Mittwoch, 10. Dezember 2014

The Ad Libs aka The Ad-Libs




The Ad Libs aka The Ad-Libs
(Bayonne, New Jersey)
Ref. The Creators (3)

The Ad Libs (1964)

Group members:

1st lineup (1964 - 1966)

Mary Ann Thomas (lead)
Danny Austin (tenor)
Norman Donegan (baritone)
Hugh Harris (tenor and lead)
David Allen Watt (bass)

2nd lineup (1966 – 1968)

Irene Baxter aka Irene Baker (lead and soprano)
Rose Myers (soprano)
Arthur Robinson (lead)
Hugh Harris (tenor)
David Allen Watt (bass)

3rd lineup (1968 - 1975)

Linda Goodson (lead)
Danny Austin (tenor)
Hugh Harris (lead)
Norman Donegan (tenor)
David Allen Watt (bass)

4th lineup (1975 - 1982)

Natalie ? (lead)
Eller Weas Little
Chris Bartley (lead)
Jimmy Hollinger
David Allen Watt (bass)

5th lineup (1988)

Mary Ann Thomas (lead)
Abby Grant
Chris Bartley (lead)
Ray Block
David Allen Watt (bass)

Discography:

The Creators

1962 - I’ll Never Never Do It Again / Boy He’s Got It (T-Kay 110)
1962 - Yeah He’s Got It / Boy He’s Got It (instrumental) (Philips 40058)
1962 - I’ll Stay Home (New Year’s Eve) / Shoom Ba Boo (Philips 40083)

The Ad Libs

Singles:

1964- The Boy From New York City / Kicked Around  (Blue Cat 102)
1965 - He Ain’t No Angel / Ask Anybody (Blue Cat 114)
1965 - On The Corner / Oo-Wee Oh Mee Oh My (Blue Cat 119)
1966 - Johnny My Boy / I’m Just A Down Home Girl (Blue Cat 123)
1966 - Human / New York In The Dark (A.G.P. 100)
1966 - Every Boy And Girl / Think Of Me (Karen 1527)
1967 - You’re In Love / Don’t Ever Leave Me (Philips 40461)
1968 - You’re Just A Rolling Stone / Show A Little Appreciation (Share 101)
1968 - Giving Up / Appreciation (Share 104)
1969 - Nothing Worse Than Being Alone / If She Wants Him (Share 106)
1970 - Love Me / Know All About You (Capitol 2944)
1977 - Dance With Me, Children (Part 1) / Dance With Me, Children (Part 2) (Right-On 105)
1982 - I Don’t Need No Fortune Teller / Spring And Summer (Passion 1)
1988 - I Stayed Home / I Stayed Home (acapella) (Johnnie Boy 1)
1988 - The Tide Has Turned / The Tide Has Turned (instrumental) (Johnnie Boy 2)
1988 - Close To Me / Close To Me (instrumental) (Johnnie Boy 3)
1989 - I Stayed Home / Santa’s On His Way (Johnnie Boy 4)

Album:

1967 - {New York City To L.A. -– Acappella All The Way!} Human / New York In The Dark (Various Artists) (Acappella Records LP 1001)

Unreleased:

1964 - Come On And Help Me (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Kicked Around (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Kicked Around (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Oo-Wee Oh Me Oh My (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Oo-Wee Oh Me Oh My (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Santa’s On His Way (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Strange Things (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - The Tide Has Turned (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - The Boy From New York City (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - The Boy From New York City (backing track, no lead vocal) (Blue Cat)
1964 - The Boy From New York City (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1965 - Johnny My Boy (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1965 - The Slime (Blue Cat)
1965 - You'll Always Be In Style (Blue Cat)

Biography:

The Ad-Libs might seem like an odd combo to call a "girl group." After all, the band consisted of one woman and four men. But their sound was thoroughly in the girl-group style. Their release, "The Boy from New York City," was a monster hit in early 1965 and was later covered by Manhattan Transfer.

The Ad Libs (1964)

The strong voice that led "The Boy from New York City" was that of Mary Ann Thomas. Prior to her joining the group, the all-male band, from New Jersey, was called the Creators. Consisting of Hugh Harris, Danny Austin, James Wright, John Alan and Chris Cole, the group had a virtually invisible release in 1963 with "I'll Stay Home."

The Ad Libs (1964)

They re-grouped in 1964, with only Hugh Harris and Danny Austin staying, and were joined by Dave Watt and Norman Donegan. They added Mary Ann Thomas as their female lead. Under the tutelage of songwriter John Taylor, a saxophone player who had been in the music business since the 1930s, they created a new sound heavily influenced by jazz and big band flavors.

