The G-Clefs were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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, ...

/rhythm and blues vocal group, from Roxbury,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. The G-Clefs consisted of four brothers and a fifth member who was a childhood friend. They first sang together at St Richard's Catholic Church, in their hometown of Roxbury. They were subsequently discovered by a talent scout named Jack Gold, who encouraged them to perform professionally. They began performing in greater Boston in the early 1950s. They scored two

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hits in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

: their version of "Ka-Ding-Dong" released in 1956

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, featuring

Freddy Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. (born December 4, 1936), better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singing, singer. His biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", ...

on guitar, peaked at No. 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; it was the first national hit for their Boston-based label, Pilgrim Records. Their other hit song was 1961's " I Understand (Just How You Feel)", which used the melody from "

Auld Lang Syne "Auld Lang Syne" () is a Scottish song. In the English-speaking world, it is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay/New Year's Eve. It is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a far ...

", reached No. 9. The latter track reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1961. They continued to play locally in greater Boston, at the Strand Theater in Uphams Corner (Dorchester, Massachusetts), and throughout the area into the 2000s. Ray Gipson died in 2015, at the age of 77. Tim Scott died in 2017, at the age of 78. Teddy Scott died in 2018, at the age of 82. Ilanga Scott died of cancer in 2022, at the age of 82.

Members

*Teddy Scott (born Bryce Theodore Scott; February 29, 1936 – October 27, 2018) *Chris Scott (born Christian Scott in 1937) *Tim Scott (born Timothy Scott; 1938 – May 16, 2017) *Arnold (Ilanga) Scott (July 23, 1940 – December 24, 2022) *Ray Gipson (born Ramon Gipson; September 24, 1937 – January 4, 2015) *Ira Kweller - keyboard player (1952 – July 2018)

References

External links

The G-Clefs biography & discography IThe G-Clefs biography & discography II
{{DEFAULTSORT:G-Clefs, The American rhythm and blues musical groups Doo-wop groups Musical groups from Massachusetts American musical quintets Sibling musical groups