The group that would become the Hornets began at Cleveland's Central High School around 1951. James 'Sonny' Long (lead), Johnny Moore (tenor), Ben Iverson (baritone), and Gus Miller (bass) originally called themselves the "Mellowtones," but along the way, this changed to the Hornets.
[Johnny Moore originally told me that the name change was to keep from being confused with Sonny Turner's Metrotones. However, the dates are all wrong for that: the Hornets actually recorded before the Metrotones became well-known, so there had to be some other reason.]
The group practiced mostly current R&B (the hits of the Dominoes and the Orioles, for example), as well as some pop tunes. Their appearances were mostly weekend gigs in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Detroit, where they played clubs, theaters, and gyms.
One night, they performed for the owner of a local skating rink, who was
so impressed that in the summer of 1953, he got them a recording session
with Leonard Allen's States Records in Chicago. On August 12, the group
(which was possibly still named the Mellowtones), went to the Chicago
and recorded five numbers: "I Can't Believe" (led by James Long, with
Johnny Moore on the bridge), "Lonesome Baby" (also led by James), "You
Played The Game" (which wasn't all that different musically from "I
Can't Believe"), "Reelin' And Rockin'," and "Big City Bound." (Note that many
sources incorrectly give these titles as “Ridin' And Rockin'” and “Big City Bounce.”)It was possibly at this point that the name change took place, since the session was noted as having been by a "Cleveland Quartet." There's always the possibility that States itself assigned the name to them. Another explanation is that no one at the recording studio bothered to ask their name that day.
Whatever the circumstances, States wasn't in much of a hurry to release a record. Finally, in November 1953, they issued "I Can't Believe," backed with "Lonesome Baby."
The record was reviewed on December 19 (both sides rated "good"), along with Johnny Ace's "Saving My Love For You," Joe Turner's "TV Mama," the Royals' "That's It," and the Diamonds' "Cherry."
The record failed to take off, and soon after the session, bass Gus Miller left, to be replaced by Bill Brent.
On April 18, 1954, the Hornets appeared as part of the Easter show at the local Circle Theater. Others on the bill were the Spence Twins, the Moonglows, the 3 Kats, Danny Cobb, and Ronnie Jarvis & His Calypso Band.
While it was nice to have a record out, and it did result in work for the guys, a radical change was in the works. Sonny Long had a timing problem, and Johnny Moore was being groomed for the lead. However, before that could happen, fate stepped in and gave Johnny a better bargain than he could have ever hoped for with the Hornets.
On August 6, 1954, the Drifters played Cleveland as part of a Gale Agency tour. At the time they were: Little David Baughan (lead), Gerhart Thrasher (tenor), Andrew Thrasher (baritone), Bill Pinkney (bass), and Jimmy Oliver (guitar). (Original lead Clyde McPhatter had been drafted, and David Baughan, whose voice was quite similar to Clyde's, was picked by the others to replace him.) Johnny Moore approached Bill Pinkney backstage and inquired about any likely future openings with the Drifters.
Nothing came of it then, but during Thanksgiving week, 1954, the Drifters were back in town (playing the Circle Theater with Arthur Prysock, Annie Laurie, Wilbert Harrison, and Paul Weston's Orchestra). Moore once again approached Pinkney, auditioned, and received a call the next day to get packed for a tour of the South. The Drifters were now a quintet with two lead tenors. At appearances, Little Dave would lead on the "A" sides (like "Money Honey") and Johnny would lead on the "B" sides (like "Gone" and "The Way I Feel").
The real reason for Johnny's hiring was that Little Dave had a drinking problem and they were trying to scare him into getting his act together. Initially it worked. It worked so well, in fact, that around March of 1955, Johnny was let go. By this time, the Hornets had disbanded, so there was nowhere to come home to.
However, around August of 1955, Drifters' road manager Percy Livingston called Johnny Moore back; after only a few months, Little Dave had reverted to his old ways and had been fired.
Johnny Moore had gone from second lead of a very minor Cleveland group to being the “official” lead singer of the Drifters (although he claimed that it took him nearly a year to be accepted by the fans).
