By boynextdoor (65.238.91.218) on Friday, March 21, 2003 - 11:09 pm:

Does anyone out there remember The Dixie Belles? They had a one hit wonder with "Down at Papa Joes". I think it was mid-60's? I had their record (lp) when I was a kid and a few years ago got the CD. They didn't seem to have a lead singer as they sang in unison (I think that's what they call it). I wonder whatever happened to them. There was a little blip on the CD about them, but very little info was given.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Saturday, March 22, 2003 - 04:25 am:

They weren't a real group - they were a group of
white Nashville session singers. When "Down At
Papa Joe's" charted their label recruited a trio
of black girls to go out on tour but the road group were never on any of the records.

I can't recall offhand who the lead singer was
but I've a feeling it might have been Margie
Singleton, the wife of producer Shelby Singleton.

By Vandelron (152.163.188.68) on Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 09:00 pm:

Didnt they also do(When my baby looks at me and whispers...) Ooo-poo-pa-doo?

By Nikki (24.46.200.124) on Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 11:35 pm:

According to Soul Harmony Singles by Beckman, Hunt, & Kline, they show the Dixie Bells as being Shirley Thomas, Mary Hunt, and Mildred Pratcher. They recorded on the Sound Stage 7 label from 1963 to 1964:

#2507 - Down at Papa Joes/Rock Rock Rock

#2517 - Southtown USA/Why Don't You Set Me Free

#2521 - New York Town/The Beat Street Dog

I have no idea who sang what part, and whether this is the recording group of "white girls" or the "black girls" who did the touring. I'm just quoting from one source!

In harmony,

Nikki
http://www.harmonytrain.com

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 02:47 pm:

Nikki,

That line up is the black group who did the road work - they did some recording themselves for
Volt as the Tonettes ( now where have I heard that name recently ;-))

By Scratcher (65.134.147.174) on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 03:05 pm:

I thought the Tonettes on Volt (who also recorded as the Charmels) were a female group comprised of Oscar Toney"s sisters. Think we're talking two different groups here. Oscar Toney's sisters probably changed their name to the Charmels when they found out about the other Tonettes. Their first two Volt singles were as by the Tonettes, the next four as the Charmels.

By nikki (24.46.200.124) on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 04:42 pm:

Davie & Scratcher,

Thanx for the info. (By the way Scratcher, what is your real "first" name?????).

And yes, Davie, that name "Tonettes" you heard very recently !!

And speaking of the Tonettes on Volt, anyone have an image to share here of a 45 by them???

Thanx again.

Nikki
http://www.harmonytrain.com

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 02:46 pm:

Hi "Scratcher",

I know it says in "Soul Singles" that the Tonettes
on Volt were Oscar's sisters but I've no idea how that story started - yes his sisters were a group
called the Tonettes but they're not the Volt
group and as far as I can tell the "Toney" Tonettes never recorded.

here's some background stuff -
Oscar toured the UK for the first time in '68 and
was interviewed at the time by Bill Miller for
"Shout" magazine.
Oscar mentioned that he had two sisters, Mary
Catherine and Eula Redding, who sang as a duo in Florida clubs. He also mentioned four other sisters but there was no ention of them being involved in music.

The most recent interview I've seen with Oscar was in 1999 for "In The Basement" which states
" a trio of sisters also had a group, the Tonettes, but it lasted little more than a year and were not the same outfit that recorded for Stax".

Nikki,

I think there might be a photo of the Tonettes /
Charmels in one of those "Thousand Volts of Stax"
compilation CD's put out by Ace in the UK. I don't have any of them (yet ;-)) but maybe somebody who has could check. If it's not there
another possiblity is another compilation of
Stax out-takes called "You Thrill My Soul" or
somrething very similar. Sorry to be so vague
but that's the best lead I can give you at this
minute.

By littlevoice (67.24.159.49) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 03:21 pm:

Didn't the Tonettes sing something like....The Bells?

By Scratcher (65.132.79.210) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 03:22 pm:

Check this link out from the Stax site, Davie Gordon:

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/stax.site/charmels.htm

It's gets really confusing now. They depict four African-American ladies and the brief bio says they also recorded as the Dixie Belles for Sound Stage Seven Records. The names given are ones Nikki gave.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 04:07 pm:

"Scratcher",

What's confusing you ?

I take the photo to be of the Charmels, a quartet
who included two of the Tonettes.

If it's the bit about recording for SS7 it's
possible (but I think unlikely) they did record
one of the follow-ups to "Down At Papa Joe's"
but the hit was definitely a studio concoction
by white session singers. That reference to
recording for SS7 in 1961 is inaccurate - the label didn't even exist then. I'll have to e-mail
Patrick to amend his site.

