Calvanes

While they only recorded a handful of singles, the Calvanes are part of Doo-Wop history. Carlye Dundee, Bobby Adams, Sterling Meade, Stewart Crunk, and Jack Harris formed at Manual Arts High School in South-Central Los Angeles. The naturally pop sounding quintet recorded, "Never/Evil One" on Space Records as Carlyle Dundee & the Dundees in 1954. After it fail, Dundee left, and the remaining four recorded another record for Space, "Bob Bop Baby/Little Girl," as the Wonders, with Bobby Adams leading. Like the first, it did little and they disbanded. In 1955 Crunk and Adams still had the music bug and regrouped with Jack Harris, Joe Hampton, and Herman Pruitt. Crunk picked the name Calvanes out the air, it meant nothing, they just liked the way it sounded. They practice the Four Freshmen songs diligently, the quartet was their main influence. In 1956 they signed with Dootsie Williams' Dootone Records, in South Central, Los Angeles. While more adept singing straight pop music, Williams insisted they record R&B. Probably because he had no idea or inclination for marketing and promoting Pop music. Whereas he knew the R&B jocks and distribution channels. The Calvanes recorded seven songs for Dootone, but only two were released: "Don't Take Your Love (From Me)/Crazy Over You," and "Florabelle/One Kiss." Copies of "Flee-O-Wee/They Call Me Fool" are floating around, but it was bootlegged, Dootone never officially released the recording. "Don't Take Your Love (From Me)" while only a local/regional hit, was the Calvanes most popular recording, Pruitt sang lead on both sides, and the guys appeared on Hunter Hancock's Rhythm & Bluesville show. The second Dootone release "Florabelle" bombed. To this day the song can't be found on any vinyl, cassette, or CD. Rumor has it that Dootsie...