Labels Vee-Jay Records Genres R&B/soul, Doo wop, Pop | Members Pookie Hudson | |
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Years active 1952 (1952)–1970 (1970) Past members Thornton James Hudson
Ernest Warren
Willie C. Jackson
Opal Courtney, Jr.
Gerald Gregory Origin Gary, Indiana, United States (1952) Albums The Very Best Of The Spaniels Awards Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award Similar The El Dorados, The Moonglows, The Harptones, The Clovers, The Five Satins | ||
The spaniels stormy weather 1958
The Spaniels were an American R&B doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".
Contents
- The spaniels stormy weather 1958
- The spaniels goodnite sweetheart goodnite 1954
- Original members
- Career
- Songs
- References
They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group. Some historians of vocal groups consider Pookie Hudson to be the first true leader of a vocal group, because the Spaniels pioneered the technique of having the main singer solo at his own microphone, while the rest of the group shared a second microphone.
The spaniels goodnite sweetheart goodnite 1954
Original members
The original members included:
Career
The group debuted in late 1952 at Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana as Pookie Hudson & The Hudsonaires. They changed their name to The Spaniels that spring and, upon graduation, became one of the first two artists to sign with Vee-Jay Records, the first large, independent Afro-American owned record label. The group recorded their initial release, "Baby It's You" on May 5, 1953. Released in July, the song reached #10 on Billboard's R&B chart on September 5, 1953.
In Spring 1954, "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight" hit number twenty-four on Variety's pop chart, and rose to number five on Billboard's R&B chart. The Spaniels played regularly at the Apollo, The Regal and other large theaters on the Chitlin circuit.
The line-up changed numerous times over the ensuing years.
The Spaniels were the top selling vocal group for Vee Jay. The band broke up when the label went bankrupt in 1966, but in 1969, the group reformed, releasing hits like "Fairy Tales" in 1970. An entire new generation was exposed to the group's music when "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight" was featured prominently in the movies, American Graffiti and Three Men and a Baby.
Two Spaniels groups later performed simultaneously: one in Washington, D.C., and the original group still based in Gary.
The D.C. based group, with Pookie Hudson and Joe Herndon, appeared on the PBS special, Doo Wop 50.
Hudson died in Capitol Heights, Maryland on January 16, 2007, after a lengthy battle with cancer, at the age of 72.
Courtney, Jr. died on September 18, 2008 at the age of 71, after suffering a heart attack.
Ernest Warren died on May 7, 2012 in Gary, Indiana, at the age of 78.
Willie C. Jackson died of a rare lung disease on February 18, 2015, at the age of 79.
Songs
Everyone's LaughingGoodnite Sweetheart Goodnite · 2009
You Gave Me Peace of MindThe Spaniels' I'll Be Waiting · 2006
Baby It's YouThe Very Best Of The Spaniels · 2007