The Chips
Encyclopedia
The Chips were a short-lived New York
doo-wop
vocal group consisting of teenage friends Charles Johnson (lead vocal), Nathaniel Epps (baritone), Paul Fulton (bass), Sammy Strain and Shedrick Lincoln (tenors).
The group's first recording is their most enduring; "Rubber Biscuit
" started life as Johnson's answer to the marching rhythms of the Warwick School For Delinquent Teenagers while he was an intern there.
When Josie Records heard the tune they signed the band and the record was issued in September 1956. Although it did not chart, "Rubber Biscuit
" became an instant east coast radio favourite, and saw its performers touring alongside The Dells
, Cadillacs and Bo Diddley
, but the momentum gained by their debut single was waning and the group broke up at the end of 1957. Only Sammy Strain went on to success in the music industry, as a member of Little Anthony & The Imperials
from about 1961 to 1972 when he left to join The O'Jays
. Strain left the O'Jays in 1992 to return to The Imperials, where he remained until his retirement in 2004.
"Rubber Biscuit" was resurrected in 1973 in Martin Scorsese
's film Mean Streets, about small-time gangsters, then later in the decade by the Blues Brothers, John Belushi
and Dan Aykroyd
's SNL skit turned full-on band. That version is available on the Blues Brothers LP "Briefcase Full of Blues".
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
vocal group consisting of teenage friends Charles Johnson (lead vocal), Nathaniel Epps (baritone), Paul Fulton (bass), Sammy Strain and Shedrick Lincoln (tenors).
The group's first recording is their most enduring; "Rubber Biscuit
Rubber Biscuit
"Rubber Biscuit" is a doo-wop song by The Chips, recorded in 1956. It was famously covered by The Blues Brothers, among many other artists as well as featuring in the 1973 film Mean Streets. The song was composed by lead singer of The Chips Charles Johnson and Adam R. Levy.Few of the lyrics can...
" started life as Johnson's answer to the marching rhythms of the Warwick School For Delinquent Teenagers while he was an intern there.
When Josie Records heard the tune they signed the band and the record was issued in September 1956. Although it did not chart, "Rubber Biscuit
Rubber Biscuit
"Rubber Biscuit" is a doo-wop song by The Chips, recorded in 1956. It was famously covered by The Blues Brothers, among many other artists as well as featuring in the 1973 film Mean Streets. The song was composed by lead singer of The Chips Charles Johnson and Adam R. Levy.Few of the lyrics can...
" became an instant east coast radio favourite, and saw its performers touring alongside The Dells
The Dells
The Dells are an R&B and crossover musical group. Their successful recordings spanned more than four decades. Formed in 1952 after attending high school together, the Dells' repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul, disco and contemporary rhythm and blues...
, Cadillacs and Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, but the momentum gained by their debut single was waning and the group broke up at the end of 1957. Only Sammy Strain went on to success in the music industry, as a member of Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...
from about 1961 to 1972 when he left to join The O'Jays
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005...
. Strain left the O'Jays in 1992 to return to The Imperials, where he remained until his retirement in 2004.
"Rubber Biscuit" was resurrected in 1973 in Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's film Mean Streets, about small-time gangsters, then later in the decade by the Blues Brothers, John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
and Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
's SNL skit turned full-on band. That version is available on the Blues Brothers LP "Briefcase Full of Blues".
External links
- Audio interview with Sammy Strain of The Imperials, The Chips and The O'Jays
- http://www.soul-patrol.net/sammy.ram