Little Anthony and The Imperials

Grupa wokalna założona w 1957 r. na Brooklynie, Nowy Jork, USA. Debiutowała pod nazwą The Chesters w składzie: "Little" Anthony Gourdine (ur. 8.01.1940 r.), Ernest Wright Jnr. (ur. 24.08.1941 r.), Clarence Collins (ur. 17.03.1941 r.) oraz Tracy Lord i Glouster Rogers (ur. w 1940 r.); wszyscy z Brooklynu.

Epigoni stylu doo-wop, a zarazem prekursorzy słodkiego soulu, utorowali pośrednio drogę grupom w rodzaju Stylistics i Delfonics. Gourdine trafił do Chesters z zespołu The Duponts, z którym nagrywał od 1956 r. Nazwę Imperials przyjęli, podpisawszy kontrat z wytwórnią End, a pseudonim "Little Anthony" zasugerował liderowi znany disc jockey Alan Freed (uważany za twórcę terminu rock'n'roll ).

Pierwszy przebój grupy, "Tears On My Pillow" z 1958 r., oparty był na wokalnej manierze podśpiewujących na rogach ulic paczek murzyńskich nastolatków. Gourdine, pomimo sukcesów kolejnych singli: "So Much" (z 1959 r.) i "Shimmy Shimmy Ko-Ko-Bop" (z 1960 r.), dał się namówić na niefortunną karierę solisty.

W 1964 r. reaktywował Imperials wraz z Wrightem, Collinsem i Sammym Strainem (ur. 9.12.1940 r.). W nagraniu "I'm One The Outside (Lookin' In)" błysnął wibrującym falsetem, wykorzystanym z powodzeniem na kolejnych singlach: "Going Out Of My Head" i "Hurt So Bad" (oba w amerykańskiej Top 10). Powodzeniem cieszyły się też taneczne tematy z 1966 r.: "Better Use Your Head" i "Gonna Fix You Good".

Wkrótce potem zespół rozpadł się, a Sammy Stran zastąpił z powodzeniem w 1974 r. Williama Powella w grupie The O'Jays. W 1976 r. Collins założył kolejną mutację Imperials. W nowym składzie odniósł wraz z zespołem sukcesy podczas tournee w Wielkiej Brytanii, wykorzystując popularność reedycji "Better Use Your Head".