By Scratcher (65.132.79.210) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 04:14 pm:

Davie Gordon, the fact that it says the Stax group was also the group that recorded on Sound Stage Seven. But I understand now, I didn't know the label didn't exist in 1961. But who were the white girls that recorded as the Tonettes for Sound Stage Seven?

That Stax site (Focus Section) should informed people who continually say that Stax didn't record many groups. They did, they just didn't promote them very well.

By Heikki (62.71.79.239) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 02:22 am:

Hi Davie!
This is what Oscar told me about his sisters (Soul Express, # 4/98):
"The Tonettes were Eula Toney (later Redding), Anne Lee Toney (later Braswell) and Millie Smith. They worked only with me, maybe about a year in the late 50s. They wouldn't sing professionally. Since then they've gone to other directions. They've got their own careers. As a matter of fact, I'm the only one that's stretched out and went completely with music, and still hanging on with it. Mary Catherine Toney was not a member. She couldn't hold a tune, even if you put a shotgun to her and gave her twenty minutes to hold that tune."
Oscar was born into a family of nine girls and three boys. "Actually it was fourteen kids, but a set of twins both died after birth."

Best regards
Heikki

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 12:30 pm:

Hiekki,

Thanks for your input - I think we've now proved that Oscar's sisters have nothing to do with the
Tonettes on Volt.

Vandelron, Littlevoice

Apologies if I seem to have been ignoring you -
I didn't recognise any of the titles you mention
so thought I'd do some digging.

There was another Tonettes group who recorded for
Doe in the 50's - according to a blurb in the music press at the time they were " three mighty
cute little girls aged 14,15 and 17 .. of Spanish descent who attend high school in New York". This group had two singles

Doe 101 (2/58)
Oh What A Baby / Howie
(also issued on ABC, 3/58)

Doe 103 (5/58)
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not / Uh-Oh

They'd previously recorded as the Clairmonts
(or Claremonts depending on which pressing you find) on Apollo. "Why Keep Me Dreaming" / "Angel
Of Romance" (517, 11/57)

There's yet another Tonettes, probably from the
West Coast, on Modern - one single "Don't Fall
In Love Too Soon" / " Tonight You Belong To Me"
(Modern 997, 08/56)

And yet another Tonettes on TYtex "Gee Baby" / ?
- I think this lot are from somewher in Texas as Tytex was based in Tyler, Texas - from the early
sixties. They might be connected to the group
on Dynamic that Mel mentioned as I think - but
don't know for definite - that the Dynamic label
is the Houston outfit who issued singles by groups
like the Commands.

Scratcher,

There aren't any singles on Sound Stage 7
credited to the Tonettes - just the three
Dixiebelles singles and a scarce "Down At Papa
Joe's" album. I'm still trying to track down the names of the girls who actually sang "Down At.."

If anybody asks me to try to sort out groups called "The Outcasts" I'm going fishing - now
that is a REALLY confusing topic.

By Scratcher (65.133.219.106) on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 03:01 pm:

Right Davie Gordon, I was saying that the Stax site said the Tonettes/Charmels also recorded for Sound Stage Seven as the Dixie Bells, which is incorrect.

The most confusing groups for me to sort out memberwise are some of the Los Angeles groups of the '50s and '60s. It seems everybody sang with everybody else at one time or another. A few groups also changed their names to something else.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 03:13 pm:

Hi Scratcher,

LA vocal groups ? - I know what you mean -
the word "incestuous" comes to mind as does
"revolving doors" : -)

I haven't seen it yet but there's a recent book
called, I think, "L A Vocal Groups" by Steve Propeswhich is supposed to be excellent and goes a long way to making sense of one of the most complicated scenes ever.

By Heikki (62.71.79.239) on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 05:39 am:

Hi Davie!
L.A. R&B Vocal Groups 1945-1965 by Steve Propes and Galen Gart - an excellent and comprehensive book, which I borrowed from a friend and studied a couple of months ago. The only shortage is that there's no index at the end, but, then again, that would make another book, because it simply is crammed with details...names, dates, other info.
Heikki

By Heikki (62.71.79.239) on Friday, April 04, 2003 - 05:43 am:

I just emailed Steve about this forum. Perhaps he'll soon join us.
Heikki

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Saturday, April 05, 2003 - 11:00 am:

Thanks Heikki - it would be good to see Steve
join us - I know he sometimes posts on the southern soul Yahoo group.

Davie