The Esquires were an American R&B group from

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, United States, principally active from 1957 to 1976.

History

The group first formed in 1957 around the Moorer family: Gilbert (born Gilbert Moorer, Jr., August 20, 1941,

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, died August 28, 2008), his brother Alvis (born Alvis V. Moorer, January 18, 1940, Birmingham, Alabama, died August 21, 2011), and their sister Betty. They first performed as Betty Moorer and the Esquires. When their sister and lead singer left, the group shortened its name to The Esquires, and Gilbert became lead singer. In 1961, Sam Pace (born Sammie L. Pace, September 22, 1944,

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, died January 7, 2013) joined as a tenor. Millard Edwards, a bass, also sang during this period in place of Taylor. They went through many lineup changes over their first decade, which saw them aiming mostly for local recognition. In 1966, they moved to

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, and auditioned for

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

, who was not interested in signing them. The Esquiresat

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They then attempted to sign with Constellation Records, but the record label went under at the end of 1966; they signed instead with Bunky Records, Constellation's successor. Bunky was distributed by

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the S ...

on the national level. Their debut record for Bunky/Scepter was " Get on Up" (1967), becoming a major hit in the United States, peaking at No. 11 as a pop single and reaching No. 3 on the US ''

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'' R&B

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. Following the release they played Chicago's Regal Theater and the

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. Further singles were also successes, and the group released one full-length LP. After five singles on Bunky the group signed a deal with Scepter themselves late in 1968. They later returned to Bunky and then, in 1970, signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

for one single ("Reach Out") and Lamarr Records in 1971 for " Girls in the City". Perry Moorer played alto saxophone with the group. He died in 1996. Gilbert Moorer died from throat cancer on August 28, 2008, at the age of 67. Alvis Moorer died on August 21, 2011, at the age of 71. Sam Pace died after a long illness on January 7, 2013, at the age of 68. Edwards, who lives in Chicago, is now the only surviving member of the band from its recording days.

Members

*Gilbert Moorer *Alvis Moorer *Betty Moorer *Sam Pace (1961–) *Shawn Taylor (1965–1967) *Millard Edwards *Perry Moorer (alto saxophone) *Goose "Preacher" Hilliard Smith

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Gilbert Moorer, Jr (1941 - 2008) - Find A Grave Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esquires, The Musical groups from Milwaukee Apex Records artists Capitol Records artists Wand Records artists