The Chords "Lu Lu" Acapella Dressing Room Rehearsal - 1979

On Saturday night, December 8, 1979, eight rhythm’n’blues, rock’n’roll and doo wop vocal groups took the stage at the Beacon Theater at 74th Street and Broadway in New York City as part of the Royal New York Doo Wopp Show. On the bill were Fred Parris and the Satins, the Chords, with original lead Carl Feaster, Rudy West and his Keys, Vito and the Salutations, Randy and the Rainbows, Willie Winfield and the Harptones, Earl Lewis and the Channels, and a next generation acapella group, Yesterday’s Today, all backed by Bobby Comstock’s Band. Tickets were priced at $10.50 and $9 for the 8 PM concert.
Beginning in the early 1970s, Boston-area disc jockey, concert host and producer, historian and enthusiast, Little Walter DeVenne began documenting the pioneers of vocal group harmony, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll using Super 8 movie film, reel to reel tape recorders, and whatever means were available to him. As luck would have it, the Super 8 film camera made its way backstage into the dressing room before the concert, and four impromptu acapella rehearsals were filmed in addition to portions of the concert.
Formed in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, New York, the Chords wrote and first recorded “Sh-Boom”, which became a Top 10 national hit in 1954 (only to be successfully covered by a white act, the Crew-Cuts). The pioneering rhythm and blues/rock’n’roll vocal group consisted of North Carolina native Carl Feaster (lead), his brother Claude (baritone), first tenor Jimmy Keyes, second tenor Floyd “Buddy” McRae, and bass William “Ricky” Edwards. The song has endured as one of the classic early rock’n’roll vocal group hits and a definitive representation of the “doo wop” genre. Following the success of “Sh-Boom”, the group was forced to change their name when another act known as the Chords that pre-dated the hitmakers brought legal action. Thus, their later releases were credited to the Chordcats, Sh-Booms, and Lionel Thorpe.
Personnel changes began in 1956, and by the end of that year the Feaster brothers and Keyes were joined by baritone Vernon “Arthur” Dix and bass Joe “Ditto” Dias. The original quintet got together for one final recording session in 1960, before drifting apart. Edwards died in 1964, and Claude Feaster passed in 1978.
That year, Carl Feaster, Jimmy Keyes, and Buddy McRae appeared on Ronnie I’s New Jersey radio show, and performed at a United in Group Harmony Association meeting/show, with the addition of Gary Morrison, a fellow Bronx native and original recording member of the Chimes and Lillian Leach and the Mellows. By the time of this performance, McRae and Morrison had left. Baritone Artie Dicks, who had first recorded with the act in 1956, rejoined and two younger members, including first tenor Wesley Neal, who later sang with Earl Lewis and the Channels, comprised the new quartet.
Sadly, this footage was shot in less-than-ideal lighting, and the vocalists, particularly Feaster, are silhouetted by the dressing room bulbs. Nevertheless, their performance of the 1957 Vik label release “Lu Lu”, with three recording members singing acapella, is superb. Keyes had dropped from first tenor to bass. We have been unable to identify the gentleman singing second tenor between Neal and Keyes. Carl Feaster was only 50 when he succumbed to cancer in January of 1981, just 13 months after this performance. Keyes continued leading a Chords group with new members until his death in 1995 after suffering an aneurysm during surgery. Wesley Neal died in 1992 at age 46. In his later years, Artie Dicks sang bass with Ray Pollard of the Wanderers in Paul Kalet’s Ink Spots. He died in 1998 at age 65.

After Walter died in 2021, his close friend and longtime disc jockey, Mike Bollea ensured that these rare recordings would be preserved. Through Mike’s generosity and a desire to see Walter’s historic films shared with fans and devotees of this music, we present the Little Walter’s Time Machine Official Archives series, remixed and synched by Todd Baptista, from the original source material. For the best in “oldies but goodies” from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, listen to Mike Bollea on MIXCLOUD and follow his discjockeymike page to hear new shows. To leave comments or connect with Mike, send him a friend request and visit his Facebook page Michael Bollea (Not Just Another DJ) and the Mike Bollea’s Radio Friends Group or e-mail him at discjockeymike@verizon.net.