The Cashmeres

Atlanta R&B clothing the Cashmeres formed in 1949 — based on Marv Goldberg’s profile within the Sept 2004 problem of Blues & Tempo, business lead Dodd Hicks, tenor William Butts, baritone Ralph Riley, and bass Bobby Arnold founded the group to take part in a skill present at their senior high school, McNeal Turner. After earning top honors within the competition, the Cashmeres made a decision to continue their cooperation, making a small number of performances at Atlanta teenager clubs clad within the cashmere sweatshirts which were their brand. As their live timetable expanded, nevertheless, the parents of Butts and Arnold balked, plus they had been compelled to resign. Tenor Henry Boyd and bass Romeo Shuler, Jr. had been quickly recruited to get the slack, and using manager Tag Allan, a radio character with Atlanta place WAOK, the reconstituted Cashmeres trim a demo program for Mercury Information — the label prolonged a agreement present, and in Oct 1954 the group journeyed to NEW YORK to record its debut solitary, “My Sentimental Heart.” Even though solitary gained significant airplay in Atlanta, it didn’t capture on nationally, and in Apr 1955 Mercury released the follow-up, “DON’T ALLOW It Happen Once again” — when it as well earned little see at radio or retail, Mercury released yet another Cashmeres solitary, “There is a Rumor,” before terminating the group’s agreement. A discouraged Hicks enlisted within the U.S. Atmosphere Push at year’s end, and the rest of the trio added lead Grover Mitchell, putting your signature on towards the Herald label release a “Little Dream Woman” in mid-1956. The one quickly disappeared, as well as the group dissolved immediately after. In the summertime of 1957, Herald’s Ember subsidiary released “Keep It Close,” acknowledged towards the heretofore unidentified Marktones — in reality, the melody was an unreleased leftover in the Cashmeres’ “Small Dream Gal” session of the year earlier. Half a year later, Hicks came back from military provider with Henry Boyd produced a fresh Cashmeres lineup with tenor Langston George and Edward Patten, both on hiatus off their responsibilities as Gladys Knight’s Pips — when Knight’s “Whistle My Like” became popular in early 1958, George and Patten quickly ankled the Cashmeres to reunite using the vocalist, forcing Hicks and Boyd to convince Ralph Riley to emerge from retirement. He ultimately assented, but Romeo Shuler wished no area of the revived Cashmeres — community friend Norman Lumpkin finally decided to deal with bass responsibilities, and in the summertime of 1958 the brand new lineup cut “Heaven Just Has learned” for the NRC Information imprint. Credited towards the Kashmirs, the solitary dropped on deaf ears and after one last gasp, the 1959 ACA launch “Stairsteps to Heaven,” the group break up forever. Hicks later on resurfaced like a solo act, implementing the alias Dobie Hicks for his lone Vee-Jay work, 1961’s “Where Can be She” — he continuing touring the Atlanta golf club circuit until finally retiring in the past due ’80s.