NEO Music and More

The Moonglows – In 1951, Harvey Fuqua moved from Louisville, KY, to Cleveland, Ohio where he formed the Crazy Sounds with singers Danny Coggins and Prentiss Barnes. Bobby Lester soon joined the group, and later they came under the guidance of Cleveland radio host Alan Freed, who became their manager. Freed renamed them the Moonglows, after his own nickname, Moondog.

The group found success with their song “Sincerely,” which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 20 on the Billboard Juke Box chart. They became known for their distinctive, breathy background style called “blow” harmony.

In recognition of their influence, the Moonglows were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. The honored members included Harvey Fuqua, Peter Graves, Prentiss Barnes, Billy Johnson, and Bobby Lester.

🎸 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2000

Hawkins was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He had said that he attended the Ohio Conservatory of Music, where he studied opera. But in reality there was no such place. Rather he learned how to play the saxophone while in the armed services.

From the description of a biography of Hawkins by Steve Bergsman titled I Put a Spell on You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: “Known mostly for a single record, I Put A Spell On You, and emerging from a coffin to perform on stage, Screamin’ Jay was a whirlwind performer, lusty singer, prolific songwriter and a man who was a total stranger to the truth.”

He sometimes used macabre props onstage, making him an early pioneer of shock rock. “I Put a Spell On You” became a classic, covered by a variety of artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nina Simone, Alan Price, The Animals, Them with Van Morrison, Arthur Brown, Bryan Ferry, Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, Tim Curry, Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Nick Cave, Marilyn Manson, Mica Paris, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Diamanda Galas, and Annie Lennox.

I Put a Spell On You sits at number 299 on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time sandwiched between The B-52’s “Rock Lobster” at 300 and Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland” at 298.

This video is from a 1990 TV Show called Sunday Night (later called Night Music) hosted by David Sanborn.

The Poni-Tails were a female vocal group from Lyndhurst, Ohio that included Toni Cistone, Laverne Novak and Patti McCabe – from Brush and Regina High Schools. They’re known for their 1958 hit “Born Too Late“, reaching #11 on the U.S. R&B singles chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958.

From the Deanna Adams book Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Cleveland Connection – The success of Born Too Late sent the Poni-Tails on a European tour including a stop in Germany while Elvis Presley was stationed there in 1959. They got to meet Elvis and he invited them to visit him at the house where he was living. While they were there he sang for them, including Amazing Grace and Born Too Late!