Admit it! If you danced in the mid-50s, you considered "When You
Dance" to be one of your anthems. It was feel-good music, in an age
when dancing was the thing. "You may do a rumba or a tango/ Mambo,
calypso, or the strand"; that’s what the kids wanted to hear, and
that’s what the Turbans gave them.
The Turbans, one of Philadelphia’s premier groups, formed in 1953.
From Downtown Philadelphia (around Bainbridge and South Street), they
were kids who hung out together and went to the same schools, although
by the time of their formation, they had all graduated. The original
members were: Al Banks (lead tenor), Matthew Platt (second tenor),
Charlie Williams (baritone), and Andrew "Chet" Jones
(bass).
Hearing of Herman Gillespie, who rehearsed groups (and, importantly,
only lived a few blocks away), they sought him out. He not only
rehearsed them, but became their first manager (although the only
appearances they made in those days were at recreation halls). They
admired the usual groups: Clovers, 5 Keys, Dominoes, Ravens, Drifters,
Flamingos, Moonglows, and Spaniels. They practiced all the hits by those
groups, and spirituals too, since Charlie’s father-in-law was a member
of a spiritual group; he taught them how to do harmonies.
Al Banks said: "We didn’t have a name for the group in the
beginning, so our manager suggested that we wear caps [Chet says
"tams"]. We didn’t like the idea too much, and one of the
fellows [Charlie] said: 'Before I put a cap on, I’d rather wear a
turban!' And that’s what we did, calling ourselves the Turbans."
Chet says that they bought cotton gabardine cloth and cut it into the
turbans. At the beginning, everyone had two "stones" on his
turban, but as time went on, some of them got lost. That’s why, in Herald photos,
some have two stones and some have one.
Around Christmas of 1954, they sang their rendition of Clyde
McPhatter and the Drifters’ "White Christmas" at a talent
show. Said Al: "We won first prize and just continued on singing
from there." Al was one of those tenors
who could do a very creditable imitation of Clyde McPhatter.
In the late Spring of 1955, they cut a demo in Philadelphia and
Herman Gillespie brought it to Al Silver and Jack Angel at Herald
Records in New York. Liking what he heard, Silver offered the Turbans a
contract; in July, Silver announced the group’s signing. While they were
now on their way, they parted company with Gillespie, picking up Allen
Best as their manager (he worked for Shaw Artists Corporation, under
whose "direction" they now were).
In July 1955, the Turbans had their first Herald session, at which
they cut four tunes: "Sister Sookey", "I’ll Always Watch
Over You", "Let Me Show You (Around My Heart)", and
"When You Dance". All sides were led by Al Banks. That same
month Herald released their first record, pairing "Let Me Show You
(Around My Heart)" with "When You Dance". (There was a
blurb that the first record would be "Tomorrow"; either Herald
had the wrong group in mind, or there’s a master that’s never surfaced.)
"Show" was deliberately done in a Clyde McPhatter style. Said
Al: "I had admired Clyde. At that time his voice was the biggest
thing in R&B, so being a young group we patterned ourselves after
different singers. When this song was presented to us, this was the way
our manager wanted us to do it. He said, 'Put a little Clyde into it.'
That was a good song."
"Show" was the "A" side and was the one that was
initially pushed by Herald. It became a regional hit in Atlanta,
Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston, and New Orleans. However, along
the way, DJs started flipping it over to play the Latin-beat "When
You Dance" (which had been written by Chet). Soon "Dance"
started to break in New York, Philadelphia, D.C. and Baltimore. Finally,
in November, it hit the national charts (strangely, it charted in Pop
first, followed about two weeks later in R&B). The wait was worth
it: "Dance" reached #3 on R&B, remaining on the chart for
about two months. Even more surprising, it not only hit the Pop chart
first, but stayed on it for about five months (while it only rose to
#33, this still has to be counted as a significant hit).
