Quick, name a group that called themselves “Do Ray And Me,” “The Do Ray Me Trio,” “Do-Ray-Me,” “The Do-Re-Me Trio,” “The Do Re Mi Trio,” “The Do Re Me Trio,” and “The Do-Ray-Mi Trio.” If you guessed “The Crew Cuts,” you really need to get out more.

The close of the Second World War saw the recording industry eagerly planning for expansion. Traditional recording studio locations in New York and Chicago were being augmented by the opening of West Coast studios, as the California coast came alive with new independent labels.

In the fall of 1945, for instance, the Jack Gutshall Distributing Company took out a full-page ad in Bill Board to announce that they were handling the output of Exclusive, Excelsior, Preview, Juke Box (the forerunner of Specialty), Alvin, Rhythm, Modern, Gilt Edge, Melodisc, and other fledgling Western “Indies.” The reasons for this rapid development are varied: depression conditions had been eased, and large-scale investment was feasible again; equally important was the role of Hollywood, as America's movie capital, which brought entertainers out West in droves. Also, wartime rationing of shellac had ended and there was enough for everyone.

That was only the tip of the iceberg, however. A soldier named Jack Mullin, with a background in electronics, located some high-quality Magnetophons (tape recorders) in a German radio station right after the war. Taking two of them apart, he shipped them back to the U.S., along with photographic copies of all their manuals. After he'd reassembled them, he gave a demonstration in San Francisco and the Ampex Corporation decided to manufacture them, beginning in mid-1947. The result was, that with relatively inexpensive and extremely high-quality recording machines, it was now possible for small independent labels to spring up all over.

Music after the war was changing, too. Drawing heavily from big band and swing-styled arrangements, vocal/instrumental combos like the King Cole Trio and the Three Blazers were setting the trend for others to follow. In addition to occasional harmony, or at least a lead vocal, such self-contained units featured piano, guitar, bass, and perhaps drums.

These groups found audiences in supper clubs and nightspots along the California coast, in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Hollywood, and Oakland. Johnny Moore, for example, hailed from Phoenix and he and his Three Blazers played Western towns almost exclusively until the late 40's. In addition, many black musicians made the migration to California seeking opportunities which were so elusive in the East.

      THE AL RUSSELL TRIO

Al Russell was one such individual. He'd started out on piano in the eighth grade, and, following his graduation from high school, he did radio shows on WCOS in his home town of Columbia, South Carolina. It was here that he met guitarist Joel Cowan (who was in college at the time) and the two of them played together in a band. In 1942, they met bassist William “Doc Basso” Joseph in Chicago. Russell, Cowan, and Joseph (who all sang tenor), teamed up and the Al “Stomp” Russell Trio was born. [By the way, Joseph's nickname is pronounced BASE-o, not BAH-so. Additionally, some record labels have him listed as “Doc Bosso.”]

The Al Russell Trio played gigs on both the West and East Coasts. They also recorded extensively, cutting discs for Charlie Washburn's Coast label (in L.A.), Leon Rene's Excelsior (also in L.A.), Ivin Ballen's 20th Century (in Philadelphia), and Frankie Adams' Sapphire label (also in Philadelphia). (Note that releases on Queen were purchased from 20th Century.) There were also records on David & Jules Braun's De Luxe label, in Linden New Jersey (not yet a part of King). Some of their De Luxe recordings were also purchased from 20th Century, others from Sapphire, and some seem to have actually been recorded for De Luxe.

Like virtually every other black entertainment act of the period, however, the trio's live appearances, not their recordings, were the primary source of income.

      THE DO RAY ME TRIO

After having been on all their Coast, Excelsior, 20th Century, Sapphire, and De Luxe recordings, William “Doc Basso” Joseph left sometime in 1947 and was replaced by Joe Davis, who both sang and played bass. After a few months together, they decided to rename themselves. Manager Al Gallico, from Leeds Music, put a hundred possibilities into a hat and the “Al Russell Trio” became “Do Ray and Me.”

The Russell-Cowan-Davis aggregation first recorded for Decca's Commodore subsidiary, which was under the control of A&R man Milt Gabler (who helped Louis Jordan turn out some incredible music). They kicked off their new name with the delightful “There's A Man At The Door.”

