Donnie Elbert

Northern Soul legend Donnie Elbert was born May 25, 1935 in New Orleans. His family relocated to Buffalo, New York's east side three years later, and there he learned to play guitar and piano--influenced most profoundly by the Drifters' Clyde McPhatter, Elbert co-founded a doo-wop group called the Vibraharps with friend Danny Cannon in 1955, serving as its guitarist, songwriter and arranger while largely relegating himself to background vocals. After making his recorded debut on their single "Walk Beside Me," Elbert left the Vibraharps in 1957 amidst creative differences and turned to a solo career, recording a demo session that earned him a contract with the King label's Deluxe imprint; his Deluxe debut "What Can I Do?" cracked the R&B Top 20 but the follow-up "Believe It or Not" went nowhere. Arguably Elbert's finest early single was his third Deluxe effort, 1957's haunting "Have I Sinned?"--an exemplary showcase for his powerful falsetto, the record was a huge regional hit, especially in Pittsburgh, where legendary DJ Porky Chedwick played it relentlessly. Despite playing New York City's Apollo Theater and touring the so-called "chitlin' circuit" of African-American-owned and operated nightclubs, Elbert's career faltered--he released no fewer than five singles on Deluxe in 1958 ("Let's Do the Stroll," "My Confession of Love," "I Want to Be Loved But Only by You," "I Want to Be Near You" and "Just a Little Bit of Lovin'"), none of which made any commercial impact. Relations with Deluxe grew even more strained as Elbert consistently battled with producers over the direction of his career, and after completing his first full-length, The Sensational Donnie Elbert Sings, he finally left the label in 1959, landing with fledgling indie Red Top long enough to cut 1960's...