The Chords were an American

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

vocal group formed in 1951 in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, known for their 1954 hit "

Sh-Boom "Sh-Boom" ("Life Could Be a Dream") is a doo-wop song by the R&B vocal group the Chords. It was written by James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and William Edwards, members of the Chords, and was released in 1954. It is som ...

", which they wrote. It is the only song they created that reached mainstream popularity.

Career

The group was formed by friends from a high school based in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York City, United States. The initial members were the brothers Carl and Claude Feaster, plus Jimmy Keyes, Buddy McRae, William Edwards, with support from the pianist Rupert Branker. The Chords were one of the early acts to be signed to

Cat Records Cat Records was a short-lived subsidiary of Atlantic Records, specializing in rhythm and blues music. The label was founded in April 1954 to cash in on the popularity of R&B records among white teenager which were called "cat" records in the Sout ...

, a subsidiary label of

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. Their debut single was a

version of a

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...

song " Cross Over the Bridge", and the record label reluctantly allowed a number penned by the Chords on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. That track was "

", which quickly became the more popular side. The record reached the top 10 of the U.S. pop chart, which was then a unique occurrence for an R&B number. The track was covered by

The Crew-Cuts The Crew-Cuts (sometimes spelled Crew Cuts or Crewcuts) were a Canadian vocal and doowop quartet, that made a number of popular records that charted in the United States and worldwide. They named themselves after the then popular crew cut hai ...

, who took the song to the top of the charts, arguably registering the first U.S.

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

number one hit record. The enthusiasm doo-wop fans had for the Chords' music was dampened when Gem Records claimed that one of the groups on its roster was called the Chords; consequently the group changed their name to the Chordcats. Their success was a one-off as subsequent releases, including "Zippity-Zum", all failed to chart. A round of personnel changes and recordings on a variety of labels all failed to reignite the public's interest.

Members

* Carl Albert Feaster, lead (September 14, 1930 – January 10, 1981) * Claude Feaster,

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

(September 23, 1933 – November 1978) * James "Jimmy" Keyes, first

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

(May 22, 1930 – July 22, 1995) * Floyd Franklin "Buddy" McRae Jr., second tenor (October 1, 1927 – March 19, 2013) * William "Ricky" Edwards,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

(died 1964) Pianist Rupert Branker was murdered on July 3, 1961. Later Bass Joe "Ditto" Dias, who replaced William Edwards, died sometime in the 1960s. Later Tenor/Baritone Arthur Dicks, who briefly replaced Buddy McRae, died in 2001. Buddy McRae, the last surviving original member, died on March 19, 2013, at a nursing home in the Bronx at the age of 85.

Discography

Compilation albums

Singles

1950s

1960s

1960 - "

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

References

External links

Marv Golberg's Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chords, The Doo-wop groups African-American musical groups Musical groups established in 1951 1951 establishments in New York City Musical groups from the Bronx Cat Records artists