All the Commodore sides were recorded at the end of 1947 (which was at the beginning of the second AFM recording ban, organized by union leader James C. Petrillo). At that time, the strike was not being strictly enforced; however, the AFM then took ads out in the trade publications threatening suspension for any further violations of the ban. Thus, as “Wrapped Up In A Dream” was becoming the Trio's only chart hit (it went to #2, and remained on the R&B charts for 19 weeks), they refused to record any new sides for Gabler while the strike continued. The success of the song surprised the members of the Trio, who had spent little time arranging the tune before recording it. A really pretty song, it had originally been recorded by the 4 Tunes, and there were subsequent versions by the Deep River Boys, the 4 Knights, the 5 Keys, and the Clovers.

Joe Davis left in mid-1948, not being happy with life on the road. He was replaced on bass by Curtis Wilder. Since Wilder sang tenor, though, the trio once again became an all-tenor vocal group. From here on, they would be known as the “Do Ray Me Trio,” although this name was to be spelled in every conceivable manner.

Around 1949, the Do-Re-Me Trio backed up a singer named Mary Del on "A.B.C. Boogie" (a tune Al Russell had written) and "Love You." "A restaurant owner backed her and paid for the session," said Al, "but she never made it big." It was released on Drexel, a tiny Philadelphia label. In 1954, "A.B.C. Boogie" was revived by Bill Haley and the Comets, appearing as the flip of "Shake, Rattle, and Roll." Mary subsequently released a cover of Ruth Brown's "Oh What A Dream" and had some releases on the Cadence label in the mid-50s.

Three records, by the Do Ray Me Trio, appeared on the Ivory label in 1949. “Only One Dream” is a fine example of their style. Al Russell's lead vocal was supported by mellow instrumentation and even mellower “blow” harmonies from Cowan and Wilder. In a different direction, they were able to put out a frenetic instrumental backing for Harold Conner on “I'll Get You When The Bridge Is Down,” a straight blues jump tune. (Conner would later record for Peacock.) In 1950, there were releases on two labels that were owned by the Trio themselves: Reet (also as the “Do Ray Me Trio”) and Keyboard (as “Do-Ray-Me”).

They did very well as far as appearances went. They spent the month of January 1950 at the Gilded Cage in Phoenix, Arizona. In March, they appeared in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas of Florida.

However, by May of 1950, guitarist Joel Cowan, who had also penned many of the Trio's numbers, left to become part of the Camille Howard Trio. Curtis Wilder brought in a replacement from Detroit, but Al couldn't remember his name. They only stayed together long enough to do a two-week stint at the New Comedy Club, in Baltimore, in June. They broke up when the sheriff impounded the money for some reason. Al Russell then continued on as a single.

Strangely, in September 1950, Derby Records (which had just stopped sharing office space with Rainbow Records) announced the signing of the group. Whatever that was about, nothing ever appeared on the label.

In early 1951, Al Russell met Alton “Buddy” Hawkins in a Philadelphia nightclub where they were both appearing. Hawkins had been part of various groups from the age of thirteen, and had sung professionally with a progressive harmony quintet that had recorded both as the Songmasters (on Commodore) and the Key Notes (on Skyscraper). (This is not the same Songmasters that made some demos around this time with Joe Van Loan in the lead.) The Key Notes' last known booking was in Toronto, ending on January 13, 1951; presumably they broke up after that. Russell and Hawkins ended up singing together, as a duo, “The Two Al's,” for a short while.

                    

Enter Al Moore. Moore had received keyboard training when he was eight, but then turned his attentions to vibes and bass. After organizing and playing in small bands in Philadelphia and New Jersey, he joined Louis Armstrong's band during the war. Moore “volunteered” himself into the group, and the Do Re Me Trio was reborn. Actually, there was a fourth member initially, a guitarist remembered only as “Freddy.”

In April 1951, after being together for only a short time, the new group cut some sides for Columbia (all as “Al Russell & Do-Re-Me Trio”). Their first offering, on Columbia, “I Want To Be With You Always,” was rated “excellent” in the trades. After this, Columbia reactivated its Okeh subsidiary (which had been dormant since 1942) and switched all its R&B acts onto the new label. The three subsequent releases by the Do-Re-Me Trio (some from an August session) were all on Okeh. After this, Freddy, who couldn't travel much because of his job, left; they were once again a trio.

In August 1952, they played the Cabana Club in Philadelphia. This was followed, in September, by a single release on Rainbow (as the “Do Ray Me Trio”). December found them appearing at the Carver Bar (at the Glen Hotel, also in Philadelphia). By early 1953, the “Do Re Mi Trio” had a couple of platters on the Variety label (another one that they owned).

