GEORGE GRANT & THE cASTELLES - by Al Kelly

"over The Rainbow" is an odd record, one of the better songs by the group 
but try and find it listed in any guide, it's not there. The Castelles 
were one of the early Philly groups who sort of started the trend for 
Philly groups. They started singing together while in high school in West 
Philly. They hung around together after school and at least once a week 
would visit the Treegoob's Record and Appliance Store which Herbie Slotkin 
owned and managed. They were singing a song together while looking at the 
record piles and skipped to another song , Herb went up to the group and 
asked if they were professional singers and after discussing the group 
with his floor manager, Jerry Ragavoy, signed the group and set up a
recording session. Herb & Jerry started a new label called Grand
Records. George Grant was the lead singer and Frank Vance, the second
tenor was a song writer, who had written :"My Girl Awaits Me", which
became a hit on the East Coast major cities. It never reached the
stardom it has reached as one of the Top Ten Group Harmony Songs of all
time. The group had other hits including "Heavenly Father" and "My
Wedding Day". This Grand #118 from what I can gather was released as
with a Christmas song on the other side  which may have had a four week
life so that may be the reason it's not listed in many guides. The Relic
Records CD "The Groups of Grand Records" list the record by George
Castelle, which I found nothing to back it but Donn Fileti interviewed
Slotkin and reviewed all the contracts and paperwork with the label when
he put the liner notes together.