J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
Encyclopedia
J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers were an American
1960s group
, best remembered for their 1965 million selling record
, "Last Kiss
".
shortly after the group formed and the band brought in J. Frank Wilson
, after his discharge from Goodfellow Air Force Base
(San Angelo, Texas
) in 1962.
Sonley Roush became the manager of the group. He brought to them a song originally recorded by Wayne Cochran
named "Last Kiss
". Duly recorded by the group, it was first released on Le Cam (722) and then on Tamara (761), before it became a hit in June 1964 on Josie Records
(Josie 923). It reached the Top 10 in October that year, eventually reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
.
While driving in Ohio
later that year, Roush fell asleep at the wheel, and they collided head-on with another vehicle. Roush was killed and Wilson injured to the extent that he was on crutches for the American Bandstand
performance a short time later. While J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded more songs, and "Last Kiss" was subsequently covered
successfully by Wednesday
and Pearl Jam
, the band charted with only one other song, "Hey, Little One", which reached #85.
Various band member changes ensued as the Cavaliers eventually continued without Wilson. Elliott took over leadership of the group, and James Thomas came in as the new vocalist, while Buddy Croyle filled Holmes' vacancy. Shortly after that, Zeller and Smith left and were replaced by Snake Atkinson and Mike Hodges.
Wilson, with or without the Cavaliers, continued to release records until 1978. Still touring up to that point, Wilson died on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, from alcoholism
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
1960s group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, best remembered for their 1965 million selling record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, "Last Kiss
Last Kiss
"Last Kiss" is a song that was released by Wayne Cochran in 1961 on the Gala label. It was unsuccessful chartwise. Cochran subsequently re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963. The song was later revived by J...
".
Career
The Cavaliers formed around 1955 with leader and guitarist Sid Holmes, bassist Lewis Elliott, saxophonist Rob Zeller, drummer Ray Smith and vocalist Alton Baird. Baird was draftedConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
shortly after the group formed and the band brought in J. Frank Wilson
J. Frank Wilson
J. Frank Wilson was an American singer, the lead vocalist of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers.-Career:Wilson joined the Cavaliers after his discharge from Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas in 1962....
, after his discharge from Goodfellow Air Force Base
Goodfellow Air Force Base
Goodfellow Air Force Base is a non-flying United States Air Force base located in San Angelo, Texas. As part of Air Education & Training Command , Goodfellow's main mission is cryptologic and intelligence training for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Military firefighters are also...
(San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
) in 1962.
Sonley Roush became the manager of the group. He brought to them a song originally recorded by Wayne Cochran
Wayne Cochran
Wayne Cochran is an American soul singer, known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour. He is sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul....
named "Last Kiss
Last Kiss
"Last Kiss" is a song that was released by Wayne Cochran in 1961 on the Gala label. It was unsuccessful chartwise. Cochran subsequently re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963. The song was later revived by J...
". Duly recorded by the group, it was first released on Le Cam (722) and then on Tamara (761), before it became a hit in June 1964 on Josie Records
Josie Records
Josie Records was a subsidiary of Jubilee Records in New York and was active from 1954 through to 1971. Single records were numbered from 760 through to 1031.Their best sellers were The Cadillacs, Bobby Freeman and The Meters....
(Josie 923). It reached the Top 10 in October that year, eventually reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
While driving in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
later that year, Roush fell asleep at the wheel, and they collided head-on with another vehicle. Roush was killed and Wilson injured to the extent that he was on crutches for the American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
performance a short time later. While J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded more songs, and "Last Kiss" was subsequently covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
successfully by Wednesday
Wednesday (band)
Wednesday was a pop vocal group from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. They scored a hit single in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with their cover of the song "Last Kiss", which peaked at #34. That same year, they were nominated for the Canadian Juno Award for Most Promising Group. The single...
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, the band charted with only one other song, "Hey, Little One", which reached #85.
Various band member changes ensued as the Cavaliers eventually continued without Wilson. Elliott took over leadership of the group, and James Thomas came in as the new vocalist, while Buddy Croyle filled Holmes' vacancy. Shortly after that, Zeller and Smith left and were replaced by Snake Atkinson and Mike Hodges.
Wilson, with or without the Cavaliers, continued to release records until 1978. Still touring up to that point, Wilson died on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.