In the Spring of 1953, the “Do Re Me Trio” showed up on Brunswick, a subsidiary of Coral Records, which was, itself, a subsidiary of Decca (as Commodore had been). A year later they had a single release on the main Coral label, backed up by a 7-piece band and a female trio.

In 1954, Al Russell contributed to the Rock 'n Roll revolution by writing “A.B.C. Boogie” for Bill Haley and His Comets (this was the flip of their version of “Shake, Rattle, And Roll”). During the summer of 1954, the Trio appeared in Philadelphia, at the Club Zel-Mar and also at some clubs in nearby Wildwood, New Jersey, such as the Riptide. My sources don't reveal what they were doing in 1955, but in 1956, they played the Birdland in Florida and also Las Vegas' Fremont Hotel.

There were no further recordings by the Trio for four years, until a disc by “Buddy Hawkins & the Do Re Me Trio” was released on Joe Carlton's Carlton label.

Then, there were some recordings by the guys (now the “Do-Ray-Mi Trio) that appeared on Morty Craft's Stereocraft (also Stere-O-Craft) label in 1959. Two singles were issued, as well as an LP (later re-released on Hi-Life). The Seeberg Juke Box Company financed the venture, an early experiment with stereophonic sound. Oddly, the LP was monaural (although the liner notes tout the fact that the disc was “made from a genuine true stereophonic master” and promised superior sound quality as a result). The two 45 RPM singles were in stereo, though, and were probably used to test the practicality of stereo singles for juke box consumption. With a sound which was clean and uncluttered, the Do Re Mi Trio was apparently viewed as ideal for stereophonic separation in recording.

The pinnacle of their appearances for 1959 occurred when the guys did a six-month engagement with Harry James at The Flamingo in Las Vegas.

Their final album came out around 1966 on Melbourne, a Montreal company that was a subsidiary of Rodeo and distributed by London Records. The signatures on one copy indicate that Al Moore was “Do,” Buddy Hawkins was “Ray,” and Al Russell was “Me.”

When interviewed in 1976, Al Russell (vocals and piano), Buddy Hawkins (vocals and drums), and Al Moore (bassist) had been together for twenty-five years without a hit record. Lasting until around 1980, they enjoyed a reputation as a professional, self-contained act, well-suited for engagements in quality supper clubs and night spots. Thus, the Do Ray Me Trio (however you spell it) can be looked on as one of the more successful vocal/instrumental combos.

Buddy Hawkins, Al Moore, Joel Cowan, Doc Basso, and Curtis Wilder have all passed on. Al Russell is not only still alive, but amazingly, is still performing in Philadelphia, at the age of 85, in 2007.


Special thanks to Tony Fournier, Victor Pearlin, and Tony Tisovec. Discography by Ferdie Gonzalez.

COAST
501 It's So (DB)/Solid Mr. Kelly With The Jelly - 6/45
502 Shy Ann (DB)/8, 9, And 10 (all) - 7/45

EXCELSIOR
TR-136 Fla-Ga-La-Pa (TR)/Drop Another Nickel In The Jukebox (TR) - ca. 9/45
TR-138 Daddy-O (TR)/Hep Paderewski From Basin Street (TR) - ca. 9/45
        [the above two records are by Timmie Rogers, backed by the Al Russell Trio]
OR-174 Cement Mixer (JC)/I Must Forget About You (DB) - 5/46
OR-175 What Kind Of Love Is That/Three Little Words (AR) - 8/46
OR-176 Cynthia (DB)/Mellow Jelly Blues (DB) – 46
OR-180 Dig, Mister K. Kay Kay (AR)/More Than You Know (DB) - 46
OR-180 Say What You Mean (AR)/More Than You Know (DB) – 46

20TH CENTURY
20-22 Blue Prelude (DB)/Holiday Blues (DB) - 46
20-23 I'm Yours (DB)/World War 2 Blues (AR) - 46
20-42 Studebaker/Just Plain Love - 46

SAPPHIRE
705 Say It Isn't So (DB)/Shy Ann (DB) - 2/47
706 Under The Stars (DB)/Down The Road A Piece (AR) - 2/47
707 Strike Blues/The Trouble With Me Is You (AR) - 2/47
708 Ramona (DB)/If I Could Steal You (From Somebody Else) (JC) - 2/47

QUEEN (20th Century masters)
4162 Holiday Blues (DB)/World War Two Blues (AR) - 3/47