Somehow, the Hornets carried on, presumably replacing Johnny Moore. I had originally believed that the Hornets had dissolved when Johnny left. However, Galen Gart's recent Rhythm & Blues In Cleveland – 1955 Edition (Big Nickel Publications, 2003) details many appearances by the Hornets during 1955. They were the headline singers at Gleason's Musical Bar during the last week of 1954 and the first week of 1955 (along with Milt Buckner's band). They headlined at Gleason's again (with the Ernie "The Great" Scott's Orchestra) for the week ending March 6. In May, it was reported that William "Jap" Gleason (owner of Gleason's) was now managing them and there was a tour planned with Sarah Vaughan. On July 17, they sang at a dance held at Cleveland's Paradise Auditorium with Big Maybelle, Cool Papa Jarvis, and Great Scott. There was a reunion of sorts on October 9, when both the Hornets and the Drifters (now with Johnny firmly in the lead) appeared at the Paradise (along with Big Willie and his Rock & Roll Band ). The last mention I can find of them is on October 14, when they were once again at the Paradise, this time with the 4 Flames (a local group), Luther Bond & the Emeralds, and the Great Scott Orchestra.
The Hornets refused to be swatted out of existence. They either kept on going, or, in the early 60s, baritone Ben Iverson formed a new Hornets that included lead tenor Lester Johnson. In 1962, they had two records released on the Way Out label (which Lester Johnson seems to have owned, along with Walter Roberts and football great Jim Brown). Neither went anywhere, and the Hornets disbanded for the last time. (Note that the Hornets on Flash were a different group.)
Johnny Moore stayed with the Drifters until being drafted in November 1957. When he was discharged in 1960, he tried a solo career, calling himself "Johnny Darrow." (There were a few releases on Melic and Sue.) Here's where the name came from: "Because the old Johnny Moore of the Blazers was still alive, I couldn't use my real name. One day I was reading an article about Clarence Darrow, the lawyer, in Ebony, and it just struck me that 'Johnny Darrow' sounded good. But my sound was a little too "white" for Juggy Murray [owner of Sue Records]. Then he got Ike and Tina Turner and spent his time with them."
Johnny re-joined the Drifters in time for their April, 1963 session. This may have been insurance on the part of management, because in May, Atlantic released a solo by Drifters lead Rudy Lewis: "I've Loved You So Long"/"Baby I Dig Love." Possibly because the record didn't do well, Rudy continued on with the group, alternating leads with Johnny Moore, until he (Rudy) died in May of 1964.
In mid-1966, the Drifters needed a bass and Johnny brought in his old Hornets buddy Bill Brent, who stayed with the group for about six months (appearing on the "Baby, What I Mean" session in October of that year).
Over the years, Johnny led the Drifters on: "Adorable," "Ruby Baby," "Soldier Of Fortune," "I Gotta Get Myself A Woman," "Sadie My Lady" "It Was A Tear," "Fools Fall In Love," "Yodee Yakee," "Souvenirs," "Hypnotized," "I Know," "If You Don't Come Back," "I'll Take You Home," "Didn't It," "One Way Love," "Under The Boardwalk," "He's Just A Playboy," "I've Got Sand In My Shoes," "Saturday Night At The Movies," "Spanish Lace," "The Christmas Song," "I Remember Christmas," "In The Park," "At The Club," "Quando, Quando, Quando," "I Wish You Love," "Tonight," "More," "What Kind Of Fool," "The Good Life," "As Long As She Needs Me," "Desafinado," "Who Can I Turn To," "San Francisco," "Temptation," "On The Street Where You Live," "Answer The Phone." (And that's only through the end of 1964.)
Johnny stayed with the Drifters for many years after they left Atlantic Records. In the early 70s, they moved to England, and he continued to appear with them throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, right up to the time of his death. Ben Iverson passed away in March, 2008; sadly, I never got to interview him about the 60s incarnation of the Hornets.
So, all in all, while the Hornets made little impression on the world, they at least gave us Johnny Moore.
Special thanks to Bob Davis.