The Moonglows were an American R&B group in the 1950s. Their song "Sincerely" went to number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 20 on the Billboard Juke Box chart. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Fresh from a stint in the U.S. Army, two friends, Harvey Fuqua and Bobby Lester, formed a duo in 1949 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. In 1951, Fuqua moved to Cleveland and formed the Crazy Sounds with the singers Danny Coggins and Prentiss Barnes. Lester joined them later.
In 1952, while performing at a Cleveland club, the Crazy Sounds auditioned for the club's management. They soon got in contact with the radio host Alan Freed, who upon hearing them became the group's manager. In 1953, Freed renamed the group the Moonglows, after his own nickname, Moondog. They signed with Freed's Champagne label, but their recordings for the label failed to make the charts. Coggins left the group and was replaced by Alexander Walton, who was sometimes known as Pete Graves or Pete Walton.
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Links to Peel[]
According to available tracklistings on this site, Peel seemed to have first started playing the group's material in the late 70's on his radio programmes, although there is a chance he may have heard of them whilst living in America. He continued playing the group's songs on his shows through the 80's, 90's and early 00's.
Shows Played[]
- 04 August 1978: 'Sincerely' (7 inch)' (Chess)
- 1980
- 31 January 1980: I Need You Most Of All
- 06 May 1980: 'Sincerely' (7 inch)' (Chess)
- 29 May 1980: In My Diary (7”) Chess
- 1987
- 23 November 1987: Ten Commandments Of Love (v/a LP - The Cruisin' Story 1958) One Day Music
- 1992
- 24 December 1992: 'Hey Santa Claus (Compilation LP-Rockin' Christmas)' (Rhino)
- 2000
- 11 May 2000: Sincerely (15xCD - The Chess Story) Chess
- 18 May 2000: Most of All (15xCD - The Chess Story) CHESS
- 13 June 2000: In My Diary (15xCD: The Chess Story, Disc 5) Chess