The Paragons "Blue Velvet" (Brooklyn 1957-1963)

It's hard to imagine a more quintessential New York sound than the Paragons.  This was the way New York music was supposed to sound…...The Paragons, who formed in 1955, were from various parts of Brooklyn. It all started with three guys from Bedford-Stuyvesant, who were trying to get a group together: bass Al Brown, first tenor Ricky Jackson, and baritone Donald Travis. Al was close with a guy from neighboring Brownsville: a second tenor named Gable "Ben" Frazier (so close, in fact, that they called each other "cousin"). Donald's sister knew and recommended a first tenor named Julius "Mack" McMichael (from East New York); he ended up as their lead. They were all over 18, except for Ben, who was 14 at the time.
Al Brown suggested the name "Paragons," from the Paragon Oil Company (whose trucks I remember seeing all over the Bronx) and the guys started practicing. As inspirations, they chose the Drifters, the Flamingos, and the Moonglows. Closer to home were the Cadillacs and Harptones. But the group they were closest with was the Continentals.
The Paragons sang a lot of gospel songs and a lot of ballads. Were they any good? According to Ben, their unusual sound arose "'cause we didn't really know how to sing." Only Ben and Mack knew anything at all about harmony. "We taught each other how to sing.”(Marv Goldberg)
FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.uncamarvy.com/Paragons/paragons.html

trax:
01 Blue Velvet 02 In The Midst Of The Night 03 Kneel And Pray 04 Begin The Beguine 05 Danny Boy 06 Baby Take My Hand 07 Darlin' I Love You 08 Wedding Bells 09 So You Will Know 10 Just A Memorie 11 Hey Baby 12 If You Love Me 13 Give Me Love 14 Thinking Of You 15 Two Hearts Are Better Than One 16 Don't Cry Baby 17 If 18 Time After Time 19 Diamonds And Pearls 20 Hey Little School Girl 21 If You Love Me 22 Florence 23 Florence Don't Leave Me 24 Doll Baby 25 Let's Start All Over Again 26 The Things I Love 27 Danny Boy
…served by Gyro1966...