Many groups from the D.C./Baltimore area (the Swallows, Clovers, Cardinals, Orioles and Bachelors) had roughly the same 10-year life span - from around 1946/7 to 1957/8. While the Bachelors never had a hit record, at least they had the talent to get bookings over this period.

Their story goes back to 1947 when they started practicing outside Garner Paterson High School in Washington, D.C. Waverly "Buck" Mason (lead), James "Toy" Walton (1st tenor), Walter Taylor (2nd tenor), Herbert Fisher (baritone) and John Bowie (bass) started out calling themselves the Cavaliers. That only lasted about a week before being changed to the Jets.

For three years they played mostly house parties, before turning professional in 1950. At that time, Charles Booker (baritone and guitar), who had a band of his own, was asked to help them arrange their material. They ended up practicing at his house more and more until he became a semi-permanent sixth member. They then started playing the Club Caverns in D.C. (an afterhours spot where they'd earn six dollars each per week plus food and tips) on and off for about three years. The Jets also appeared on the "Caravan" TV show once every couple of months.

Another Washington night spot was the Cotton Club. Earthaline Lee saw them and became their manager. In late 1952 she got them a recording session with Eddie Heller's Rainbow Records. They went to New York for a week, during which time they cut "The Lovers" and "Drag It Home Baby." (Walter Taylor was supposed to have led "Drag," but became hoarse the week of the session and Charles Booker took over.)

The Jets went back to Washington, expecting the record to be heading to the top within a week. However, it was months before it was even released (in January 1953), and even then didn't cause much of a stir. In the meantime, Buck Mason had been drafted and was replaced by Robert Russell.

The record was reviewed on January 17, 1953, with "Drag" rated "good" and "The Lovers" rated "fair." Other reviews that week went to Johnny Ace's "Cross My Heart," the 5 Crowns' "Keep It A Secret," Lloyd (Fat Man) Smith's "No Better For You," and Joe Liggins' "Freight Train Blues."

In 1953, the Jets played Turner's Arena when Amos Milburn was in the audience. Milburn was impressed, and set up a recording session for them with Aladdin Records, for which he recorded. Through correspondence with Aladdin's Eddie Mesner, the Jets learned that there already was a "Jets" group on the label (actually the Hollywood Flames), so a name change was in order. They submitted several perspective choices and the one Mesner chose was "the Bachelors."

Although Aladdin was a large independent label and although Mesner himself spent time corresponding with the group, the session (held in New York) was rushed, and the people who were supposed to rehearse the group never showed up.

On July 8, 1953 the Bachelors recorded "Can't Help Loving You"/"Pretty Baby" for Aladdin. Two other titles done that day were "Feel So Bad" and "Dream"; these were never released. Once again they had to wait for a company to issue their record: it finally came out in December. It was reviewed (both sides "good") the week of January 30, 1954, along with the Charms "Bye Bye Baby," Ruth Brown's "Love Contest," and Charles Brown's "I Want To Fool Around With You."

After this, the Bachelors auditioned for Atlantic and Apollo without success. Then they tried Teddy Reig and Jack Hook's Royal Roost label. Three weeks after the audition (in early 1956) they were called back for a recording session. Present at the session was songwriter Otis Blackwell, who offered them two songs he'd just written: "I Found Love" and "Don't Be Cruel." After they heard both, they all felt that "I Found Love" was more suited to their style. Thus, Elvis Presley scored a number one hit with a rejected song! (The flip of "I Found Love" was "You've Lied.")

There was supposed to be a second session with Roost, but by then Reig and Hook had split up. After the Roost session, Walter Taylor left. He was supposed to have sung lead on "I Found Love," but Otis Blackwell preferred the way Charles Booker sounded. That was the last straw for Taylor. (Actually, he had briefly left previously and his place had been taken by Don Covay.) Another loss after Roost was Herbert Fisher. Both Taylor and Fisher were replaced by James Taylor. Additionally, Charles Booker had also pretty much stopped singing with the Bachelors. He had his own band, but joined the guys when he could.

In June 1957, Clovers' manager Lou Krefetz started the Poplar label and invited the Bachelors to record for him. The group was now Robert Russell, James Taylor, James Walton and John Bowie. There was a single record for Poplar (the first release on the label, in July): "After"/"You Know You Know (I Love You)" and also backed up Billy Mitchell on "Rock And Roll Tango"/"Bottomless Pit," a December 1957 release (Billy had left the Clovers for a brief time and this was his only solo effort.)

"After"/"You Know You Know" were reviewed (both sides "good") on August 19, along with the Chantels' "He's Gone," the Blue Notes' "Wagon Wheels," the Miller Sisters' "Crazy Billboard Song," and the Don Juans' "Calypso Beat."

