The Moonglows
The Moonglows were a doo-wop band of the 1950s.
The band was found in 1951 in Cleveland as The Crazy Sounds together. Harvey Fuqua did initially with Danny Coggins and Prentiss Barnes together to establish with them a vocal trio, a little later he brought Bobby Lester, with whom he had worked together previously on a musical level, in the band. The four singers were initially only in the vicinity of Cleveland, until 1952 Alan Freed became aware of them. They received the offer to be able to play it and eventually got a record contract with Freed's own label Champagne Records. From now on they called themselves The Moonglows.
With the Bobby Lester Composition I Just Can not Tell No Lie they soon had recorded a local hit. But a little later Coggins left the band to pass a gas station. The band found replacement in Alex Walton and Alexander Graves. 1953 Freed got the Moonglows a contract with opportunity records that are already two other Doo Wop bands had in their repertoire with the flamingos and the Spaniels. But since even after one year showed no significant results, they were eventually fired from the label.
In October 1954, the Moonglows switched to Chess Records, where they recorded the same 13 songs in their first session. One of them, the Fuqua composition Sincerely, took over from Earth Angel by the Penguins No. 1 on the R & B charts in January 1955, and came in the next year to No. 20 on the pop charts in the early 1950s, a most remarkable success for a black R & B band. A little later coverte the white pop band The McGuire Sisters this song. He was prompt in their version to # 1 on the pop charts and became a million seller. For Chess Records Sincerely should be in the version of the Moonglows one of the biggest hits for the label to be at all.
Early 1955 came a new member to the Moonglows with guitarist Billy Johnson. In the summer of the band along with Muddy Waters, Sarah Vaughan and Nappy Brown toured. However, they made it into this year not to repeat the success of Sincerely even begin. Most of All, a number 5 of the R & B charts, Foolish Me, Starlite and achieved In My Diary lower courts. But 1956 was another successful year in the Moonglows: The Ballad We Go Together came to No. 9 of the R & B charts and also in lower regions of the pop charts, See Saw was in the R & B charts the same success as We Go Together, came into the pop charts but even up to 25th place at the end of the band was next to Chuck Berry, the flamingos, LaVern Baker, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers and the Johnny Burnette Trio in the rock and roll rock movie rock to see rock and she started with the recording of their debut album, which was never completed. In early 1957 came the Moonglows in another film on ( Mr. Rock and Roll ).
Even during the recording of their debut album, joined Lester, who had been with Fuqua lead singer of the band, now in the background choir. Please Send Me Someone to Love managed a 5th place in the R & B and number 73 in the pop charts. Meanwhile, there was more and more differences between Lester and Fuqua. It is unclear how exactly it finally came to the end of the band. Beginning of 1958 appeared the Single Ten Commandments of Love with Fuqua as speaker, but as a performer were on the cover of Harvey & the Moonglows specified. Nor is it clear whether the background choir actually consisted of the former Moonglows or whether it is a different band to the former Marquees with Marvin Gaye as the lead singer.
1958 Harvey Fuqua left the band to work with other groups, including the The Spinners, and Marvin Gaye. He became a successful composer and record producer.
In 1995, she received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and in 1999 they were incorporated into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, in 2000, the Moonglows were then added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.