From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Sat Nov 2, 2002 7:11 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Earl Carroll EARL "SPEEDO" CARROLL Born 2 November 1937, New York City, New York Earl Carroll was the originator and lead singer of the vocal group The Cadillacs, which he founded in 1953 in Harlem as the Carnations. Their manager Esther Navarro succeeded in contracting the group to Josie Records, a newly formed subsidiary of Jubilee. They made their recording debut with the classic "Gloria"/"I Wonder Why" in 1954 and had their first and biggest hit (# 17 pop, # 3 R&B) in early 1956 with "Speedo", a variation on Carroll's nickname. The Cadillacs were the first group to choose a car name, breaking the tradition of birds giving names to vocal groups. They were also the first to extensively use professional choreography. The line-up changed all the time and the Cadillacs even turned into two different groups on the same label, Carroll's group calling themselves The Original Cadillacs. A reunited group scored with "Peek-A-Boo" (# 28 pop), followed by a string of similar Coasters-influenced comedy numbers. The group left Josie in 1960. Esther Navarro took the group to Mercury and then Capitol, meeting with little success at either label. In 1961, Earl Carroll left the Cadillacs to join the Coasters, as a replacement for Cornell Gunter. To honour his arrival, a Coasters single from 1964 featured Earl on "Speedo's Back In Town". Carroll is also the one screaming his head off at the end of "Bad Detective". It's a pity that he hardly ever got the chance to sing lead on Coasters' records. His voice had matured a lot since the days of "Speedo". But apparently Earl was not unhappy with this situation, because he stayed with the Coasters until 1980. After he left, he revived his old group the Cadillacs, back in business again with his old half-brother and original friend Bobby Phillips. On the revival circuit, hits like "Speedo" have ensured them of an audience for years to come. More info: http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/cadillacs.html Further reading: Jay Warner, The Billboard book of American singing groups (1992), page 86-89. Recommended CD: The Best of the Cadillacs - Rhino R2 70955 (18 tracks) For completists: The Complete Josie Sessions (4CD) - Bear Family BCD 15648