The Admirations

The Admirations consisted of brothers Kenneth, Bruce, and Ralph Childs, and two unknown members remembered only as Myles and Smith. Lead singer Kenneth Childs sang in a mournful tenor similar to the Five Stairsteps' Clarence Burke Jr., but not nearly as exciting. Ex-Players Tommie Johnson and Herbert Butler managed the North Side Chicago natives, who debuted with "My Admiration for You" b/w "Heaven in Your Arms" on Paree Records in 1966. Neither Paree nor the Admirations reaped any benefits from the association, so the group sauntered to Peaches Records for one release, "You Left Me"; it received a modicum of airplay locally, better than previous releases, but not enough to keep Peaches afloat. Label-jumping once more, this time to George Leaner's One-der-ful Records, they enjoyed their most popular record, "Wait Until I Get to Know You," which surpassed "You Left Me." Released late in 1967, it got the fellows some better gigs around town, but never broke regionally. A final One-der-ful release issued in 1968, "Don't Leave Me" b/w "All for You," stiffed. It all ended when One-der-ful folded later in 1968; some of their artists signed with George Leaner's brother Ernie's Toddlin' Town Records, but the Admirations, needing more stability, drifted from the business without even as much as eyeballing a royalty check.
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