In December, with one hit still on the charts, Herald released the
Turbans’ next record: "Sister Sookey"/"I’ll Always Watch
Over You". "Sister Sookey" featured the crowd-pleasing
lyrics, "I wonder where Sister Sookey’s done gone/ Sister Sookey’s
done gone/ And that girl she’s gone to Egypt". The ads couldn’t get
it straight, however: one said "Sister Snooky" and another had
"Sister Sooki". Regardless of the spelling, "Sister"
was another Latin-beat rocker, which was a big hit in several local
markets, although it never made it to the national charts. "I’ll
Always Watch Over You" was Al’s best attempt at a Clyde McPhatter
style.
With a national hit, the Turbans took off to see the nation. They
were booked into the Apollo Theater, with the Diablos and the Mambo
Aces. Said Al: "Everybody had built up the Apollo before we worked
there. We did favorably." They also played Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and
"Chubby's" in Berlin, NJ. They ended up doing the full
Chittlin' Circuit, except for Chicago's Regal. Says Chet, "They
kept cancelling us."
Then it was off on a whirlwind tour. In late January they joined
Irvin Feld’s "Super Attractions Tour", with Bill Haley and the
Comets, the Platters, Lavern Baker, Shirley & Lee, Red Prysock, the
Drifters, Joe Turner, the 5 Keys, Bo Diddley, and Roy Hamilton. The tour
kicked off in Pittsburgh on January 27. Then it was on to Richmond (28),
Birmingham (29), Chattanooga (30), Charlotte (31), Columbia (February
1), Raleigh (2), Winston-Salem (3), Norfolk (4), and finally Washington,
D.C. (5).
Touring, while mostly boring, had its moments. Said Al: "We were
on a tour once and got into an accident and the bus turned over. Shirley
[of Shirley & Lee] got hurt. It taught me how important rest was
after a show. It was a ten-day tour. Luckily, the bus driver ran into
the side of a mountain, instead of over the edge."
Although the Turbans never played the West Coast, it seems that they
did anyway: "Later on, people said they’d seen the Turbans in Los
Angeles, so there must have been a group of impostor Turbans on the
Coast". Actually, Al was wrong here. If anything, the Philly group
was the "impostors", because the West Coast Turbans had
recorded (for John Dolphin’s Money Records) months before their East
Coast namesakes. The California group ended up changing their name to
the Sharptones and recording for the Post label (a subsidiary of
Imperial). However, since the Sharptones’ session was done in September
1955, it’s not clear whether the name change had anything to do with
"When You Dance" (which probably wasn’t a local hit in L.A.
yet).
In March 1956, they did a tour with Roy Gaines, Guitar Slim, Margie
Day, and Lloyd Lambert. Then it was on to the Circle Theater
(Cleveland), along with the Sweethearts and Dakota Staton. Shaw Artists
also booked them into the Orchid Room (Kansas City, MO).
In early 1956, the Turbans had their second Herald session, at which
six songs were recorded: "B-I-N-G-O", "I’m
Nobody’s", "It Was A Night Like This", "My Girl Has
Gone", "Say Girl", and "All Of My Love". Once
again, Al did all the leads.
In April, Herald released their third record: "I’m
Nobody’s"/"B-I-N-G-O". The former is a pretty ballad (on
which Al isn’t singing as high as usual), the flip a novelty up-tempo
rocker. Once again, however, the record failed to chart.
They then became part of the "Rhythm And Blues Show Of 1956",
which was put together by Clovers’ manager, Lou Krefetz. It starred the
Clovers (surprise, surprise), Fats Domino, Ruth Brown, Little Richard,
Little Willie John, the Cadillacs, the Sweethearts, Joe Medlin, Al
Jackson and His Fat Men, and the Choker Campbell Ork. The show opened on
April 1 in Richmond; the next night found them in Charlotte. Then it
swung through the East Coast on its way to Toronto (10). From there it
wound its way through the Midwest, Texas, and the Southeast (including
New Orleans on the 22nd and Nashville on the 24th), finally closing on
May 6 in Birmingham.
While the personnel of the group remained constant during this
period, if a fill-in singer should happen to be needed, Chet’s brother
Donald Jones (a baritone) was used.
