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Artist
The Sunbeams
12+ albums
doo wop
about
The Sunbeams were formed in Glen Cove, in Long Island, New York; this is not a place you'd normally expect an R&B group to hail from. John Cumbo was originally from Philadelphia, and relocated to Glen Cove when he was 18 (around 1947). In 1950, he started singing with some local guys. "Glen Cove was a small place; I met some singers and asked around for others." The members of the resulting group (called the "Kovaks", for "Glen Cove") were: Bobby Lee Hollis (tenor lead), Bobby Coleman (first tenor), James Davis (second tenor), John Cumbo (baritone lead), and William Edwards (bass). Unlike most groups, they didn't immediately try to get booked all over; they rehearsed for about two years before starting to look for gigs. The Kovaks, like most other groups of the day, were highly influenced by the music of the Orioles, the Ravens, and the Dominoes. Finally, they started playing clubs, both on Long Island and in nearby New York City. For a while in 1954, they had a sixth member, a gravedigger who was living in Hempstead, New York (also in Long Island) at the time, named Joe Tex. He didn't remain too long, however, before leaving to start working on his solo career. One day, in early 1955, John, who also acted as the group's manager, called up Herald Records and arranged for an audition. Why Herald? John's wife just looked up record companies in the phone book, and Herald was the first one she found. The Sunbeams journeyed into Manhattan, to Herald's offices at 236 West 55th
