The One~Derful Admirations

Much of what we know of the group The Admirations is already “out there” but scattered across the internet.  I decided to pull together what we know of the group into one article.  The groups discography and gaps in their story was discussed at length on Soul Source, instigated in particular by Timmy Leonard (R.I.P.) from Brussels and other members of Soul Source contributing.  Robert Pruter was a valuable source as was Secret Stash who had access to One-Derful masters and the associated labels of Mar-V-Lus, Toddlin’ Town. M-Pac, Mida and Halo.

In the early 1900s immigrants, mainly Italians settled in an area around Goose Island on the Near North Side of Chicago. It was an industrial area, steel and gas works, low paid and dirty.  The area was known as ‘Little Sicily’ due to the large number of Italians but it would also be known as ‘Little Hell’, due to the industry and the crime that blighted its in habitants, not just Italians but Irish and Swedish.  It was described as “the most dangerous neighbourhood in the city” by the Chicago Tribune. 

(1960s Cabrini Green)

During the war the Chicago Housing Authority decided to raze ‘Little Hell’  to the ground and pave the way for a new housing development to be named Frances Cabrini Homes after the first American canonized by the Catholic Church, Mother Frances Cabrini. But in the end urban redevelopment provided no cure for the problems.  Many of the houses were built with limited budgets leading to poor quality housing and a future lack of investment and maintenance. Overcrowding, dirty streets and dark alleys exacerbated the problems and crime of the projects. The inhabitants, largely a mix of Italians, Irish, African Americans and Puerto Ricans were often the poorest led to a new wave of crime and poverty which the authorities had no answer to, exacerbated by overcrowding, dirty streets and dark alleys.

By the 1960s racial segregation overtook and the area. By 1990 the authorities in Chicago, like they did with ‘Little Hell’ decided the answer to the problems would be to raze the area to the ground and start again.

Despite the problems of the area, it would produce some highly notable people, in particular musicians.  Major Lance, Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler & Terry Callier to name a few.

(photo courtesy of Robert Pruter)

One such group of singers originating from the Cabrini Green Housing Complex in the mid 1960s was The Admirations.  Consisting originally of siblings Ralph, Bruce, Kenneth & Yvonne Childs.  By 1966 Yvonne would leave the group and Sherman ‘Red’ Myles and Walter Smith would join the three male siblings who remained.  The group would be managed by Herbert Butler and Tommie Johnson of The Players vocal group.  They were all still in High School.

The Admirations debuted on the tiny Paree label with ‘My Admiration for You’, written by Kenneth and Bruce Childs in probably July 1967.  The flip however, written and produced by the Otis Hayes and Jimmy Jones, ‘Heaven Is In Your Arms’ is actually the Young Folk.  Arthur McThune is on lead ably backed by Miss Madeline. (Strickland), Patrice Suggs and Marlene Lee.

All indications would suggest both sides were recorded at the One-Derful’s Tone Recordings studio. Alvin Cash’s Mar-V-Lus release ‘Different Strokes for Different Folks’ would suffer a mis-press and actually play ‘Heaven Is In Your Arms’. (a record initially due to release in July 1967). The fact that this mis-press mix-up happened at the pressing plant is not just your more common template mix-up.  This mix-up happened at the lacquer stage as the template used to press that Alvin Cash & the Registers 45 features the correct matrix '3235' (and not the Paree '117 B' one) for their ‘Diff'rent Strokes for Different Folks’. A very first batch of pressings in error indicating a close release date setting the Paree by June 1967 or thereabouts.

According to Larry Blasingaine, The Young Folk were supposed to release ‘Heaven Is In Your Arms’ on Mar-V-Lus but as we have already ascertained it ended up on the Alvin Cash mis-press and instead ‘Joey’ was released by the Young Folk with Miss Madeline on lead and the guys singing background.

‘Heaven Is In Your Arms’ would find favour in the 70s on the Northern Soul scene in the UK in the 70s via Deejay ‘Soul Sam’ at Cleethorpes.

For their second release the Admirations joined George and Ernie Leaner’s One-Derful label. Launched in 1962 when McKinley Mitchell brought George Leaner the song ‘The Town I Live In’ which became the first release on One-Derful. An A&R and production team was formed with Monk Higgins, Andre Williams & Jimmy Jones at the forefront.  The label also had a studio, Tone Recordings and was based in the One-Derful building at 1827 S. Michigan Avenue.  Distribution was handled by United Distribution, formed by George & Eddie in 1950 and was located in the same building. The label would do well and sister labels Midas, M-Pac, Mar-V-Lus and Halo were soon added.

