The Hepsters

about

The Hepsters were an American rhythm and blues group. They were formed in 1953 by Joe Williams (lead and piano), Raymond Harvin (first tenor), Harvey Tyler (second tenor), Willie "Woody" Woodall (baritone), and Art Kirkpatrick (bass). Williams and Tyler had attended the same high school, East Tech in Central Cleveland, while Woodall, Kirkpatrick and Harvin were at Thomas Edison High together. In 1954, Tyler was replaced as second tenor by Carl Brown. In late 1955, Woodall and Kirkpatrick quit. They would later form the group The 5 Quails. They were replaced by baritone Bobby Woods and bass Paul Hayes. The group were Influenced by the 5 Keys and the Moonglows. With a set consisting largely of classic and contemporary covers, but also included a few original songs. They sang at house parties and in clubs around Cleveland. After joining with Hep Magazine writer Dave Clark, the group began to practice two Clark-penned songs, "Rockin' N Rollin' With Santa Claus" and "I Gotta Sing The Blues", as well as "I Have To Let You Go," written by their manager, Stella "Caldonia" Young, and "This-A-Way," written by Joe Williams. Clark renamed the group The Five Hepsters. This was later shortened to The Hepsters at the behest of Ronel Records, for whom the group recorded the four songs in Chicago in October 1955. "Rockin' N Rollin' With Santa Claus" and "I Have To Let You Go" were released in November 1955 and received good reviews. However, the group had broken up wih Caldonia, and as a

top songs

albums

similar artists