Single

Tytuł	Wykonawca	Data wydania	UK	US	Wytwórnia [US]	Komentarz
Tears on my pillow/Two people in the world	Little Anthony and The Imperials	08.1958	-	4[19]	End 1027	[written by Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford][2[12].R&B Chart]
So much/Oh yeah	Little Anthony and The Imperials	12.1958	-	87[2]	End 1036	[written by Richard Barrett][24[1].R&B Chart]
Wishful thinking/When you wish upon a star	Little Anthony and The Imperials	03.1959	-	79[2]	End 1039	[written by Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford]
A prayer and a juke box/River path	Little Anthony and The Imperials	06.1959	-	81[4]	End 1047	[written by Gary Shelton]
Shimmy, shimmy,ko-ko-bop/I' m still in love with you	Little Anthony and The Imperials	12.1959	-	24[16]	End 1060	[written by Bob Smith][produced by George Goldner][14[10].R&B Chart]
My empty room/Bayou,bayou baby	Little Anthony and The Imperials	04.1960	-	86[2]	End 1067	[written by Patrick Welch][produced by George Goldner]
I'm Taking A Vacation From Love / Only Sympathy	Little Anthony and The Imperials	.1960	-	-	End 1074	[written by N. Lipkin, I. Miller][produced by George Goldner]
Please say you want me/So near yet so far	Little Anthony and The Imperials	03.1961	-	104[4]	End 1086	[written by Donald Hayes]
I' m on the outside [Looking in]/Please go	Little Anthony and The Imperials	08.1964	-	15[10]	DCP 1104	[written by Teddy Randazzo, Bob Weinstein][8[14].R&B Chart]
Goin' out of my head/Make it easy on yourself	Little Anthony and The Imperials	11.1964	-	6[14]	DCP 1119	[written by Teddy Randazzo, Bob Weinstein][produced by Teddy Randazzo][6[13].R&B Chart]
Hurt so bad/Reputation	Little Anthony and The Imperials	02.1965	-	10[9]	DCP 1128	[written by Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Hart, Bobby Wilding][produced by Teddy Randazzo][3[11].R&B Chart]
Take me back/Our song	Little Anthony and The Imperials	06.1965	-	16[11]	DCP 1136	[written by Teddy Randazzo][produced by Teddy Randazzo][15[10].R&B Chart]
I miss you so/Get out of my life	Little Anthony and The Imperials	10.1965	-	34[7]	DCP 1149	[#20 hit for The Cats and The Fiddle in 1940r][written by Jimmy Henderson, Sydney Robin, Bertha Scott][produced by Teddy Randazzo][23[5].R&B Chart]
Hurt /Never again	Little Anthony and The Imperials	01.1966	-	51[6]	DCP 1154	[written by Crane, Jacobs][produced by Teddy Randazzo][#8 r&b; hit for Roy Hamilton in 1955r]
Better use your head/The wonder of it all	Little Anthony and The Imperials	05.1966	-	54[7]	Veep 1228	[written by T. Randazzo, V. Pike][produced by Teddy Randazzo]
You better take it easy baby/Gonna fix you good [Every time you' re bad]	Little Anthony and The Imperials	08.1966	-	125[1]	Veep 1233	[written by T. Randazzo, V. Pike][produced by Teddy Randazzo]
It' s not the same/Down on love	Anthony and The Imperials	11.1966	-	92[2]	Veep 1248	[written by Randazzo, Kusik, Adams, Pike][produced by Teddy Randazzo]
Don' t tie me down/Where there' s a will there' s a way to forget you	Anthony and The Imperials	01.03.1967	-	123[3]	Veep 1255	[written by R. Adams, V. Pike, T. Randazzo][produced by Teddy Randazzo]
I' m hypnotized/Hungry heart	Anthony and The Imperials	02.1968	-	98[1]	Veep 1278	[written by K. Seymour, T. Randazzo, V. Pike][produced by Teddy Randazzo]
Out of sight,out of mind/Summer' s comin' in	Little Anthony and The Imperials	07.1969	-	52[9]	United Artists 50 552	[written by Ivory Joe Hunter, Clyde Otis][produced by Bob Skaff, George Butler, Little Anthony And The Imperials][38[4].R&B Chart]
The Ten Commandments of love/Let the sunshine in	Little Anthony and The Imperials	11.1969	-	82[4]	United Artists 50 598	[written by Mark Paul, Marshall Paul][produced by Bob Skaff, George Butler, Little Anthony And The Imperials]
Don' t get close/I' ll never be the same again	Little Anthony and The Imperials	01.02.1970	-	116[3]	United Artists 50 625	[written by J. D. Akines, J. Bellmon][produced by Bob Skaff, George Butler, Little Anthony And The Imperials]
World of darkness/The change	Little Anthony and The Imperials	01.06.1970	-	121[1]	United Artists 50 677	[written by T. Kemp, H. Fuqua][produced by Bob Skaff]
Help me find a way [To say i love you]/If i love you	Little Anthony and The Imperials	11.1970	-	92[4]	United Artists 50 720	[written by T. Bell, L. Creed][produced by George Butler, Thom Bell][32[10].R&B Chart]
I' m falling in love with you/What good am i without you	Little Anthony and The Imperials	06.1974	-	86[4]	Avco 4635	[written by Jeanne Davis][produced by Thom Bell][25[13].R&B Chart]
Hold on [Just a little bit longer]/I' ve got to let you go [Part.1]	Anthony and The Imperials	01.04.1975	-	106[1]	Avco 4651	[written by Barry, Hurtt, Bell, Hill, Brown][produced by Hurtt, Bell][79[5].R&B; Chart]
Better use your head/The wonder of it all	Little Anthony and The Imperials	07.1976	42[4]	-	United Artists UP 36141	[written by Teddy Randazzo, Victoria Pike][produced by Teddy Randazzo]
Who' s gonna love me/Can You Imagine	Imperials	12.1977	17[9]	-	Omni 5501	[73[6].R&B Chart]

Albumy

Tytuł	Wykonawca	Data wydania	UK	US	Wytwórnia [US]	Komentarz
I' m on the outside [Looking in]	Little Anthony and The Imperials	01.1965	-	135[4]	DCP 6801	[produced by Teddy Randazzo]
Goin' out of my head	Little Anthony and The Imperials	02.1965	-	74[13]	DCP 6808	[produced by Teddy Randazzo]
The best of Little Anthony & The Imperials	Little Anthony and The Imperials	03.1966	-	97[23]	DCP 6809
Out of sight,out of mind	Little Anthony and The Imperials	10.1969	-	172[5]	United Artists 6720