The Manhattans
Encyclopedia
The Manhattans are an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 popular R&B vocal group, with a string of hit records spanning four decades. Their best known million-selling songs being "Kiss and Say Goodbye
Kiss and Say Goodbye
"Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Manhattans. The song was written by Manhattans member Winfred "Blue" Lovett...

" and 'Shining Star' in 1980 (not to be confused with 'Shining Star' by Earth, Wind & Fire which was a completely different song of 1976).

Early history

The Manhattans, originally from Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, formed in 1962 with members George "Smitty" Smith, Edward "Sonny" Bivins (born January 15, 1942, Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...

), Winfred "Blue" Lovett (born 16 November 1943), Kenny "Wally" Kelley (born Kenneth Kelley, January 9, 1943, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

), and Richard "Ricky" Taylor. Bivins, Lovett, and Kelley were graduating from Lincoln High School, whilst Taylor and Smith were graduating from Snyder High School. All five enlisted in the armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...

 and came together as a group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 following their discharges from their respective branches.

The group's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 was "For the Very First Time," released in 1964 by Carnival Records
Carnival Records
Carnival Records was a record label started in 1961 by Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert.They released two records, one which was distributed via Dot Records outside California. Dore Alpert was the name Herb used as a vocalist in those days...

. Many consider August 15, 1964, the date of recording, to be the official birth of the group. They continued recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...

 with great success with song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

s written by various members of the group. In 1968, the group received the "Most Promising Group" award by NATRA. In 1969, the group moved to the De Luxe
De Luxe Records
De Luxe Records was a Linden, New Jersey, United States based record label formed in 1944 by brothers David and Jules Braun. The label flourished in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1947, Syd Nathan, the founder and owner of King Records, purchased a majority interest in De Luxe. In 1949, Nathan moved the...

 record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 of King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...

, subsequently embarking on a college tour. While playing at Kittrell College in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, the group met another group, the New Imperials, featuring Gerald Alston
Gerald Alston
Gerald Alston is an R&B singer, and the lead singer with The Manhattans. Between 1988 and 1995, he left the group to record five albums and ten solo singles, including "Take Me Where You Want To." "Slow Motion" a remake of Atlantic Starr's "Send For Me" and "Activated", most of which was for...

, nephew of The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...

' lead singer, Shirley Alston-Reeves. They were so impressed with Alston that they asked him to join the group, but he declined.

Misfortune befell the group late in 1970 when George Smith fell down a flight of stairs and later took ill. Unable to perform, the group began to search for a new lead. First they attempted to woo The Cymballs' lead, Lee Williams, but he was not willing to leave them. The group then renewed their request to Gerald Alston (born November 8, 1951, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

), who accepted and took over the lead spot. George Smith died of a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...

 on December 16, 1970.

The Manhattans continued recording throughout the 1970s with Alston singing lead vocals. They struck chart gold in 1976 with "Kiss and Say Goodbye
Kiss and Say Goodbye
"Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Manhattans. The song was written by Manhattans member Winfred "Blue" Lovett...

," written by Blue Lovett and arranged/co-produced with the group by the Philadelphia-based record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Bobby Martin, a former member of the MFSB
MFSB
MFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up such groups as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O’Jays, the Stylistics, the...

 band of session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...

s. The song quickly became a #1 chart topper on both the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

 charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

. It also became only the second single to go platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

, after the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

 introduced the award in 1976. Taylor left in 1976 to concentrate on his conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

. He died in 1987 after a long illness. The group continued as a quartet, and found further success in March 1980 with the release of "Shining Star," which reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the R&B Chart. Produced and co-written by the Chicago-based record producer, Leo Graham, it received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 the following spring.

The group celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1985 with the release of Too Hot To Stop It. It included the Bivins/Smith penned
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 "We Were Made As One," originally recorded in 1966 but covered in an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

, doo wop style to emphasize the group's doo wop roots. The album was also dedicated to George Smith.

The group continued until 1988. That year, Alston left to record as a solo artist, scoring with several major R&B hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s for Motown. Roger Harris
Roger Harris
Roger Meredith Harris is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in 2 Tests in 1959....

 was recruited as the new lead singer for the group, which moved to the new label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, Valley Vue, when their Columbia recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 expired.

Later history

The group's largest shake-up occurred in 1990, when Blue Lovett left due to health problems, and Kenny Kelley returned to college to pursue his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

. Bivins, now the only remaining original member, took over management of the group. He recruited new members Alvin Pazant, Harsey Hemphill, and Charles Hardy, bringing the group back to a quintet. Harris proved to be only a short-term lead, however, as he left in 1991, and was replaced by Wade Taylor. Taylor left a few months later. Bivins then recruited Lee Williams, the person whom they had originally wanted to replace George Smith.

The current line-up of the group is Bivins, Williams, Pazant, Hemphill, and Hardy. They released the CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 Manhattans Now in 1994, and in recent years the group has been featured in the play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

, Girl, He Ain't Worth It. In 1996, they began recording under their own label, Manhattans Entertainment Inc.

For what would be their 30th reunion, former member Blue Lovett decided to return to the music scene with his own Manhattans in 1995, bringing back Gerald Alston as lead vocalist in his group. They are currently a quartet with Troy May and David Tyson, brother of The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...

' Ron Tyson
Ron Tyson
Ron Tyson is an American tenor/falsetto singer and songwriter. Tyson is the current tenor for long-lived singing group The Temptations, filling the role made famous by Eddie Kendricks in the 1960s.-Biography:...

. In the past, the group also featured Eban Brown, now the lead vocalist for The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...