The Admirations ‘Wait Till I get To Know You’ was released in September 1967 and featured Ralph Childs on lead vocals.  It gained a mention in Record World on the 7th October as a Hot New Release. Co-produced by Teddy Bear (real name Theodore McRae) and Eddie Silvers, written by Ralph Childs, Walter Smith and Sherman Myles.  Local radio station WVON-AM listed the 45 in its top 20 in December ’67.  It received a mention in Record World in the October 7th 1967 edition and in Billboard on the 23rd December of that year.  With two presses at least for this release, with differing label designs, again it must have sold reasonably well locally. 

The groups final outing on One-Derful was in January 1968. ‘All For You’ which was written by Walter Smith, Ralph Childs and Sherman Myles Eddie Silvers no longer involved with the group by this stage, instead it was co-produced by Teddy Bear and Po-Jo.  I’m not sure who Po-Jo is?  The flip the superb ‘Don’t Leave Me’ was written by written by Bruce and Kenneth Childs and Sherman Myles. This side found huge favour on the UK Northern Soul scene. 

There was one other release by the group on the tiny Peaches label produced by Eddie Silvers and Gordon Keith (he of Steeltown Records fame).  ‘You Left Me’ b/w ‘I Want To Be Free’.  Released twice, once as the Aspirations and as the Admirations.  The year of release is subject to some debate with the general consensus giving the Aspirations in 1967 and The Admirations release as 1968.    There is however a school of thought both were released in 1968 with ‘You Left Me’ with the lead vocals being taken by Kenneth Childs possibly being an answer recording to the One-Derful outing ‘Don’t Leave Me’.  

Others have the Aspirations and the Admirations releases on Peaches as 1967 before the group signed with One-Derful.  Whatever the year, someone had faith in the release.  The only outing on the label, it gained two presses as The Aspirations, once with Peaches down the Right of the label and once down the left and then a further press as The Admirations.  It did virtually nothing with any of the releases and has remained incredibly rare.  

The 45 found favour in the UK on the Rare Soul scene in the late ‘70s early ‘80s and now commands a four-figure valuation.  Gus Taylor was the bassist for the group and in conversations we had he stated that he wrote ‘I Want To be Free’ but received no credit or any royalties, not that many royalties would have been forthcoming due to lack of sales.

All the releases by the Admirations found favour in the UK and now around the world and all are highly collectable.

In 1968 the demise of One-Derful also saw the demise of The Admirations. Walter Smith would transfer to Tilden High School on Chicago’s South Side where he would form ‘Walter & The Admerations’ alongside Clifford Frazier (lead), Keith Donaldson (bass), Brad Donaldson (baritone) and David Donaldson (tenor).  The group would be managed by Ted Daniels.

(Walter & The Admerations)

The groups first outing was on Leo Austell and Hillery Johnson’s LA-Cindy label.  Entitled ‘Life of Tears b/w Man Oh Man (What Have I Done).  The release again did nothing and remined incredibly rare to this day commanding a price well into four figures.  ‘Life Of Tears’ would receive turntable action via Pat Brady at the famed Wigan Casino in the UK in the late 70s.  The flip would be a huge turntable hit for UK DJ Mark ‘Butch’ Dobson in the mid 1980s.

After graduation from High School and with the war in Vietnam still raging the group would have a change of name to the Green Berets with releases on Chicago’s Uni label.  Members would later record as Velvet Hammer on the Soozi label with another track finding favour in the UK Soul scene, ‘Happy’. 

DISCOGRAPHY

June 1967 

The Admirations - PAREE

My Admiration For You b/w Heaven Is In Your Arms

(The flip is members of The Young Folk)

SEPTEMBER 1967 

The Admirations – ONE-DERFUL

Wait Till I Get To Know You b/w Instrumental

JANUARY 1968

The Admirations - ONE-DERFUL

All For You b/w Don’t Leave Me

JULY(?) 1967 or 1968 (?)

The Aspirations - PEACHES

You Left Me b/w I Want To Be Free

(PEACHES logo to the RIGHT first then repress with the logo to the LEFT

FEBRUARY(?) 1968

The Admirations - PEACHES

You Left Me b/w I Want To Be Free

Photos courtesy of Robert Pruter.

Label scans courtesy of Alan Kitchener, Paul David, Andy Dennison, Keamus Setna and Harry Morgan.

Cover photo: The Admirations, taken with Herb Kent, WVON Deejay, wielding the sword on Sherman Myles neck. This was a promotional photo when the group had just released ‘Wait Till I Get to Know You.’