Manhattans Biography

The Manhattans is a popular R&B group from Jersey City, New Jersey. They were formed in 1962 and best known for when they released albums on Columbia Records.

The Manhattans formed in 1962 with members George "Smitty" Smith, Edward "Sonny" Bivins, Winifred "Blue" Lovett, Kenny "Wally" Kelley, and Richard "Ricky" Taylor. Bivins, Lovett, and Kelley were graduating from Lincoln High School, while Taylor and Smith were graduating from Snyder High School. All five enlisted in the armed forces, and came together as a group following their discharges from their respective branches.
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The group's first single was For The First Time, released in August of 1964 by Carnival Records. Many consider August 15th, 1964, the date of recording, to be the official start of the group. The group continued recording with great success, with the songs written by various members of the group. In 1968, the group received the award "Most Promising Group" by NATRA. In 1969, the group jumped to the Deluxe label of King Records. They then went on a college tour. While playing at Kittrell College in North Carolina, the group met another group, the New Imperials, who featured member Gerald Alston, nephew of The Shirelles' lead Shirley Alston-Reeves. They were so impressed with Alston that they asked him to join the group, but he declined.

Tragedy struck the group late in 1970 when George Smith took ill. Unable to perform, the group began to search for a new lead. They originally tried for The Cymballs' lead, Lee Williams, but he was not willing to leave The Cymballs. The group then renewed their request to Gerald Alston, who accepted, and took over the lead spot. George Smith passed away December 16th, 1970.

The group continued recording through the 1970s with Alston on lead. They hit it big in 1976 with Columbia Records Kiss and Say Goodbye, written by Blue Lovett and arranged by Bobby Martin (Martin Being from New York City). It shot to #1 on the R&B charts, and became the second single ever to go platinum. Richard Taylor left in 1976 to join the islam religion, and the group continued as a quartet.

The group hit it big again in March of 1980, with the release of Shining Star. Shining Star received a Grammy award the following year. The group celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1985 with the release of Too Hot To Stop It. It included the Bivins/George Smith-wrote tune We Were Made As One, originally recorded in 1966, but covered in a capella, doo wop style, to emphasize the group's doo wop roots. The album was also dedicated to Smith.

The group continued until 1988. That year, Gerald Alston left to record as a soloist. Roger Harris was recruited as lead. The Columbia contract expired and the group moved to the Valley Vue label.

The group's largest shakeup ever occurred in 1990, when Blue Lovett left due to health problems, and Kenny Kelley retired to return to college, for his PHD. Bivins, now the only original member left, took over management of the group. He recruited new members Alvin Pazant, Harsey Hemphill, and Charles Hardy. This brought the group back to a quintet. Harris proved to be only a short-term lead, however, as he left in 1991, and was replaced by new lead Wade Taylor. Taylor also only remained for a short time, leaving just a few months later. Bivins then recruited Lee Williams, the person who they had originally wanted to replace George Smith.

The current lineup of the group is Sonny Bivins, Lee Williams, Alvin Pazant, Harsey Hemphill, and Charles Hardy. They released the CD Manhattans Now in 1994, and in recent years, the group has been featured in the play Girl, He Ain't Worth It. In 1996, they began recording under their own label, Manhattans Entertainment Inc. They continue to tour and record.

For what would be their 30th reunion, former member Blue Lovett decided to return to the music scene with his own group of Manhattans in 1995. He brought in former lead Gerald Alston to be lead in his group. They are currently a quartet with Troy May and David Tyson, brother of The Temptations' Ron Tyson. In the past, the group also featured Eban Brown, now the lead of The Stylistics. This group has also released some CDs, including Even Now. This group was featured in two PBS specials.

MANHATTANS PICTURES

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MANHATTANS BIOGRAPHY