July found them touring the Midwest with Sonny Boy Williamson’s
orchestra. August saw Herald release their fourth record: "It Was A
Nite Like This"/"All Of My Love". "Nite" was
another of their Latin-beat tunes, and "Love", the ballad
side, had Al singing in his high register. Regardless, they didn’t chart
either.
On October 21, they played the Circle Theater in Cleveland, with Don
Rello, the Quails, and Ralph Wilson’s orchestra.
As 1957 dawned, the Turbans were running out of work. Their records,
for whatever reasons, weren’t charting and there’s just so long you can
milk a single hit.
But they were back in the studio in early 1957, with another four Al
Banks-led tunes: "Lonely" (never released, but reminiscent of
"I’m Nobody’s"), "Bye And Bye", "Valley Of
Love", and "Miss Thing" (a routine up-tempo song that was
also unreleased).
In February, Herald gave it another go, releasing "Valley Of
Love"/"Bye And Bye". "Valley" had chimes, and
"Bye" was a routine up-tempo; its fate was the same as their
last four disks.
Later in 1957, the Turbans did their last Herald session. Once again,
with Al in the lead, they did four tunes: "Congratulations",
"Sockee Soo", "Farewell To Arms", and "The
Wadda-Do". "Farewell to Arms" was one of their best; a
ballad that really showed off Al Banks’ ability to effortlessly slip in
and out of falsetto. For whatever reason, Herald declined to release it.
"Sockee Soo", on the other hand, deserved to be unreleased. It
was a stereotyped story of "Old Sockee Soo, the Chinaman", who
was learning to dance to "Lock and Loll" music. (For some
reason, when this was released by Relic Records, the title was spelled
"Zaki-Sue".)
Their last Herald record was issued in November 1957:
"Congratulations"/"The Wadda-Do". With "The
Wadda-Do", they returned to a Latin beat; it sold well in several
localities, but again wasn’t a national hit.
It was probably all for the best, as their Herald contract was up
(probably a 2-year contract that expired in July 1957) and the group was
disintegrating anyway. Al said "After Herald, I left the group for
about a year and a half, working with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
After that I was doing solo work, working with a five-piece band in
Philadelphia. We just did dances, cabarets and things like
that."
He probably re-joined the group in late January 1958, when they
played the Apollo as part of a Dr. Jive show. Also on the bill was Joe
Turner, the 5 Satins, Lee Allen, Tiny Topsy, Robert & Johnny, and
the Wanderers. But then they were dormant again for a while.
In late 1958 there was a single Turbans release on Red Top (owned by
Irv Nahan, Doc Bagby, and Melvin "Red Top" Schwartz). Matthew
Platt and Charlie Williams had departed for good, to be replaced by Earl
Worsham (first and second tenor) and John Christian (baritone/second tenor),
who had known Al Banks and the Turbans from
the days of street corner group duels.
[Worsham and Christian had both sung with the Quadrells, who had recorded for Bobby
Robinson’s Whirlin’ Disc label (see discography). The members were:
James Oscar "Cisco" Williams (bass/baritone/tenor), Earl
Worsham (first and second tenor), John "Pancho" Christian
(baritone/second tenor), and Reggie "Tootie" Price (bass). The
name "Quadrells" was, according to Earl, "just made up;
it had no meaning". Like most other groups, they sang around the
neighborhood "we stood on the corner and sang to the girls".
Since the record never took off, they never returned to Robinson (who
remembered that they were from Philadelphia, but never saw them again).
About a year later, with Earl being replaced by bass Rufus Hunter (who
had been with the Magnificents in Chicago) and the addition of second tenor Tony
Lewis, the Quadrells made one more record. It was released on Parkway’s
Cameo subsidiary, as by the Cameos. The lead on all sides is James Oscar
Williams. 