The Ad Libs (1965)
But what to name the new group, who wanted to differentiate themselves from the Creators name? Though they were pressured to call the group the Cheerios (perhaps by Taylor), they instead chose a name based on a hot New York nightclub.

The Ad Libs (1965)

The Ad-Libs, as they were now known, cut a demo with Taylor that featured a driving piano rhythm: "The Boy From New York City." Taylor presented the demo to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller of Blue Cat Records. It was an unknown group, but the song had snap and they agreed to give it a try, releasing it as a single in December 1964.


By March 1965, the song reached number eight on the pop charts. For their second hit, the group used a back-catalogue song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, "He Ain't No Angel." The song had been earlier recorded in a fast-paced, gospel style by Leola & The Love Joys.

The Ad Libs (1965)
It wasn't the right song for the right group, even with the Ad-Libs' treatment of the song. (The Barry/Greenwich tune "Chapel of Love" had a similar fate: Phil Spector wasn't pleased with the Ronettes' version and wouldn't release it. When the Dixie Cups recorded it later, Greenwich knew their treatment of it was a can't-miss sound, and it became a number-one hit.)

The Ad Libs (1967)

Two other singles by the Ad-Libs ("On the Corner" and the funky "Just a Down Home Girl") failed to chart, and the Ad-Libs were dropped by the Blue Cat label.

Chris Bartley & The Ad Libs (1977)

They tried singles with other record labels ("Think of Me" on Karen Records and "New York in the Dark" on Eskee Records), then signed with Share Records of New York and released "Giving It Up," which made it to 34 on the R & B charts. During the next years, there were group member changes and more songs but none of them scored. Their last releases were many years later, with "I Stayed Home (New Year's Eve)" in 1988 and "Santa's On His Way" in 1999.
The Ad Libs (1981)

Their time was truly brief but blazing: in the day when albums could quickly be slapped together by adding the group's demos if they hit it hot, the Ad-Libs never had an album release when they were famous. Sadly, Mary Ann Thomas passed away a few years ago of pancreatic cancer.

Source:

Excerpt from Girl Groups


Photo Gallery:






Links:

 Songs:
The Creators


I’ll Never Never Do It Again


Boy He’s Got It


Yeah, He’s Got It


I’ll Stay Home (New Year’s Eve)


Shoom Ba Boo

The Ad Libs


The Boy From New York City


Kicked Around


He Ain’t No Angel


Ask Anybody


On The Corner


Oo-Wee Oh Mee Oh My


Oo-Wee Oh Mee Oh My (unreleased acapella demo)


Oo-Wee Oh Mee Oh My (unreleased alternate version)


Johnny My Boy


Johnny My Boy (unreleased alternate version)


I’m Just A Down Home Girl


Human


Human (acapella)


New York In The Dark


New York In The Dark (acapella)


Every Boy And Girl


Think Of Me


You’re In Love


Don’t Ever Leave Me


You’re Just A Rolling Stone



Appreciation aka Show A Little Appreciation


Giving Up


Nothing Worse Than Being Alone


If She Wants Him


Love Me


Dance With Me Children Pt. 1


Know All About You


I Don’t Need No Fortune Teller


The Slime


You'll Always Be In Style


The Boy From New York City (alternate version & backing track)


The Boy From New York City (acapella demo)


Come On And Help Me


Santa’s On His Way


Strange Things


The Tide Has Turned

5 Kommentare:

  1. Excellent post krobi. Thank you.

    Chi-Town from Rockhall

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  2. Guten morgen, Krobi! I was thrilled to see a comment from you on my blog and even more excited to find this great blog of yours. I am eager to follow you, to learn and be entertained.

    I was age 15 when the Ad Libs achieved their big hit and it was a pleasure to hear for the first time their excellent early sides as the Creators. I also enjoyed their later Ad Libs recordings particularly "Johnny My Boy." Es tut mir leid to learn that Mary Ann Thomas has passed away. Hers was one of the most distinctive female voices of my youth.

    Thank you again for visiting SDM&M and taking a look at what I'm doing, Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Krobi!

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  3. You're very welcome Shady Del Knight!

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  4. Hi
    Just trying to carry out some research on the Ad Libs vocalist Mary Ann Thomas, but have been able to find very little.
    She apparently came from Bayonne, New Jersey, was spotted by the group while performing at the Fabian Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey, and parted company after the group left Blue Cat Records. She returned for the singles 'Nothing Worse Than Being Alone' (1970) and I'll Sta Hone' (about 1988) before leaving again. She apparently died of pancreatic cancer but I've not found a date for this. If anyone has any extra biographical info (such as, was she the Mary Ann Thomas who released a couple of singles on the 20th Fox label in 1959-60) I'd love to hear.
    Thanks, Jeremy

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