Acrobat Music

The Complete Releases 1956-62
The Complete Releases 1956-62

Maurice Williams with The Gladiolas and The Zodiacs
Styles: Doo Wop, R&B
Catalogue Number: ADDCD3124
The late ’50s saw the translation into mainstream pop of styles and sub-genres of popular music that had previously been the preserve of the specialist charts, and doowop was one of those phenomena. The vocal groups which emerged from the gospel scene and the barbershop quartets found a market in the popularisation of R&B, as radio, TV and mass media provided wider promotional platform in the wake of rock ‘n’ roll. This collection tells a small part of that story in encapsulating the early career of Maurice Williams as leader of the two groups of which he was a key member and songwriter, namely The Gladiolas and The Zodiacs. The Gladiolas scored a big R&B hit with their first single for Excello in 1956 with “Little Darlin’” but suffered the fate of many similar R&B artists when it was covered for the mainstream market by The Diamonds, and released several more records for Excello and other labels without success. With his group renamed The Zodiacs, Williams got a deal with Herald and their first single for the label “Stay” became one of the landmark hits of the era, as well as being, at the time, the shortest recorded to be a US No. 1. They made an album and several more singles for Herald, and this 2-CD set comprises the entirety of the two groups’ releases through that key era. It’s a snapshot of a brief, but important chart career, and an entertaining collection of quality doowop.

Disk 1:
Track Title Artist
1 Little Darlin’ The Gladiolas
2 Sweetheart Please Don’t Go The Gladiolas
3 Run, Run Little Joe The Gladiolas
4 Comin’ Home To You The Gladiolas
5 Hey Little Girl The Gladiolas
6 I Wanta Know The Gladiolas
7 Shoop Shoop The Gladiolas
8 Say You’ll Be Mine The Gladiolas
9 Say Yeah Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
10 College Girl Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
11 Golly Gee Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
12 T Town Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
13 Lover Where Are You Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
14 She's Mine Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
15 Another Little Darlin' Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
16 Lita Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
17 Stay Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
18 Do You Believe Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
Disk 2:
Track Title Artist
1 Always Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
2 I Remember Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
3 The Nearness Of You Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
4 Running Around Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
5 We're Lovers Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
6 But Not For Me Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
7 So Fine Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
8 The Winds Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
9 Little Mamma Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
10 I Love You Baby Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
11 I Got A Woman Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
12 Come Along Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
13 Do I Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
14 Someday Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
15 Come And Get It Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
16 Please Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
17 High Blood Pressure Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
18 It's Alright Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
19 Here I Stand Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
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