The Jacks aka The Cadets (Los Angeles)
Members:
Willie Davis (First Tenor)
Austin “Ted” Taylor (First Tenor)
Aaron Collins (Second Tenor)
Glendon Kingsby (Baritone)
Will “Dub“Jones (Bass)
Biography:
The Los Angeles-based Jacks were so good at covering popular hits of the day that their versions were often equal to (if not better than) the original versions. They were versatile in R&B, jump tunes, ballads, calypso songs, and recorded some of the greatest early rock & roll songs ever, including "Stranded in the Jungle" (released in June of 1956, and charting at number four R&B/number 15 pop). Mostly, though, the Jacks are remembered for recording under two names simultaneously: as the Jacks (for Modern) and the Cadets (for RPM). Each group had its own hits and each with a slightly different sound and musical direction.
The Jacks/Cadets began as a gospel group during the late '40s in Los Angeles, under the guidance of former Dixie Hummingbirds' baritone Lloyd McGraw. In 1954, McGraw joined up with first tenor Austin "Ted" Taylor, lead and second tenor Aaron Collins (brother of Betty and Rosie Collins, who recorded as the Teen Queens), tenor Willie Davis, and Will "Dub" Jones (lead and bass), who possessed a stratospheric falsetto. The band on most of the group's sessions was led by tenor saxophonist Maxwell Davis.
It was Modern's Joe Bihari who came up with the idea of having one group with a split personality, envisioning the Jacks as a ballad harmony group utilizing the writing talents of Aaron Collins and the Cadets as an up-tempo and novelty song quintet who mostly covered other acts' material. As a rule, either Dub Jones or Aaron Collins sang lead on the Cadets recordings, while tenor Willie Davis fronted the Jacks.
In late 1954, the quintet - as the Cadets - recorded a version of Nappy Brown's "Don't Be Angry" and a calypso-flavored cover of "Rolling Stone," which outsold the original by Excello's Marigolds. Later, the Cadets issued their third single, "I Cried," backed up singer Dolly Cooper on "My Man," Young Jessie on "Mary Lou," and Richard Berry on "Jelly Roll" and "God Gave Me You."
By the summer of 1955, the Cadets had released "Annie Met Henry," a single that fell in line with the whole "Annie" craze created in the aftermath of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters' big hit "Work With Me Annie," which had been released some 16 months earlier and was still going strong. The public was quickly tiring of the whole "Annie" phenom, however, so DJs flipped over the 45 and gave the B-side, "So Will I," the push instead.
The Cadets' next Modern release was "Do You Wanna Rock," an exciting up-tempo revision of the Drifters' big R&B hit (number two) "Whatcha Gonna Do." The song also had a big impact on Hank Ballard and provided the format for Chubby Checker's "The Twist." It was the Cadets' next single, the buoyant "How Soon," that scored the regional airplay and sales.
In early 1956, Prentice Moreland replaced Ted Taylor (although he only recorded with the group on three early songs, he didn't usually perform with them), who had left the group for a solo career as a solo blues vocalist. By February, the Cadets had moved on to new cover material, including Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and the Willows' "Church Bells May Ring." Around this time, Aaron Collins brought his two little sisters, Rosie and Betty, to Joe Bihari with an original song called "Eddie My Love." By the spring, the Teen Queens had the number two R&B record in America with "Eddie," which also charted number 14 on the pop chart.
One day, Bihari and arranger Maxwell Davis handed the group a beautiful ballad titled "Why Don't You Write Me?," the original of which - by the Feathers - was soon to be issued on the Showtime label. They quickly did a cover; the Feathers' original came out in the fourth week of April 1955 and the Jacks' copy came out one week later (on the Modern affiliate RPM). The flipside, Charlie Calhoun's "Smack Dab in the Middle," was actually cut as being by the Cadets and wound up on their first LP. Even though it was recorded by the same group, it was listed as being by the Cadets in keeping with the "two groups in one" philosophy.
The Jacks' "Why Don't You Write Me?" hit the R&B charts on August 6th, and jumped up to number three R&B by September; it even managed to cross over to the pop charts to reach number 82, charting before the Cadets charted with their outlandish cover of "Stranded in the Jungle." When the ballad side began to break big in the pop field, Bihari immediately bumped the B-side and a second pressing was hastily issued with a ballad on the flip side, "My Darling."
The instant that Bihari heard the Jay Hawks' "Stranded in the Jungle," a rough and ragged original that had been waxed first, then heard the version done by his own act, the Cadets, while in the studio, he knew that his groups was far superior.