The Checkers - Biography
By Eric Brightwell
The Checkers were a Harlem-based, early ‘50s rhythm & blues and doo-wop group. Despite their connections to The Dominoes (a popular rhythm & blues act) and the high caliber of their recordings, The Checkers never achieved more than modest commercial success during their short existence.
The Checkers were formed around 1951 by Irwin “Teddy” Williams and his friend John Carnegie on 119th Street. Their game-related name was inspired by their heroes, The Dominoes, a highly successful rhythm & blues act that counted Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson among its members. In their early years, the rest of The Checkers’ ranks were filled by a rotating cast of neighborhood acquaintances. They played dances, parties, teen centers and street corners with limited success until 1952, when the teenagers became acquainted with Charlie White and Bill Brown, the second tenor and lead bass singers from The Dominoes, who’d recently quit that band. The four teamed up with a baritone known simply as “Joe” or “Buddy” who’d earlier been in The 5 International Gospel Singers of South Carolina with Brown. With the addition of the former Dominoes, the line-up stabilized and The Checkers’ profile was raised considerably.
Within a few months, in June, 1952, the quintet entered Nola Studios. There they recorded “Without a Song,” “Oh, Oh, Oh Baby,” “Flame in My Heart” and “My Prayer Tonight.” “Oh, Oh, Oh Baby” and “My Prayer Tonight” were written, as were most of the group’s songs, by Henry Glover, an A&R man at King Records and a talented songwriter. On the latter number, Carnegie shared lead vocals with Brown, who was quickly emerging as the group’s leader. Carnegie rarely if ever appeared with the group live or in photos because father preferred he focus on his schooling. In August, King Records released “Flame in My Heart” b/w “Oh, Oh, Oh Baby” and it failed to chart.
In September, they returned to the studio and recorded “Let Me Come Back,” “Love Wasn’t There” and “Night’s Curtains.” “Night’s Curtains” b/w “Let Me Come Back” was released in November, a month after The Dominoes issued a statement declaring no connection between the two groups. Though positively-reviewed, it also failed to chart. “My Prayer Tonight” b/w “Love Wasn't There” was released the following January and was another dud.
White began missing rehearsals and grew increasingly unreliable due his drug use and in early 1953, he left the group – later passing through The Clovers and The Playboys before recording as a solo artist for Winley. Around the same time, Carnegie was drafted and his limited involvement came to an end. The Checkers auditioned half a dozen singers before The Sparrows’ Perry Heyward sang “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano” and was hired.
In April of that year, the new line-up cut “I Wanna Know” and “Ghost of My Baby” with Heyward on lead. It was released in May. Though they continued to play parties and shows, success continued to elude them. Frustrated with their lack of progress, Heyward decided to limit his involvement to The Sparrows. His replacement was tenor David “Little Dave” Baughan, who’d previously sung with Clyde McPhatter in The Drifters and The Mount Lebanon Singers. The new quartet entered the studio in September and cut “A Friend in Need,” “I Promise You,” “White Cliffs of Dover” and “You Never had it So Good.” “I Promise You” b/w “You Never had it So Good” was released first, followed by “White Cliffs of Dover” b/w “Without a Song.” The latter was a hit in Los Angeles, where it reached #8 on local charts the following January.
In March, 1954, The Checkers recorded “Don’t Stop Dan,” “House with No Windows,” “Over the Rainbow” and “You’ve Been Fooling Around.” “House with No Windows” was released in April. However, it was the B-Side, “Don’t Stop Dan,” was chosen as “Pick of the Week” by a music rag. The single took off in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis. “You’ve Been Fooling Around” b/w “Over the Rainbow” followed but failed to generate as much interest.
After Clyde McPhatter was drafted, Little Dave re-joined The Drifters and, having found little success, “Buddy” left as did group-founder Williams, who went on to join The Charmers (later The Chorals) and later The Singinaires with fellow Checkers founder, John Carnegie. Brown continued The Checkers with tenor lead Eddie “Monkey Man” Harris, formerly of The Blue Dots. Second tenor David Martin, another member of The Sparrows, joined as did baritone James Williams. This final line-up entered the studio in October and cut “Can’t Find My Sadie,” “I Wasn’t Thinking, I Was Drinking,” “Mama’s Daughter” and “Trying to Hold My Gal,” all of which were written by Eunice Davis, who wrote most of The Blue Dots’ material and which may’ve been intended for them. “Mama’s Daughter” b/w “I Wasn’t Thinking, I Was Drinking” was released in November. That month, The Checkers joined the Universal Attractions tour with The Cootie Williams Orchestra, Danny Overbea and Dinah Washington. In December, as the tour continued, “Can’t Find My Sadie” b/w “Trying to Hold My Gal” was released.
In 1955, The Checkers disbanded. Though they never sold many records, for whatever reason, King continued to release recordings by other acts under their name. “Nine More Miles” b/w “Heaven Only Knows” was released in 1958 and may have actually been the work of two anonymous acts. The 5 Wings’ “Teardrops Are Falling” b/w “Rock-A-Locka” was re-released in 1959, also bizarrely credited to The Checkers. Similarly, a re-release of The Sheiks’ “So Fine” b/w “Sentimental Heart” followed. In 2004, 22 recordings by both The Checkers and those falsely credited to them were compiled and released as The Very Best of The Checkers – White Cliffs of Dover (Collectables).