When their fourth record got nowhere, the group decided to call it quits and breaking up in early 1958. Toy Walton got Herb Fisher back, along with Wilbert Hess Dobson (baritone), Joe Woodley (baritone) and Johnny Terry (bass). Calling themselves the Links, they recorded "She's The One" for the Teenage label in 1958. They lasted for about a year, and then Toy and Johnny Terry formed the Knickerbockers with Roosevelt "Tippie" Hubbard (tenor) and Alonzo Simmons (baritone). They were together for a couple of years, but never recorded. (Johnny Terry, upon leaving the group, became bass of the Drifters.) Toy and Tippie, who had been moonlighting part time with both Harmon Bethea's Cap-Tans and Harold Lucas' Clovers, now joined the Clovers full time. The fourth member was the old Bachelors' lead, Robert Russell, who was now singing bass.

Meanwhile, John Bowie hadn't been idle either. In 1959, Harvey Fuqua left the Moonglows and joined with a D.C. group called the Marquees, making them the New Moonglows. Bowie took Harvey's place in the old Moonglows in order to finish up the group's commitments. Later, Bowie took Harvey's place in the New Moonglows while Harvey was off trying to start up his record company.

In the early sixties, Bowie and Robert Russell toured with Eugene Church (of "Pretty Girls Everywhere" fame - and the other half of Jesse Belvin's Cliques on "The Girl In My Dreams"). They played The Apollo and stayed together for about nine months. Russell then went off to Harold Lucas' Clovers and Bowie gave it up for a while.

Robert Russell died in 1969, and John Bowie was brought into Lucas’ Clovers to replace him. In October 1975, they (Roosevelt "Tippie" Hubbard, James "Toy" Walton, Harold Lucas, and John Bowie) went contemporary and released a disco recording called "Bump Jive!" on Bill Hancock’s D.C.-based Aladdin label. (This was actually a reworking of Johnny Otis’ "Willie And The Hand Jive.") Unfortunately, shortly after the recording, Toy Walton passed away. He was replaced first by Andrew Lawyer, and then by Johnny Mason. (Note that Russell, Bowie, and Walton had all been in the Jets/Bachelors.) Around 1980, Tippie Hubbard died also; his replacement was Steve Charles.

The last known recordings of Harold Lucas’ Clovers appeared on the Ripete label of Elliott, South Carolina. The group was now Steve Charles, Johnny Mason, Harold Lucas, and John Bowie. On May 13, 1988, they recorded "Drive It Home" (the last tune that the Clovers had done for Atlantic), and Ben E. King’s "Don’t Play It No More." These were released that same year. In July 1989, they recorded some more of their old sides: "Blue Velvet," "One Mint Julep," "Lovey Dovey," and "Hey Miss Fannie." The first three were released, in 1989, on a Ripete EP, along with their version of the Falcons’ "You’re So Fine." By 1990, Chuck Battle had replaced Steve Charles. That same year, "Hey Miss Fannie" was released, along with the newly-recorded "Goin’ Home To Jesus." The latter song doesn’t have the full group, however. Harold and John were sick in Myrtle Beach, but the studio time was already paid for. Consequently, Johnny Mason and Chuck Battle did the song themselves, with the added voice of Marion Carter, owner of Ripete! There was also a Ripete album that was issued only on tape, around 1989. Called The Clovers: Live At CT’s, it contains versions of many of their hits, and does a fine job of showcasing a Lucas group live show.

John Bowie had increasing circulatory problems, which resulted in both legs being amputated. In the fall of 2000, after the surgery, he suffered a fatal heart attack.

While the Jets/Bachelors never had a hit record, they managed to remain together for over ten years, while several of their members went on to careers with the Clovers.

RAINBOW
201 The Lovers (WM)/Drag It Home Baby (CB) — 1/53

THE BACHELORS

ALADDIN
3210 Can't Help Lovin' You (RR)/Pretty Baby (WT) — 12/53

   UNRELEASED ALADDIN
      Feel So Bad
      Dream

ROYAL ROOST
620 You've Lied (RR)/I Found Love (CB) — 7/56

   UNRELEASED ROYAL ROOST
      Baby (RR)
      Raining In My Heart (JB)

POPLAR
101 After (JT)/You Know You Know (I Love You So) (RR) — 7/57
105 Rock And Roll Tango (BM)/Bottomless Pit (BM) — 12/57

THE LINKS

TEENAGE
1009 She's The One (HF)/Baby (HF) — 1958



LEADS:
WM = Waverly Mason; CB = Charles Booker; RR = Robert Russell; WT = Walter Taylor; JB = John Bowie;
JT = James Taylor; HF = Herbert Fisher; BM = the Bachelors backing Billy Mitchell