James Phelps (musician)
Encyclopedia
James Phelps was an American R&B and gospel
singer.
Phelps moved to Chicago
in his teens and sang in several gospel groups, such as the Gospel Songbirds, the Holy Wonders (beside Lou Rawls
) and the Soul Stirrers (with Sam Cooke
). He founded the Clefs of Cavalry in the 1950s before starting a solo career in the 1960s.
He managed a hit single
, "Love Is a Five-Letter Word", on Argo Records
in 1965, which reached #12 on the Billboard R&B chart and #66 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Phelps ceased recording by the 1970s but remained active as a performer of both R&B and gospel music.
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer.
Phelps moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in his teens and sang in several gospel groups, such as the Gospel Songbirds, the Holy Wonders (beside Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
) and the Soul Stirrers (with Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
). He founded the Clefs of Cavalry in the 1950s before starting a solo career in the 1960s.
He managed a hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Love Is a Five-Letter Word", on Argo Records
Argo Records
Argo Records was started in December of 1955 to accommodate some of the rapidly growing recording activity at Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Argo.Initially, Argo offered a...
in 1965, which reached #12 on the Billboard R&B chart and #66 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...
. Phelps ceased recording by the 1970s but remained active as a performer of both R&B and gospel music.