The Paragons
Founded in Brooklyn, the Paragons were a Black vocal harmony quintet signed to the New York-based Winley label, which was also home to the Jesters ("The Wind"). Julius McMichael (lead), Ben Frazier (first tenor), Donald Travis (second tenor), Ricky Jackson (baritone), and Al Brown (bass) had a distinctive sound with McMichael's high tenor voice as the lead, very much defining this distinctly New York-centered doo wop sound.
The Paragons began their recording career for Winley with the single "Florence" b/w "Hey Little School Girl," which was released in early 1957 and was a regional hit. Julius McMichael lasted through three more notable singles, "Let's Start," "Twilight," and "So You Will Know," all of which did well without ever charting nationally, before he exited the group to become a member of the Olympics. His replacement in the Paragons was Bill Witt, and they endured into the early '60s with more lineup changes and label changes as well, to Musicraft and then to Tap. They lucked out with Tap right out of the starting gate when their first single for the new label, "If," charted, which prompted Winley, their original label, to release more material that it was holding on the quintet.
The group's success on the charts in the early '60s seemed to presage their subsequent history -- the Paragons remained active throughout the 1960s, right into the rock & roll revival, where new audiences, consisting both of old fans of '50s music and new appreciators of harmony vocal acts, discovered the work of this fine, enduring group and boosted their listenership. In later years, they recorded new versions of their classic material, and continued to play to audiences at rock & roll revival shows.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Discografía
21 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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On the Beach: The Anthology
Reggae - Editado por Trojan Records el 1 ene. 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Paragons / The Paragons In Dub
Reggae - Editado por Virgin Music UK el 1 ene. 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On the Beach with The Paragons
Reggae - Editado por Attack el 1 ene. 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Mighty Paragons Collection
Reggae - Editado por Gorgon Records el 7 ago. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Paragons Meet the Jesters
R&B - Editado por Winley Records el 15 mar. 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Paragons - Sings The Beatles and Bob Dylan
Reggae - Editado por VP Records el 11 ago. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Tide Is High
Reggae - Editado por Treasure Isle Records el 11 ago. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blackbird Singing
Reggae - Editado por Treasure Isle Records el 11 ago. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of the Paragons
Pop - Editado por Oldies.com el 1 sep. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Paragons: Danger In Your Eyes Compilation
Reggae - Editado por Aggrovators el 28 feb. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Memories by the Score
Reggae - Editado por Trojan Records el 18 feb. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Mighty Paragons Collection
Reggae - Editado por Gorgon Records el 7 ago. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Full Metal Jacket
Reggae - Editado por Sleeping Giant Music el 30 may. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of the Paragons
Pop - Editado por Classic Records el 1 sep. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Maddening Crowd
Reggae - Editado por Gorgon Music - VPAL Music el 13 ene. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Maddening Crowd
Reggae - Editado por Alexander Music Group el 13 ene. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enter into His Gates with Praise
Reggae - Editado por Gorgon Music - VPAL Music el 13 ene. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Tide Is High
Reggae - Editado por Black Barn Music el 27 jun. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Paragons Meet The Jesters
Música vocal (profana y sacra) - Editado por PnR el 1 ene. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo