Tangeers (Tan-geers) - who were they ?

[Blackpoolsoul]

This group seem to have had only 3 releases and after searching on the web, little results

There also is not much on the credits for them, so can someone help please

 

 

 

[Chalky]

Two of the members of the group were Elaine Jones and Earle Beall.  They are on a photo that went through ebay some years ago stood behind a Dj or studio technician.  A mate owns the photo, it had been defaced, someone had coloured the hair in for some reason.  I will ask if it is ok to post.

[The Yank]

I appears that the writer and producer were based out of Maryland - 

 

[Chalky]

I have permission to post the photo...

 

You have Elaine Jones and Earle Beall stood behind Al Jefferson

 

[Chalky]

1 hour ago, the yank said:

I appears that the writer and producer were based out of Maryland - 

 

 

The group was out of Baltimore

[Kegsy]

2 hours ago, the yank said:

I appears that the writer and producer were based out of Maryland - 

 

The producers/writers/arranger of their Okeh sides were also involved with a group called Gross National Product, who recorded on Guilford, they sound very folk/rock/white so I don't think any clues lie in that direction.

Edited April 13, 2019 by Kegsy

[Blackpoolsoul]

2 hours ago, chalky said:

The group was out of Baltimore

Brilliant after all these years.....Thanks !!!!

Edited April 13, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Roburt]

Some record shop owners are rip off merchants … I took my copy of this ad along to the store but the guy there said he could no longer honour the 59c price and I'd have to pay $1.25 for a copy of the 45 … I told him where to stick it, not gonna get ripped off like that. 

[Roburt]

Bet Hot Rod played their 45s on his show too … most of the WWIN DJ's would spin records made by local artists at that time … 

 

[Blackpoolsoul]

9 hours ago, Roburt said:

Some record shop owners are rip off merchants … I took my copy of this ad along to the store but the guy there said he could no longer honour the 59c price and I'd have to pay $1.25 for a copy of the 45 … I told him where to stick it, not gonna get ripped off like that. 

 

Another 2 members of the group then

[Blackpoolsoul]

13 hours ago, chalky said:

The group was out of Baltimore

So the Okeh record would have been recorded at "Bradley Recording Company" ?

Edited April 14, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul
Image

[Kegsy]

3 hours ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

So the Okeh record would have been recorded at "Bradley Recording Company" ?

Quite probably as the producers Bollon/Plato have links to records by the Koffee Beans on the Format label that were also recorded there. 

[Roburt]

The studio's facilities must have been quite rudimentary in late 68 as they upgraded all their equipment just 2 years later …  

[Guest]

Not That Kind Of Guy, sounds like Jefferson Airplane!

[Roburt]

Guess the group had local Baltimore management, who had arranged to cut their tracks locally & then had them placed with 'out of town' Okeh Records. Their tracks must have been licensed by Okeh a good few weeks before their 45 hit the shops.

Their management obviously then got them to visit local 'black music' radio stns to help plug the 45. It's a pity that, when the 45 had been released in Nov 68, the group members didn't visit local radio stns till the end of Nov 68 … … as the local association of radio stn jocks was staging a big charity live show at a local top venue, the Embassy Rooms, on November 28th. If they'd made contact earlier, no doubt they could have been added to the local acts who'd been booked to appear on that show … 

BY THE WAY … Arthur Conley (who had been based in Baltimore in 64/65) had obviously retained his local links (& performed on this show) even though he'd headed off with Otis Redding in late summer 65. Otis had been masterminding Arthur's music career but after his death in Dec 67, Arthur seems to have renewed his links back in Baltimore.

Edited April 15, 2019 by Roburt

[Blackpoolsoul]

On 13/04/2019 at 18:24, chalky said:

I have permission to post the photo...

 

You have Elaine Jones and Earle Beall stood behind Al Jefferson

 

So this Earl was NOT connected to The Earl Beal from the Silhouettes ?

[Roburt]

There's a chance it was the same guy as he'd remained in the Silhouettes till 68 when that group fell apart. ALSO, although the doo-wop group were Philly based, he was originally from Donora, Pa -- a town located between Pittsburgh & Baltimore.

From the Balto photo, Earl is obviously an oldish guy AND he looks a lot like the guy top left in this picture of the doo-wop group … 

RobbK will probably know a lot more than me about the Silhouettes.

Edited April 15, 2019 by Roburt

[Blackpoolsoul]

37 minutes ago, Roburt said:

There's a chance it was the same guy as he'd remained in the Silhouettes till 68 when that group fell apart. ALSO, although the doo-wop group were Philly based, he was originally from Donora, Pa -- a town located between Pittsburgh & Baltimore.

From the Balto photo, Earl is obviously an oldish guy AND he looks a lot like the guy top left in this picture of the doo-wop group … 

RobbK will probably know a lot more than me about the Silhouettes.

Looking like he might be

[Blackpoolsoul]

On 13/04/2019 at 18:24, chalky said:

I have permission to post the photo...

 

You have Elaine Jones and Earle Beall stood behind Al Jefferson

 

 

I am also guessing that this Al Jefferson worked with Billy Butler on the "Optimistics" turbo stuff

[Chalky]

24 minutes ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

Looking like he might be

he also looks similar to the guy on the right, could also be the guy sat down.

[Colouredman]

Im pretty sure someone told me once that PLATO is a super well known producer like Jimmy Wisner.

[Blackpoolsoul]

35 minutes ago, colouredman said:

Im pretty sure someone told me once that PLATO is a super well known producer like Jimmy Wisner.

Plato is so mysterious as he only went by that name (credits), I am hoping someone knows and we can find out

[Blackpoolsoul]

47 minutes ago, chalky said:

he also looks similar to the guy on the right, could also be the guy sat down.

Deffo on the right, guy sat down is different

Edited April 15, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Michael V]

• Personally,I don't think they are the same-Earl Beal of  The Silhouettes had only one 'L' in his surname and,perhaps most tellingly,he was born in 1924,which would have made him 44 at the time of The Tangeers photo above; the Tangeers' Earle Beall looks  late 20's/ early 30's,maybe mid-30's at most,to me

Edited April 15, 2019 by Michael V
Typographical error

[Blackpoolsoul]

9 minutes ago, Michael V said:

• Personally,I don't think they are the same-Earl Beal of  The Silhouettes had only only 'L' in his surname and,perhaps, most tellingly,he was born in 1924,which would have made him 44 at the time of The Tangeers photo above; the Tangeers' Earl Beall looks  late 20's/ early 30's,maybe mid-30's at most,to me

That's a great point which makes this very confusing as well

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17721686/earl-thomas-beal

[Kenb]

4 hours ago, colouredman said:

Im pretty sure someone told me once that PLATO is a super well known producer like Jimmy Wisner.

yes you might be right there;

Plato =Plato Theopholos ( maybe weird, i know...but it could be so-OR- it could be a psudo based on Greek philisophy).

He (Plato Prexy) and Ron Bollon(VP) had two labels-Nadine and Format. I don't know if there were any releases?

[Kegsy]

I think Nadine may have just been the publishing company, there were 2 releases on Format by the Koffee Beans.

[The Yank]

5 hours ago, colouredman said:

Im pretty sure someone told me once that PLATO is a super well known producer like Jimmy Wisner.

  I think this is a different Plato (?) 

 

[Blackpoolsoul]

50 minutes ago, the yank said:

  I think this is a different Plato (?) 

 

It is a Philly thing, Billy Jackson and Jimmy Wisner

[Blackpoolsoul]

1 hour ago, Kegsy said:

I think Nadine may have just been the publishing company, there were 2 releases on Format by the Koffee Beans.

This an article I found about Koffee Beans

https://www.baltimoreorless.com/2015/10/koffee-beans-ad-man-been-a-long-time-1966-baltimore-psychedelic-45rpms/

Edited April 15, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul
Label

[Robbk]

9 hours ago, Michael V said:

• Personally,I don't think they are the same-Earl Beal of  The Silhouettes had only only 'L' in his surname and,perhaps, most tellingly,he was born in 1924,which would have made him 44 at the time of The Tangeers photo above; the Tangeers' Earl Beall looks  late 20's/ early 30's,maybe mid-30's at most,to me

I agree that the Earl Beal from The older, Philly Silhouettes couldn't be the guy in The Tangeers.  But, possibly  he was his son (named Earl Beal Jr., who simply added an e and an l to his 2 names for a "stage name".  It would be quite a coincidence to come from generally the same area (Baltimore and Philadelphia shared almost as many local ties as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and the 2 men look enough alike to be father and son.  And the ages work a LOT better than the Tangeer being 44 years old. 

