The Jesters

The Jesters are best known for their soaring falsetto-driven minor hit "So Strange" and for their cover versions of the Chantels' "The Plea" and the Diablos' 1954 classic "The Wind" (which had established Nolan Strong's place as an R&B legend). The latter barely managed to chart on Billboard's national chart (number 110 on June 20, 1960), but the Jesters' addition of a fifth harmony vocal part definitely added to the song's enduring beauty. Like many acts before them, they exemplified the New York City vocal group sound of the mid-'50s. They were particularly influential on mostly white, early-'60s vocal groups like the Excellents and the Imaginations. The Jesters formed in 1956, when Lenny McKay (lead), James Smith (aka "Jimmy") (second tenor), Leo Vincent (baritone), and Noel Grant (bass) were still attending Cooper Junior High School in Harlem, located on 120th Street. The group often practiced under a nearby elevated railway station. The group got their name from Grant after his favorite movie, Danny Kaye's The Court Jester. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Adam Jackson was attending Samuel Gompers High School in the Bronx and was singing in a quintet called the Continentals. His group managed to land a TV performance later that year singing the Flamingos' "I'll Be Home." In early 1957, Jackson joined up with the Jesters. Jackson and McKay soon began sharing the lead vocal duties (Jackson's falsetto was often the highlight to McKay's lead) and both were songwriters, but it is generally considered that McKay was the group's leader. They eventually auditioned for and were turned down by Columbia Records, but that didn't deter them. The group performed at the Apollo amateur night contest and after winning first prize three times, they were spotted and signed by Winley Records...