The Shells

[Roburt]

There were quite a few groups that took the name the Shells.

One of the early ones were a New York based doo-wop outfit that recorded for the Johnson label for a number of years (1957 -63 ?).

They had a few singles out that were popular at the time and as a result secured some good bookings on shows at big New York area theatres (at Loew's Breevort in Brooklyn for instance).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPTrHHw09S8

 

Another outfit that used the name came from Chicago and cut "Whiplash" for Conlo. They went on to have a 45 out on Volt as the 4 Shells but I have no idea how Jerry Butler & Eddie Thomas managed to get them signed up with the Memphis based label. No doubt Boba has full details on their history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GnWT8cpClE

 

Then, of course, there's C & the Shells, who under Jerry Williams supervision cut for Cotillion in the late 60's. They were also New York based and had earlier recorded as the Sandpebbles. In the 70's, the group landed a deal with Zanzee Records and had a few more 45's out. J R Bailey worked with them for Zanzee..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbZh-GyNu4Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHkfYDlE8aU

 

There was also the similarly named La'Shell & the Shellettes who had 45's out on Eagle. I believe that they were also out of New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h5bNoVvEkg

 

In more recent times a number of acts (solo + groups) have made use of the name.

It can get confusing for record collectors when so many artists use the same / very similar names.

 

 

[Robbk]

As far as I know, Jerry Butler and Eddie Thomas operated Conlo Records and Conlo Productions out of Philadelphia, when Butler was residing morew on The East Coast than in Chicago, during his time just before switching to Mercury Records, and then through much of his Mercury period.  The Conlo artists were ALL from Philly (none from Chicago), and the recordings were all made in Philadelphia, from what I remember.  The Conlo label even has a picture of a clock tower of a building located in Philadelphia.  The Shells group on Conlo was an East-Coast group.  I never heard of, nor saw evidence of any Shells group in Chicago.

Edited July 8, 2013 by RobbK

[Roburt]

My info is that though Conlo was nationally distributed by Cameo/Parkway, the label's sides were mainly cut in Chicago. Other 45's on the label came from Jamo Thomas and Arlene Bailey. I believe that the guys who made up the Shells (Charles & James Calvin, Billy Harper & Willie Exon) all had St Louis connections. I think the Arlene Bailey tracks were 'outside productions' most likely done in New York. 

By 1978, there was an Arlene Bailey singing in supper clubs up in Bangor, Maine. I guess this was the same lady as she seems to have cut an album in Boston around 9 years later for AGB Records (Arlene George Bailey).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCv7ggqIxbg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lglWTVXaeFo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUKm65Yh9aA

No doubt, Boba will give us the Shells full sp.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Roburt

[Robbk]

My info is that though Conlo was nationally distributed by Cameo/Parkway, the label's sides were mainly cut in Chicago. Other 45's on the label came from Jamo Thomas and Arlene Bailey. I believe that the guys who made up the Shells (Charles & James Calvin, Billy Harper & Willie Exon) all had St Louis connections. I think the Arlene Bailey tracks were 'outside productions' most likely done in New York. 

By 1978, there was an Arlene Bailey singing in supper clubs up in Bangor, Maine. I guess this was the same lady as she seems to have cut an album in Boston around 9 years later for AGB Records (Arlene George Bailey).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCv7ggqIxbg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lglWTVXaeFo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUKm65Yh9aA

No doubt, Boba will give us the Shells full sp.

AHA!!! I see the problem now.  I am a collector or late 1930s through 1960's records.  I know extremely little about records made after 1967.  I rarely ever looked at, or paid attention to records made in the 1970s.  I was referring to Conlo productions, released on Cameo and Parkway and Swan Records, and Conlo Records released in 1965-67.  The Jamo Thomas and Shells cuts were most likely cut in Chicago.  Jerry Butler was commuting between Chicago and Philadelphia during 1965-67. Apparantly, he produced Conlo productions in Chicago after that period (and maybe even also in both cities before '68). 

[Robbk]

I have Arlene Bailey records all on East Coast labels, using East Coast producers and arrangers.  I'd guess that she resided on The east coast (probably in The New York Area, and that most of her recording was done in New York.

[boba]

arlene bailey is from the boston area, she has a webpage if you google it

 

i'm pretty sure the shells on conlo are from chicago, and I have a lineup. the record is pretty common here without a clocktower on the label, just a yellow label. the label design you're thinking of is on an arlene bailey 45 and jamo thomas 45.

[Robbk]

arlene bailey is from the boston area, she has a webpage if you google it

 

i'm pretty sure the shells on conlo are from chicago, and I have a lineup. the record is pretty common here without a clocktower on the label, just a yellow label. the label design you're thinking of is on an arlene bailey 45 and jamo thomas 45.

Yes.  And it's on a couple others, as well.  It looks to me like the Chicago productions were a little later than the earliest Conlo Productions, which all seem to have been made in Philadelphia (but some Chicago people were involved).  It seems that Jerry Butler was commuting back and forth between Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. A few of those early Dee Dee Sharp Conlo productions with her singing Jalynne songs by Barrett Strong, sound like they were recorded in Chicago.  But, i've been told that not only her vocals, but also the instrumental tracks, were recorded entirely in Philadelphia.  I am pretty sure that The Shells and Jamo Thomas would likely have been recorded in Chicago.  And that Shells' lineup was certainly a St. Louis or Chicago group, and definitely not the New York group that sang "Baby Oh Baby".

[boba]

this is the shells lineup:

 

Charles Calvin, Willie Exon, Billy Harper, James Calvin

 

same lineup on the Volt 45. I'm think they're from Chicago, like I said in my previous email.

[Kris Holmes]

yeah, how the Four Shells got on Volt is a bit weird, I guess Volt/Stax spent a bit of time leasing finished masters much like other companies of the day.  Al Bell had a lot of contacts.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Kris Holmes

[Roburt]

Al bell had contacts all over the US, many resulting from his days as a radio DJ. When he was with WUST in DC he ran (along with Eddie Floyd) his own (pre-Stax) record label (Safice). When Al was on WUST, he championed the local releases by DC based Ruby Johnson on NEBS. Guess what, after he relocated to Memphis and took over the running of Stax, who would he sign to a recording contract ......... YEP, Ruby Johnson. 

 

BTW, WUST and WOOK in DC were big rivals for the local black listening audience. Both claimed to play the best soul tracks and you can check out a typical WOOK show from 1966 here ....  https://stepfatherofsoul.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/soul-on-air-4-johnny-lloyd-1966.html

The clip features loads of good records, some jingles and ads for live shows at Carr's Beach and record sales ..... 

... @ Waxy Maxie's if you bought 5 x 45's you would be given 5 free singles from the 30,000 set aside for the purpose; wonder if that offer still applies?

Edited July 10, 2013 by Roburt