At the same time, Earl, John , and James, joined by Roosevelt
Simmons (from the Sensations) and Kent Peeler (from the Dreamers),
recorded as the Universals for George Goldner’s Mark-X label. After this
release, Earl left to do some gospel work, thinking that the group
wasn’t going anywhere; he wasn’t on the Cora-Lee sides in 1958. Also in
1958, John Christian, James Oscar Williams, Tony Lewis, Rufus Hunter,
and Kent Peeler backed up Thurston Harris as "the Masters" on
"Purple Stew" (Rufus is doing lead). The Universals remained a
mixed bag of singers throughout their career, with the members of the
Quadrells floating in and out. Earl would re-join them for their final
effort on the Ascot label (a subsidiary of United Artists). The group on
this one was: Roosevelt Simmons, Reggie "Tootie" Price, Kent
Peeler, Earl Worsham, and John "Pancho" Christian. The songs,
including the old Buccaneers’ tune "Dear Ruth", were recorded
in August 1962, although not released until 1963.]
Worsham and Christian met Al Banks again at a Georgie Woods show at
Philly’s Uptown Theater; he recruited them on the spot to join him and
Chet in a reconstructed Turbans.
The Red Top record was "I Promise You"/"Curfew
Time". Again, both sides were led by Al Banks. When there was no
action, the Turbans did no further recording for about two years. Chet
left the group for a while, and they continued on as a trio.
Then it was on to Morris Levy’s Roulette Records in 1960. With Chet’s
return, it’s the same personnel as on Red Top. They did a cover of the
Paradons’ "Diamonds And Pearls", backed with "Bad
Man". Once again, Al is doing both leads. "Diamonds And
Pearls" (a competent version of a song I never particularly cared
for) was played a bit in New York, but it was the Paradons’ version that
was the hit.
In January 1961, their second (and final) Roulette release was
"Three Friends" (written by Bert Bacharach and Hal David),
backed with "I’m Not Your Fool Anymore". "Fool" has
an odd sound, difficult to categorize; it just sort of wanders around
without having a tune you can latch on to. There was, once again, no
chart action, but the Spring 1960 inclusion of "When You
Dance" on the second volume of Art Laboe’s "Oldies But
Goodies" album series created enough of a demand for Herald to
re-release the original in February 1961. Not a big hit the second time
around, it still managed to struggle to #114 on the Pop charts.
The next stop for the Turbans was Bernie Lowe and Karl Mann’s Parkway
Records. By this time, Chet Jones, one of the mainstays of the group,
had departed. The group was now: Al Banks, Earl Worsham, John Christian,
and newly-added bass Reggie "Tootie" Price (remember, he was
with Earl and John in the Quadrells). At Parkway, they did an updated
version of "When You Dance", also released in February 1961 to
compete with the original Herald version. The flip, "Golden
Rings" marked the first Turbans song on which Al Banks didn’t sing
lead. The song was written by Earl Worsham, and management liked the way
he sang it. Earl makes a good lead, but the final version of the song is
over-violined and under-grouped.
Later in 1961, the Turbans signed with Imperial. At this time the
group became a quintet. Gone was Reggie "Tootie" Price,
replaced by James Oscar "Cisco" Williams, (the
bass/baritone/tenor who’d also been with Earl and John in the Quadrells;
note that at this point all four of the Quadrells had been in the
Turbans). The fifth member was tenor William "Sonny" Gordon, who had been the lead
of the Angels on Grand back in 1954.
Their first Imperial release was "Six Questions" (led by
Al), backed with "The Lament Of Silver Gulch" (fronted by Al
and Earl). "Six Questions" was a typical
"50s-group-trying-to-make-it-in-the-60s" sound (they even
threw in a girls’ chorus). There was, as usual by now, no chart action,
but in February of 1962, the Turbans appeared at a Hal Jackson Oldies
Show at the Apollo Theater. They shared the stage with the Clovers, the
Cadillacs, the Hollywood Flames, the Imperials, Charlie & Ray, the
Charts, the Kodaks, Tiny Topsy, and the Reuben Phillips orchestra.
March saw the second Imperial release, "This Is My
Story"/"Clicky Clicky Clack", both featuring Al.
