YOU PROMISED ME LOVE, Earl Lewis/Channels, Classic Artists #124 1990
Flipside: DO WHAT LOVERS DO - Earl Lewis and The Channels hailed from Harlem, New York. Rather than get into the entire biography of them and all the member changes through the years, I wanted to focus on this upload of this truly great unknown song “YOU PROMISED ME LOVE”. The song was specifically written for Earl Lewis & The Channels in their style by Dave Antrell (David Antrobus), a talented man who was a practicing physician, record collector, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and producer from the early 1960’s to the late 1990’s.
During the mid-1960’s while in medical school, Antrell wrote and recorded music with and for industry giant Gary S. Paxton (ACE, GAPAX labels). In 1970 he wrote and recorded his own music (MGM/Amaret Label) which never got much airplay. He graduated from University of Southern California’s medical school in 1974 and by 1980, had his own medical practice in Hollywood, Ca. at the Valley Oaks Medical Clinic.
In the late 1980’s & 1990’s he wrote, produced & and performed for Bruce Patch’s Classic Artists Recordings label. Classic Artists Recordings label was created to record aging Doowop artists singing new songs in their original styles, perfectly fitting each act, composed and written by Antrell. When only the original lead singer was available, a Los Angeles doowop group originating from the 1950’s, The Calvanes, was used for the background vocals and Antrell performed as a musician.
This was a novel idea in that it created a trove of great, NEW doowop songs by over 20 of these groups that included: Margo Sylvia and The Tune Weavers, The Blossoms, The Cleftones, The Dubs, The Skyliners, The Jaguars, and Rudy West & The Five Keys, Leon Peels & The Blue Jays, Johnny Staton & The Feathers, The Five Boroughs and of course, Earl Lewis & The Channels.
Enjoy this really great ballad “YOU PROMISED ME LOVE” by The Channels with the unmistakable lead voice of Earl Lewis. It doesn’t get any better than this!