Edited April 15, 2019 by RobbK

[Kenb]

1 hour ago, Kegsy said:

I think Nadine may have just been the publishing company, there were 2 releases on Format by the Koffee Beans.

It may well have been a pub co too - but it was definately a record label he owned.( as earlier post...never found a release)

[Kenb]

1 hour ago, the yank said:

  I think this is a different Plato (?) 

mee too.

 

[Blackpoolsoul]

Just Elaine Jones and 2 unnamed others for the group then if Earl was the son

[Roburt]

The Silhouettes were re-formed in 1980 when oldies doo-wop group shows were in vogue. They stayed together, earning decent money for live show appearances till 1993. The group's Earl Beal was with them throughout their 2nd incarnation. 

[Chalky]

As said I doubt it is the same Earle Beall as the Silhouettes Earl Beale.  I also doubt he’s the son of 

Not sure what a reformed Silhouettes has to do with The Tan Geers?

Edited April 16, 2019 by chalky

[Kegsy]

10 hours ago, Roburt said:

The Silhouettes were re-formed in 1980 when oldies doo-wop group shows were in vogue. They stayed together, earning decent money for live show appearances till 1993. The group's Earl Beal was with them throughout their 2nd incarnation. 

The original Silhouettes were not the same line up as the ones on the 1968 Goodway single, Bill Horton and Ray Edwards had been replaced by John Wilson and Otis Lewis. 

[Steve G]

On 14/04/2019 at 07:10, Blackpoolsoul said:

So the Okeh record would have been recorded at "Bradley Recording Company" ?

100% right- I have seen an acetate......you need to buy my book LOL.

[Blackpoolsoul]

20 hours ago, Steve G said:

100% right- I have seen an acetate......you need to buy my book LOL.

I know Steve, Me too and honestly I just collect records, not books. As you have made money out of it (hopefully), perhaps you could be kind enough to share history

Edited April 17, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Kegsy]

Plato Productions (Ron Bollon, Plato Theophilos) 1404 Kingsbridge Turn Crofton, Md. 2113 506 Newberry St. Joppo, Md. 21085 (301) 679-4117

Newark Label Bows. Newark Records, a new diskery specializing in R&B and pops singles, is to be distributed by Ambassador Records of Newark, N.J. The label's debut records are by vocalist Ron Price, produced by Ron Bollon & Sam Kaufman (Kay-Gee distributors Baltimore)  for Ronsam Productions, and the TNJ'S, produced by Lou Henderson.

When  Scotty Miller was 12 years old and growing up in Trenton, New Jersey, he got together with a friend, Raymond Earl, and formed a band. They called themselves the Imperialistics and played at talent shows and junior high school dances. Today, nearly fifteen years later, Miller and Earl are still together as the nucleus of Instant Funk, a fast -rising band who have just released their self -titled debut album on Salsoul Records, which includes the bulleted single, "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)." The years in between, however, have been marked by frustrations as well as triumphs. At first, Miller's and Earl's rise to the top proceeded smoothly. Miller's brother, Kim, joined the band while in high school, and the group became a nine -piece outfit known as the TNJ's. The TNJ's played club dates in New Jersey and nearby Philadelphia, establishing their reputation as a hot funk band.

There seems to be some confusion as to whether the TNJ's were just a vocal group and what became Instant Funk were just the backing group.

Bunny Sigler spotted the backing band and took then to Sigma Sound.

Could the TNJ’s be the Tan Geers or possibly TaN J’(e)erS  since TNJ’S stands for Trenton New Jerseyers ?. The TNJ’s first record precedes  the Tan Geers. Could Bollon et al have recorded the TNJs and put the record out under the Tangeers (Tanjeers) ?.

[Kegsy]

52 minutes ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

I know Steve, Me too and honestly I just collect records, not books. As you have made money out of it (hopefully), perhaps you could be kind enough to share history

Am I missing something, where does it say where it was recorded ?. Also note group name mispelt.

[Kegsy]

On 14/04/2019 at 07:10, Blackpoolsoul said:

So the Okeh record would have been recorded at "Bradley Recording Company" ?

 

21 hours ago, Steve G said:

100% right- I have seen an acetate......you need to buy my book LOL.

Are we totally sure about this ?. Nick Barker who arranged at least 2 Tangeers records also worked for Accent Sound Studios also in  Baltimore, he also recorded there in a group called Gross National Product. Almost all of the Bradley output appears to be almost exclusively religious/gospel type stuff.

