THE FIVE KEYS
O quinteto vocal The Five Keys, foi criado em 1945 em Newport News, Virginia. Seus componentes originais eram Rudy West, Bernie West, Ripley Ingram e Raphael Ingram, aos quais se juntou mais tarde Edwin Hall. Influenciados pelos Mills Brothers, Ink Spots e Orioles, eles vieram a se transformar em modelos de grupos posteriores. Cantavam R&B, Gospel e Pop e - para minha surpresa, ao contrário da grande maioria dos grupos vocais negros daquela época, sua carreira não teve grandes emoções, sobressaltos, ou "troca-troca". Na verdade a única mudança foi determinada
pela convocação de Rapael para servir às forças armadas, sendo substituído por James "Dickie" Smith. (Desafortunadamente, Raphael foi mandado para a guerra na Coréia, onde perdeu um pé, como conseqüência de gangrena posterior a congelamento.
Quando voltou para casa Raphael foi integrar o grupo "The Avalons"). Segundo seu biógrafo MARV GOLDBERG, uma das maiores autoridades no assunto, "The 5 Keys" foi um dos mais talentosos conjuntos vocais de sua época.
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THE FIVE KEYS
The origins of the 5 Keys go back to 1945, in Newport News, Virginia, when two sets of brothers began singing gospel, Pop and R&B, as the Sentimental Four. They were: Rudy (first tenor) and Bernie West (bass/baritone); Ripley (octave tenor) and Raphael Ingram (second tenor). Their influences were the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots (later on, the Orioles) all of whom they idolized. In early 1949, they decided to change their sound, adding second tenor Edwin Hall as a fifth member. He was from
the same neighborhood, and a mutual friend recommended him to the group. Edwin started showing up at rehearsals, and soon became a permanent member. Four-part harmony is different from three-part harmony, and Bernie credits Ripley Ingram with keeping their sound consistent and together: "Ripley was the key part. He sang the fifth. He could float between first and second tenor and above." Ripley was an "octave tenor", who sings a half note above the scale. Why a fifth member? "We wanted to be different. We were looking for another sound. There was a "hole"
when Ripley would go up to octave tenor, and Edwin would fill in the sound. It kept the balance; we always had four-part harmony with a melody." (The 5 Keys would pass on the legacy of this "floating tenor" sound to other Newport News groups: the Avalons, the Leaders, and the Chateaus.) Although they now had a fifth member, they strangely did nothing about their name for a while, continuing to be billed as the Sentimental Four for a few more months. In mid-1949, Rafael Ingram received his draft notice and promptly joined the Air Force to avoid the Army. He ended up being sent to Korea, where he lost a foot to frostbite. When he returned home, he became a member of the Avalons. Rafael's replacement was baritone/second tenor James "Dickie" Smith. The decision of changing the name to "The 5 keys" was made by their manager, Isaac "Ike" Burton. (They were considered as a "Groups' Group", along with the Moonglows and Flamingos). The 5 Keys were one of the most talented and prolific groups to ever record. There's little that can be added to the adulation that's been heaped on them by so many of their peers.
(Excerpt from an article penned by MARV GOLDBERG - edited by CB).
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MINHA OPINIÃO: "The five keys", a exemplo dos demais daquela época, é um ótimo grupo vocal. (Aliás, prolixamente, venho repetindo que não conheço grupo vocal americano de má qualidade - seja branco ou negro. Nesse ramo eles sempre foram e continuam imbatíveis). Sobre o álbum: mesmo nas faixas onde o acompanhamento vai além do piano e do baixo, o clima do álbum é despojado, econômico, contido e de bom gosto, o que dirige nossa atenção para os vocais muito bem urdidos. Os 5Keys 'jogam nas onze': a faixa 'Deep in my heart' é um belo exemplo de arranjo "branco"; outras faixas antecipam os caminhos do "doo-wop" e do "rock-and-roll" seminal dos anos 50. Considerando a data de sua criação e a excelente qualidade de sua música, era inevitável: o estilo dos "Five Keys" teria que, necessariamente, ser assimilado por seus sucessores. Mr. Goldberg tem razão quando "enche a bola" dos "5Keys". Assino em baixo.
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THE FIVE KEYS - THE ALLADIN YEARS
THE FIVE KEYS:
Rudy West (first tenor)
Bernie West (bass/baritone)
Ripley Ingram (octave tenor)
Raphael Ingram (second tenor)
Edwin Hall (second tenor)
FAIXAS/TRACKS:
1. With A Broken Heart
2. Glory Of Love
3. Yes Sir, That's My Baby
4. Red Sails In The Sunset
5. Be Anything, But Be Mine
6. Mistakes
7. If You Only Knew
8. Hold Me
9. Will My Heart Stand A Chance
10. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
11. Can't Keep From Crying
12. Yearning
13. There Ought To Be A Law
14. Mama (Your Daughter Told A Lie On Me)
15. When You're Gone
16. I'll Always Be In Love With You
17. Rocking And Crying Blues
18. These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You
19. Teardrops In Your Eyes
20. My Saddest Hour
21. White Cliffs Of Dover
22. Oh! Babe!
23. Someday Sweetheart
24. Deep In My Heart
25. Story Of Love
DOWNLOAD: AQUI
