Group of the Month

The Jesters

The Jesters are another one of those great original doo-wop groups. They had it all - great lead vocals from Adam Jackson (high tenor) and Lenny McKay (regular lead tenor). Fantastic harmonies from the original members - Anthony Jimmy Smith (2nd tenor), Leo Vincent (baritone) and Noel Grant (bass) and later the Lewis brothers Don (bass) and Melvin (baritone). While they only recorded a precious few discs, their music lives today and will always be a feature on Destination Doo-Wop, both the web site and live radio show.

The Jesters, like so many other groups of the time, were school friends at Harlem's Cooper Junior High. The original members - McKay, Smith, Vincent and Grant (a quartet at the time) began singing in 1955. Grant is apparently credited with coming up with the group's name after the Danny Kaye movie "the Court Jester." The group quickly realized they needed a fifth member and Adam Jackson, who was heard singing on a street corner in Harlem, became the fifth member and 1st tenor. It would be Jackson who would later keep the group together over the years.

The group was a regular feature at amateur nights at the famous Apollo theatre winning first prize three straight weeks at one point in early 1957. Paul Winley of Winley records realized their talents and signed the group to a contract, apparently stealing them away from Old Town Records which was too slow to sign the group. The famous Dave Baby Cortez (Dave Clowney) became their producer and even is given credit for writing a few of their tunes (although this was probably not the case). Their first release on Winley was So Strange b/w Love No One But You (Winley #218). I actually think the B side is better than the A. So Strange was a nice slow ballad grinder with Jackson taking the high tenor lead and McKay taking the other half of the lead duties. Love No One But You was a medium tempo tune which featured, in my opinion, some of the best group harmony ever - the beginning of the song has to be the archtypical street corner sound - simply fantastic. Again Jackson and McKay share the lead duties and again Jackson's high tenor lead is pure magic.

This formation of the group released a follow up record in 1957, another fantastic two sider - hard to say which side is better. Please Let Me Love You b/w I'm Falling in Love (Winley #221) featured a medium tempo ballad on the A side again with the power duo of Jackson and McKay sharing leads. A great medium tempo tune with nice piano work in the background from Dave Baby Cortez. The B side was a nice "cha-cha-cha" medium to uptempo bopper again with great split leads. A terrific record to own - you get two great tunes for one price!

In 1958, the group released two more records, one for Winley - the Plea b/w Oh Baby (Winley 1958) with the A side trying to capitalize on the prior success of the Chantels record, and one for Cyclone (owned by the wife of Paul Winley's wife) - I Laughed b/w Now That You're Gone (Cyclone #501), the A side a decent uptempo bopper. The B side, I believe, was the last great Jesters record. The song comes bombing right at with you with all five members singing in harmony from the beginning capped by Jackson's great high tenor voice. The song then launches into the first verse with McKay's lead. Another super slow-to-medium tempo ballad!

Following their release on Cyclone, the group broke up with Mckay heading to another group, Grant leaving and Vincent getting drafted (where have we heard that before - Five Satins maybe?). Jackson and Smith picked up the pieces and grabbed up Melvin Lewis from the Canaries for baritone and Lewis' brother Don as bass. No fourth member was added at that time and group went on as a quartet. In 1960 and 1961, the group released three rather forgettable discs The Wind b/w Sally Green (Winley #242), That's How It Goes b/w Tutti Frutti (Winley #248) and Uncle Henry's Basement b/w Come Let Me Show You (Winley #252). The Wind (the Diablos tune) was a modest hit .

HOME