[Blackpoolsoul]

40 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

 

Are we totally sure about this ?. Nick Barker who arranged at least 2 Tangeers records also worked for Accent Sound Studios also in  Baltimore, he also recorded there in a group called Gross National Product. Almost all of the Bradley output appears to be almost exclusively religious/gospel type stuff.

That maybe my fault it was stuck in my brain somewhere about it and at my age there's a lot of misty stuff going on

[Blackpoolsoul]

1 hour ago, Kegsy said:

Plato Productions (Ron Bollon, Plato Theophilos) 1404 Kingsbridge Turn Crofton, Md. 2113 506 Newberry St. Joppo, Md. 21085 (301) 679-4117

Newark Label Bows. Newark Records, a new diskery specializing in R&B and pops singles, is to be distributed by Ambassador Records of Newark, N.J. The label's debut records are by vocalist Ron Price, produced by Ron Bollon & Sam Kaufman (Kay-Gee distributors Baltimore)  for Ronsam Productions, and the TNJ'S, produced by Lou Henderson.

When  Scotty Miller was 12 years old and growing up in Trenton, New Jersey, he got together with a friend, Raymond Earl, and formed a band. They called themselves the Imperialistics and played at talent shows and junior high school dances. Today, nearly fifteen years later, Miller and Earl are still together as the nucleus of Instant Funk, a fast -rising band who have just released their self -titled debut album on Salsoul Records, which includes the bulleted single, "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)." The years in between, however, have been marked by frustrations as well as triumphs. At first, Miller's and Earl's rise to the top proceeded smoothly. Miller's brother, Kim, joined the band while in high school, and the group became a nine -piece outfit known as the TNJ's. The TNJ's played club dates in New Jersey and nearby Philadelphia, establishing their reputation as a hot funk band.

There seems to be some confusion as to whether the TNJ's were just a vocal group and what became Instant Funk were just the backing group.

Bunny Sigler spotted the backing band and took then to Sigma Sound.

Could the TNJ’s be the Tan Geers or possibly TaN J’(e)erS  since TNJ’S stands for Trenton New Jerseyers ?. The TNJ’s first record precedes  the Tan Geers. Could Bollon et al have recorded the TNJs and put the record out under the Tangeers (Tanjeers) ?.

Wow that would be really something

The TNJ's were backed Instant Funk

https://www.wefunkradio.com/song/play/600_ap/instant+funk/bodyshine

Edited April 17, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul
updated

[Kegsy]

22 minutes ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

Wow that would be really something

 

When I was sussing it all out I found loads of other stuff which links, the goings on in Baltimore at the time, with some very seriously good soul/northern records. It's worth a whole new thread, but I haven't got to the bottom of everything as yet. Look out for a Tangeers Connections thread pretty soon. 

[Chalky]

The TNJs were all male, a photo on discogs shows them as a 5 piece. The Tan Geers has at least one female singer and Earl Beall doesn’t figure in the TNJs from what we know. 

[Chalky]

3 hours ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

I know Steve, Me too and honestly I just collect records, not books. As you have made money out of it (hopefully), perhaps you could be kind enough to share history

Given all the time and effort Steve put in maybe you should buy the book  

Where is the scan from?  

I have the book but not got round to reading yet. 

[Kegsy]

10 minutes ago, chalky said:

The TNJs were all male, a photo on discogs shows them as a 5 piece. The Tan Geers has at least one female singer and Earl Beall doesn’t figure in the TNJs from what we know. 

Discogs also shows their release on Lucky  Lou being written by E. Jones and Lou Henderson who produced their Newark outing. Perhaps E. Jones was Elaine Jones but wasn't actually in the group until later. I've already established the TNJ's preceeded the Tangeers.

Edited April 17, 2019 by Kegsy

[Chalky]

3 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

Discogs also shows their release on Lucky  Lou being written by E. Jones and Lou Henderson who produced their Newark outing. Perhaps E. Jones was Elaine Jones but wasn't actually in the group.

Nope, Elijah Jones, one of the group. 

[Johndelve]

I don't believe there is any link between The Tangeers and The TNJ's - two totally different groups as far as I am aware.

Steve's Wand book does give more info on The Tangeers : he says they were Cora Boykins (replaced by Elaine Jones) , Bobby Covington, Richard Quarles, Earle Beale and Bill Hagie at one point .