The Ideals (Chicago)
Personnel:
Reggie Jackson
Leonard Mitchell
Wes Spraggins
Robert Tharp
Biography:
Formed in 1952 by students from Crane High School, the group included Reggie Jackson, Leonard Mitchell, Sam Stewart, and Robert Tharp. In 1955, Wes Spraggins join the group. The group's first single was issued by the local Paso label in 1961. For their two first singles on Paso the group included Major Lance ("Monkey Time," "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um," "Hey Little Girl »).
Over the ensuing years the group’s line up chopped and changed leaving only two of the original members, Leonard Mitchell and Robert Tharp. After releasing several records with limited success, The Ideals joined up with Eddie Williams and former Five Chances member Howard Pitman, who not only owned Concord Records, but also wrote ‘The Gorilla’ for The Ideals. By the time the group had got round to recording ‘The Gorilla’ in 1963 Reggie Jackson, Sam Steward and Eddie Williams had all joined the ranks. Eddie Willams sang lead on "Gorilla," (as well as receiving a co-writing credit), that capitalized on apparently near the end of the monkey dance craze.
The group’s local hit out grew Concord Records and Howard Pitman eventually sold on the rights and The Ideals contract to Cortland Records, who pushed "The Gorilla" to a national platform. The record immediately took off and sold nearly 90,000 copies! It is cited this may have been due to The Ideals mini tour of all the local Chicago schools, complete with a guy dressed in a gorilla outfit in tow!!
By 1965, the Ideals consisted of the trio of Jackson, Mitchell, and Stewart and scored their only charting single, "Kissing," released by the Satellite Recording Company. Another single, "You Lost and I Won," a doo-wopish ballad, was issued. Soon after, the group broke up.
Tharp assumed the name Tommy Dark and joined with fellow Chicagoan Jerry Murray to form Tom and Jerrio. The duo had a 1965 Top 20 R&B hit with "Boo-Ga-Loo" on ABC-Paramount. Leonard Mitchell continued to record by joining with Jerome Johnson and Robert Thomas to form the Channel 3, who released one single, to no great acclaim
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