. This group has also released some CDs, including Even Now. This group was featured in two PBS specials.

Alston appeared on Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...

's album, 8 Diagrams
8 Diagrams
8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007 on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the passing of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group's previous LP Iron Flag, for which many group members...

, on the song "Stick Me for My Riches" in 2007.

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions US
certifications
Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1966 Dedicated to You 19 Carnival
Carnival Records
Carnival Records was a record label started in 1961 by Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert.They released two records, one which was distributed via Dot Records outside California. Dore Alpert was the name Herb used as a vocalist in those days...

1967 For You and Yours
1970 With These Hands De Luxe
De Luxe Records
De Luxe Records was a Linden, New Jersey, United States based record label formed in 1944 by brothers David and Jules Braun. The label flourished in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1947, Syd Nathan, the founder and owner of King Records, purchased a majority interest in De Luxe. In 1949, Nathan moved the...

1972 A Million to One 35
1973 There's No Me Without You 150 19 Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

1974 That's How Much I Love You 160 59
1976 The Manhattans
The Manhattans (album)
The Manhattans is the self-titled album by R&B vocal group The Manhattans, released in 1976 on the Columbia label. The Manhattans was the group's third Columbia album; the previous two had sold respectably to the R&B market, but failed to garner any significant crossover attention...

16 6 37 Gold
1977 It Feels So Good 68 12 Gold
1978 There's No Good in Goodbye 78 18
1979 Love Talk 141 20
1980 After Midnight 24 4 Gold
1981 Black Tie 86 21
1983 Forever by Your Side 104 17
1985 Too Hot to Stop It 171 44
1986 Back to Basics
1989 Sweet Talk Valley Vue
2001 Even Now 83 Beemark
2007 Reachin' for the Sky KRB Music
2008 Men Cry Too S.D.E.G.
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified

Live albums

Year Album Chart positions Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1999 Live from South Africa Classic World
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Compilation albums

Year Album Chart positions Record label
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

US
R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1980 Greatest Hits 87 18 Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

1990 Dedicated to You: Golden Classics, Part 1 Collectables
Collectables Records
Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....

Sing for You & Yours: Golden Classics, Part 2
1995 The Best of the Manhattans: Kiss and Say Goodbye Columbia/Legacy
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...

2000 Love Songs
2002 Super Hits
I'm the One That Love Forgot Collectables
2008 Sweet Talking Soul 1965-1990 Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...

"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions
US
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

US
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

US
A/C
UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

1964 "For the Very First Time"
"There Goes a Fool"
1965 "I Wanna Be (Your Everything)" 68 12
"Searchin' for My Baby" (A-side) 135 20
"I'm the One That Love Forgot" (B-side) 135
"Follow Your Heart" 92 20
1966 "Baby I Need You" 96 22
"Can I" 23
"I Bet'cha (Couldn't Love Me)" 128 23
"It's That Time of the Year"
1967 "All I Need Is Your Love"
"When We're Made as One" 31
"I Call It Love" 96 24
1968 "I Don't Wanna Go"
"'Til You Come Back to Me"
1969 "The Picture Became Quite Clear"
1970 "It's Gonna Take a Lot to Bring Me Back" 36
"If My Heart Could Speak" 98 30
"From Atlanta to Goodbye" 113 48
1971 "Let Them Talk"
"I Can't Stand for You to Leave Me"
1972 "A Million to One" (A-side) 114 47
"Cry If You Wanna Cry" (A-side) 48
"One Life to Live" 102 3
1973 "Back Up" 107 19
"Rainbow Week"
"There's No Me Without You" 43 3
"Do You Ever" 40
"You'd Better Believe It" 77 18
"Wish That You Were Mine" 19
1974 "Summertime in the City" 45
"Don't Take Your Love" 37 7
1975 "Hurt" 97 10 4
1976 "Kiss and Say Goodbye
Kiss and Say Goodbye
"Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Manhattans. The song was written by Manhattans member Winfred "Blue" Lovett...

"
1 1 12 4
"I Kinda Missed You" 46 7
1977 "It Feels So Good to be Loved So Bad" 66 6
"It's You" 43
"We Never Danced to a Love Song" 93 10
1978 "Am I Losing You" 101 6
"Everybody Has a Dream" 65
1979 "Here Comes the Hurt Again" 29
"The Way We Were
The Way We Were (song)
"The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand...

"/"Memories" (medley)
33
1980 "Shining Star
Shining Star (The Manhattans song)
"Shining Star" is a popular song by the R&B group The Manhattans. It is the first track on their 1980 album After Midnight and was written by Leo Graham and Paul Richmond.-Charting and accolades:...

"
5 4 21 45
"Girl of My Dream" 30
"I'll Never Find Another (Find Another Like You)" 109 12
1981 "Do You Really Mean Goodbye?"
"Just One Moment Away" 19
"Let Your Love Come Down" 77
1982 "Honey, Honey" 25
1983 "Crazy" 72 4 63
"Forever by You Side" 30
1985 "You Send Me
You Send Me
-Background:Cooke made a demo recording of "You Send Me" featuring only his own guitar accompaniment in the winter of 1955. The first recording of the track was made in New Orleans in December 1956 in the same sessions which produced "Lovable", the first release outside the gospel field for Cooke...

"
81 20 8
"Don't Say No" 60
1986 "Where Did We Go Wrong?" (with Regina Belle
Regina Belle
Regina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award winning duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World".-Biography:Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey...

)
42
1987 "All I Need" 41
1989 "Sweet Talk" 67
"Why You Wanna Love Me Like That" 62
1990 "I Won't Stop" 79
2001 "Nites Like This"
"—" denotes the release failed to chart

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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