight delay in pressing the hit, and Cross Over The Bridge never made it north of the border. Notice that the Sh Boom side has a stamp marked "Complimentary", so this was a low budget promo. I have yet to see a Cat label promo of Sh Boom from the US.
The lovely maroon cat label 45 version has the same information as the Cat 78. As for the new "B" side, it was not a particularly good recording.It was a great way to get Sh Boom played, not that they needed much help by then.
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The Canadian Quality label also released 45's of Sh Boom. Just like the 78, no mention of Cat or Atlantic records is mentioned on the label. |
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Although not the next record issued in the timeline of the Chords recording career, this was the result of another Chords group being discovered. They had to change their name to the Chordcats. When they did, they issued Sh Boom and Little Maiden using the same label and record number. The name association was a very tough obstacle, so it didn't sell real well. The hard to find 78 is shown.
Here is the 45RPM issue. The label information is virtually identical. The 45 RPM shows up a bit more than the 78, but overall was not a good seller.
The next numbered release was on Cat 109 "Zippity Zum". Released in September 1954, it has two fine recordings, with "Bless You" on the flip. It was rated high in the reviews, but did not compare in volume to Sh Boom. The 78 is shown above.
On the 45 RPM version, everything is pretty much the same. The label has the exact information as the 78.
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Here is the Canadian issue by the Chords, of Zippity Zum and Bless You. Quality felt this follow-up was a good bet based on the amazing record sales of Sh Boom. |
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Staying on Cat 109, but fairly close to the timeline,the name is changed to the Chordcats for this 78. Shortly after the original release of Cat 109 by the Chords, the group name controversy occurred, and the Chordcats name was chosen. The record company decided to reissue both of the Chords records on the same label and number, but by the Chordcats. Whew!
Where there is a 78 rpm, there must be a 45 rpm.......in this case anyhow. The label information is the same.
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Very few promos seem to exist of the Cat label recordings, 78 or 45 RPM. From November 1954, and now doing business "Officially" as the Chordcats, the promotional white label is 78 shown above. "A Girl To Love" is the plug side. "Hold Me Baby" was the flip. This had been property of KEWC in Washington. |
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Here is the stock issue of the Chordcats 78.
Here's the 45 RPM version of the Cat 112. Both decent songs, and they should have sold better than they did.
Cat 117 was released in October of 1955, a rather long wait between releases. One reason could be the new name of the Sh Booms. The 78 is shown above. "Could It Be" was the "A" side and "Pretty Wild" was the up tempo"B" side.
The 45 RPM release again used the same information. You can see at the bottom of both the 78 and 45 RPM records, the reference to (Formerly The Chords).
Released two years after their previous record, the Sh Booms issued "LuLu" and "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire" in September of 1957. They switched record companies to the RCA subsidiary label Vik. The Sh Booms broke up after this release.
It's March 1959 and the Sh Booms are back together again...sort of. On this promo Roulette label recording, Carl Feaster and Jimmy Keyes are the two original Chords while Dorian Burton and one other person rounded out the group. Feaster decided on the name Lionel Thorpe, and these two sides were cut. "More,More,More" and "Lover,Lover,Lover" had a somewhat distinctive sound, though much more pop than anything else.
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Shown above is the harder to find stock copy. Since Roulette used a largely white label for this issue and most others at the time. just the words disc jockey and not for sale differentiate between the two. Earlier Roulette issues from 1957 and 1958 had many label variations. They included red or orange labels, some with a wheel, and some with stars. |
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In January of 1960, they issued one more record under the name Lionel Thorpe. "Don't Run Away" backed with "She Was Love". Another pop related record, shown is a stock issue.
Later in 1960, the Chords ended up back at the mother ship, Atlantic records. "Blue Moon" is the plug side of this promotional release.It is a great version. "Short Skirts" is the flip. And, they were back to being the"Sh Booms".
December of 1961 was the last vintage release of "Sh Boom". This really was a reissue of the classic sides, now issued by the Atlantic label subsidiary,Atco. And, it was labeled as the Sh Booms. This is the promotional version.
This is the stock Atco release. No apparent changes in the label design or credits. Atlantic / Atco would not have issued the record if they didn't think it had a good chance of selling some significant copies.
And just when you thought you had seen the last of "Sh Boom", along come the Popular Five. Jimmy Keyes, Warren Wilson, Jessie Huddleston, Arthur Dicks, and Demetrius Clare were the nucleus of the group. Their first release was "Sh Boom" backed with "Tomorrow Night" It was issued in 1967. The promo copy is shown.
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This is the 1967 stock copy release with the red and gray label. The design is much different then the promo with "Rae Cox" on the left side instead of the top. Sh-Boom as you can see, is actually the "B" side.
From August of 1968, a label change to the Minit label and "I'm A Love Maker" was the plug side. The "B" side "Little Bitty Pretty One", revived the Thurston Harris and Bobby Day song.
The second of two Minit label records "Baby I Got it" didn't burn up the charts, but was fun to listen to."I don't Want To Be Without Her" was the flip side of this April 1969 recording.
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The last record I show by the Popular Five is on the Mister Chand label. Is that Gene with the smiling face on the label? You can see that the label was associated with Mercury, and produced by Gene Chandler. "Baby I've Got It" was the side the radio stations were going to play - it was their choice on if it was mono or stereo. Shown is the promotional copy of the record. |
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The Chords / Chordcats / Sh Booms / Popular five had a great career, but only one major hit record. That's still one more than many groups can boast. They will always be remembered for "Sh Boom", but with this page, you can see and hear many other fine sides by the groups.
Gone Missing: Needed is the lone Vik release # 295, LuLu / I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire, on 78.
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