The Valentines

The Valentines never really had any R&B or pop hits on the national charts to speak of, but are probably best known for serving as a launching pad for a few important careers, especially that of Richard Barrett, one of the greatest A&R men of all-time. Barrett originally started out as a performer for the Philadelphia-based group the Angels (not to be confused with the group who had the 1963 number one hit, "My Boyfriend's Back"). The group broke up before they had a chance to record. He later moved to Harlem, and in 1952, met Raymond "Pop" Briggs (tenor), Carl Hogan (second tenor), Mickey Francis (first tenor and lead), and Ronnie Bright (bass). They were a young black vocal group calling themselves the Dreamers at the time and could be found on the street corners in the Sugarhill section of town (aka Washington Heights) or at the park across from the Polo Grounds. Barrett took the lead vocals on some of their material, including his own composition, "Summer Love." They decided to change the name of their group to the Valentines, which came courtesy of Francis' fondness for "My Funny Valentine." Soon they had developed a sound that was musically similar to what the Cadillacs, the Solitaires, and the Flamingos were doing. Raoul Cita, pianist for the Harptones, liked what he heard and introduced them to Bruce Monte of Bruce Records, who recorded demos but failed to release anything. By 1954, however, the Valentines were beating local acts in vocal competitions and performing at the Apollo Theatre's Amateur Night contest. Donald Razor (the Velvets) came in to replace Eddie Hogan next and this lineup paid a visit to Hy Weiss, who ran Old Town Records out of the cloakroom of the Triboro Theatre on 125th Street and 3rd Avenue in Harlem. Weiss signed them and issued Barrett's...