Air Week: August 5-11, 2024

Billy Ward and his business partner Rose Ann Marks put together The Dominoes in mid-1950 and helped fuel the R&B vocal group scene that would eventually become one of the major building blocks for Rock n’ Roll. Ward, who was born Robert Lloyd Williams, was a child prodigy and made a name for himself in the Black Churches of Philadelphia. After WWII, he attended Julliard in NYC and began a career as a vocal coach, arranger, singer and songwriter. He and Rose Ann Marks wrote songs together and then formed a male vocal group to sing them. Last week in part 1, The Dominoes scored 2 #1 smashes. “Sixty Minute Man” held the top spot for 14 weeks during the summer of ’51, while “Have Mercy Baby” topped the R&B Chart for 10 weeks over the summer of ’52. The fantabulous Clyde McPhatter’s high tenor was all over their early recordings along with Bill Brown’s bass tones. But by February of 1952, Brown and tenor Charlie White had left the group, due to being fed up with Billy Ward’s rules and a lack of higher wages. They formed The Checkers as the Dominoes rolled on with more key leads from Clyde. This week in part 2, we’ll hear the end of the Clyde McPhatter era with the Dominoes and begin a new era with Jackie Wilson out front and a whole new bunch of guys behind him. They charted with “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” and the #2 cover of “Rags To Riches,” which would prove to be the group’s final chart entry until 1957. Billy Ward would even take some leads with “My Baby’s 3-D” being the best of them. Matt The Cat digs deep into the Dominoes’ catalog as every release from 1952 and ’53 is featured on this week’s “Juke In The Back.” 

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