(Doo-Wop | Rhythm'n'Blues) The Five Keys - 2 albums - Golden Classics (1994), The Aladdin Years (1995), MP3, 320 kbps

Rhythm and Blues - the forerunner of Rock and Roll - began to take shape with the meteoric rise of recordings that featured the group harmony sound.
Out in front from the start was the group that was hailed as "the smoothest group in rhythm and blues" - The Five Keys.
It began with two pairs of brothers from Newport News, Virginia: Rudy and Bernie West, and Ripley and Raphael Ingram. They gained experience singing in church together and formed a gospel quartet, The Sentimental Four, by the time they finished high school.
Inspired by the success of R&B balladeers Sonny Til And The Orioles, they began to concentrate on a more pop sound. A classmate of Rudy's, Maryland Pierce, soon joined the ranks and The Sentimental Four, now a quintet, became The Five Keys.
They began to get bookings and would tour with all-black traveling shows, playing carnivals and fairs across the nation. It was during this early period that Raphael Ingram went into the Army. The group quickly sought a replacement and it was Richard Smith, who filled the bill. "Dickie," as the group called him, was a fine songwriter and had a strong enough voice to handle lead vocals if necessary.
Their big break came when they entered an Apollo Theater amateur contest in New York and won over 31 competing acts. In the audience was Eddie Mesner, founder of Aladdin Records - and he liked what he heard. The group gave Mesner an audition tape they made back in Newport News. Mesner saw great potential in the group and signed them in February 1951. He had them re-record the songs over at WOR Studios in New York. Eddie was still not satisfied with the results and booked another session a month later at RCA Studios. This met with his approval and the boys were on their way. Incidentally, both the demo tape and the first Aladdin session are nowhere to be found in the tape vaults of EMI.
"With A Broken Heart" was selected from the March session and issued as their first single release. It received significant radio exposure but didn't really sell like they hoped it would. Another song was pulled from the session and was put out as their next release. The tune was "The Glory Of Love" and was a remake of Benny Goodman's #1 hit from 1936. This disc would do it. Airplay and sales were staggering. The record reached #1 on the R&B charts and stayed there for 4 weeks of its 15-week run.
The Five Keys continued to record their mixture of pop standards and originals and were reveled by many. In October 1952, Rudy West joined up for a 2-year hitch in the Army. He was replaced by Ulysses K. Hicks, who remained with the group for the rest of their Aladdin days.
The group left Aladdin in late 1953 and were unsigned at the start of 1954. Dickie Smith, seeing an opportunity to strike out on his own, left to pursue a solo career with Bruce Records. His place was taken by Ramon Loper. The group made a deal with RCA Victor Records and recorded one session in July. A single was released on RCA's Groove subsidiary, but it is so rare that verification of its existence has been most difficult. These songs have only been heard in recent years, mainly on British import albums.
A short month later, Dave Cavannaugh of Capitol Records signed them. Their first session that August produced "Ling Ting Tong," which went Top 5 R&B and was their breakthrough Top 30 entry on the pop charts.
In October 1954 Rudy West returned to civilian life and was back in The Keys, replacing his replacement Ulysses K. Hicks. Hicks was in ill health and died several short months later.
The Five Keys were sensations once again and continued with a steady flow of hits that included "Close Your Eyes," "The Verdict," "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" and "Wisdom Of A Fool." These and many of their other Capitol recordings are included on their 1989 CD collection, "The Capitol Collector's Series" (CDP 7 92709 2), while an unreleased seasonal selection from 1957, "Every Heart Is Home At Christmas," appears on Capitol's 1990 assorted artists collection, "Christmas Kisses" (CDP 7 94701 2). Their Aladdin Christmas tune, "It's Christmas Time," will appear on an EMI Christmas collection later this year.
When their Capitol recording contract expired in 1958, Rudy West announced that he was going into semi-retirement. Bad management and rigorous touring were taking their toll on him and he was going to take a long-needed rest. Dick Threatt came in to take his place, and soon The Five Keys were signed with King Records. Threatt was very much a Rudy West sound-a-like. His ballads fooled many listeners into believing that it was actually West. Even more confusion ensued as King (taking no chances) also signed Rudy as a solo act. Gene Moore eventually replaced Dick Threatt and by the time their King contract expired in 1961, Raymond Haskiss and Daytill Jones were group members in place of Bernie West and Ripley Ingram.
In 1962 Rudy West rejoined Bernie and Ripley and recorded a remake of their own "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" for Seg-Way Records. They also recorded "Hey Girl" and "No Matter" as a single release on Inferno in 1967.
A very strange thing happened in 1971. Someone was able to obtain copies of all the unreleased Five Keys material that they had recorded for Aladdin. Before you knew it, oldies stores across the nation were carrying new 45's by The Five Keys - and on the Aladdin label. These singles were eventually collected together and issued in LP form (on Aladdin as well). All these releases were illegal and the songs are still officially unissued.
These records sold well, very well, and soon the group gained a popularity they hadn't enjoyed for quite a while. The most popular of these tunes was undoubtedly "(I Don't Stand A) Ghost Of A Chance." The Keys recorded the 1933 Bing Crosby tune in 1952 and would perform it back then. Bobby Williams of The Solitaires heard them do it and had the first doo-wop rendition released when he did it with his group in 1954. But now - the original Five Keys version was heard and was becoming a fan favorite. Rudy, who was still playing with Bernie and Ripley called back Ramon Loper and Dickie Smith and the group played the rock revival circuit in the early 1970's.
"(I Don't Stand A) Ghost Of A Chance" and eight other of these unissued tracks appear on this collection for the first time officially and from their first generation master tapes.
In March 1973, Rudy West and four former members of a group called The Chateaus (who recorded for Epic and Warner Bros, in the '50s) got together to record as the new Five Keys From the session, they released two original tunes by Rudy as a single on Landmark and two acappella remakes of their hits on a Bim Bam Boom 45.
Rudy West still performs with The Chateaus (as The Five Keys) and he genuinely sounds as good as ever. Rudy has one of the finest and distinctive voices in rhythm and blues and should be heard if the occasion arises.
There is still enough material in the vault for at least two more volumes, and none of the material is filler. If you wish to see more Five Keys volumes in the future, let EMI and Capitol know it in writing. Listening to these recordings leaves you wanting for more. So sit back, put the disc on the player once more and play it again.
Steve Kolanjian, 1995