"This Is My Story" is a much stronger group side than
"Six Questions" had been, with "Cisco" doing a
strong bass line. Note that "This Is My Story" is the same song that the Nutmegs did as "My
Story" and the Rajahs did as "Out Of My Heart"
The final Turbans’ record appeared in May: "I
Wonder"/"The Damage Is Done". Both sides were led by
Sonny Gordon. Again, it’s an early 60s sound, but Sonny sounds good in
the lead. There was an unreleased Imperial tune called "Donna
Kimberley" (see the discography for the unreleased sides), which
was written by Al for his daughter.
After Imperial, the Turbans broke up for good (although various
combinations of them would come together for one-shot shows). Earl went
off to Billy Byrd’s Ink Spots; Al was with Charlie Thomas’ Drifters in
the early 70s. Al and Earl were making plans to get the Turbans back
together in 1977, but unfortunately Al died before that could happen.
Earl sang with a Coasters group based in Boca Raton and passed away on June 20, 2007. John Christian
also passed away a few years ago.
So what happened to the Turbans? Al Banks had constantly broken up
and re-formed them, but there were no national hits after their first
record. It’s tougher than it sounds to have a hit record; it’s even
tougher than that to get that second record up there on the charts. The
Turbans did have several local hits (which is more than you can say for
most groups) and they left us the legacy of "When You Dance".
Special thanks to Charlie Horner and Mitch Rosalsky. Ads are from various editions of "First Pressings", courtesy of Galen Gart.
DISCOGRAPHY
THE TURBANS
HERALD
458 When You Dance (AB)/Let Me Show You (Around My Heart) (AB) — 7/55
469 Sister Sookey (AB)/I’ll Always Watch Over You (AB) — 12/55
478 I’m Nobody’s (AB)/B-I-N-G-O (AB) — 4/56
486 It Was A Nite Like This (AB)/All Of My Love (AB) — 8/56
495 Valley Of Love (AB)/Bye And Bye (AB) — 2/57
510 Congratulations (AB)/The Wadda-Do (AB) — 11/57
UNRELEASED HERALD
My Girl Has Gone (AB)
Say Girl (AB)
Lonely (AB)
Sockee Soo (AB)
Farewell To Arms (AB)
Miss Thing (AB)
RED TOP
115 I Promise You Love (AB)/Curfew Time (AB) — 1958
ROULETTE
4281 Diamonds And Pearls (AB)/Bad Man (AB) — 1960
4326 Three Friends (AB)/I’m Not Your Fool Anymore (AB) — 1/61
UNRELEASED ROULETTE
All She Wants To Do Is Dance (AB)
HERALD
458 When You Dance (AB)/Let Me Show You (Around My Heart) (AB) — 2/61
PARKWAY
820 Golden Rings (EW)/When You Dance (AB) — 2/61
IMPERIAL
5807 Six Questions (AB)/The Lament Of Silver Gulch (AB/EW) — 12/61
5828 This Is My Story (AB)/Clicky Clicky Clack (AB) — 3/62
5847 I Wonder (SG)/The Damage Is Done (SG) — 5/62
UNRELEASED IMPERIAL
Gettin’ Into Somethin (AB)
Sister Sookey’s Back (AB)
Donna Kimberley (AB)
Hey Now! (AB)
It’s All Over (SG)
Do You Feel Like I Feel (AB)
LEADS:
AB = Al Banks; EW = Earl Worsham; SG = Sonny Gordon
Al Banks said: "We didn’t have a name for the group in the
beginning, so our manager suggested that we wear caps [Chet says
"tams"]. We didn’t like the idea too much, and one of the
fellows [Charlie] said: 'Before I put a cap on, I’d rather wear a
turban!' And that’s what we did, calling ourselves the Turbans."
Chet says that they bought cotton gabardine cloth and cut it into the
turbans. At the beginning, everyone had two "stones" on his
turban, but as time went on, some of them got lost. That’s why, in Herald photos,
some have two stones and some have one.