DE LUXE
1081 Once In Awhile (AR)/Just Plain Love - 7/47 [also 3081]
[“Just Plain Love” is the 20th Century master]
1083 Nobody Loves A Fat Man (AR)/Please Be Kind - 7/47 [also 3083]
3006 Shy Ann (DB)/Down The Road A Piece (AR) - 47 [also 6002]
[these are the Sapphire masters]


LEADS:
      TR = Timmie Rogers, backed by the Al Russell Trio; AR = Al Russell; DB = Doc Basso; JC = Joel Cowan

COMMODORE
7504 There's A Man At The Door (JC/AR)/Teresa (AR) - 12/47
7504 There's A Man At The Door (JC/AR)/It's Like Taking Candy From A Baby - 12/47
7505 Wrapped Up In A Dream (AR)/The Wise Old Man (AR) - 12/47
7549 How Can I Smile (AR)/You Can't Love Two (AR) - 12/48
7550 Cabaret (AR)/Darling You Make It So (AR) - 48
7554 Brother Boodie/Don't - 49

DREXEL
600/601 A.B.C. Boogie/Love You - Ca. 49

IVORY
750 Only One Dream (AR)/Tell Me You Love Me (CW) - 8/49
752 I Done No Wrong (HC)/I'll Get You When The Bridge Is Down (HC) – 49
      [the above record is by Harold Conner, backed up by the Do Ray Me Trio]
754 Rhumba Blues (AR)/I Couldn't Help It (AR) - 49

REET (owned by the group)
003 Out Of Bounds/Walkin' Around The Town - ca. 50
101 Holding Hands/I “D” Double Dare You - ca. 50
605 Walk Slow My Love (AR)/Chantilly Lace - ca. 50

KEYBOARD (owned by the group)
AR-1 Take Me On Home with You/Every Joe Needs His Jane - ca. 50

COLUMBIA
4-39385 No More Dreams (BH)/I Want To Be With You Always (AR) - 5/51

OKEH
4-6806 May That Day Never Come (AR)/How Can You Say You Love Me (AR) - 7/51
4-6831 I Couldn't Help It (AR)/I'll Be Waiting (AR) - 10/51
4-6845 I Love Each Move You Make (AR)/I Don't Want To Be Alone For Christmas (AR) - 11/51

RAINBOW
181 I'm Used To You (BH/AM)/She Would Not Yield (AR) - 9/52

VARIETY (owned by the group)
1001 Holding Hands (BH)/Tell Me You Love Me (BH) - 53
1002 Oo-Wee (all)/I'm Used To You (BH/AR) - 53

BRUNSWICK
80218 I'm Only Human (BH)/I'll Never Stop Being Yours (AR) - 4/53

   UNRELEASED BRUNSWICK
      I Can't Get You Off My Mind
      Is It A Crime


CORAL
61184 I'll Never Fail You (BH)/I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire (BH) - 5/54

   UNRELEASED CORAL
      Sitting On Pins And Needles
      You'd Better Stop Doing It

CARLTON
460 That's The Way Life Goes (BH)/How I Love My Baby (BH) - 4/58

STEREOCRAFT
112 On A Slow Boat To China/Saturday Nite Fish Fry - 59
115 Old Man River/Oo-Wee - 59

STERE-O-CRAFT
RCS 508M The Do-Ray-Mi Trio - 7/59 (rereleased on Hi-Life SHLP-62)
   Side 1:                                          Side 2:
        On A Slow Boat To China           Little Girl
        Saturday Night Fish Fry              I Can't Get You Off My Mind
        I May Be Wrong                          There's Only One Dream
        Old Man River                             Oo-Wee
        My Lucky Day                             By Candlelight
        Route 66                                     Blue Skies

MELBOURNE
4009 The Exciting Do-Ray-Me Trio - ca. 1966
   Side 1:                                        Side 2:
        People In Love                          Way Way Back In The Dark Dark Days
        How                                           Where Am I
        What More Do You Want          I Still Believe
        More Than That                        If I'm A Fool
        Why Did You Do It Baby           I've Got News
        Genesis                                    Tonight's Our Night


LEADS:
TR = Timmie Rogers, backed by the Al Russell Trio; AR = Al Russell; DB = Doc Basso; JC = Joel Cowan;
CW = Curtis Wilder; HC = Harold Connor, backed by the Do Ray Me Trio; BH = Buddy Hawkins; AM = Al Moore

COMMODORE
7555 Please Tell Me Now/How'd You Like To Have A Sweetheart - 49
7556 Am I Wasting My Time On You?/I'm Just A Dreamer - 49