Signature
Formed in 1954 at the Servicemen’s Center in Seattle, Washington, USA, the Signatures featured Cathi Hayes (lead), Lee Humes (tenor), Ruth Alcivar (alto), Jerry Hayes (baritone) and Bob Alcivar (bass). Their style, as well as being made notable by the presence of two female singers, was distinguished by a pronounced lean towards jazz as well as doo-wop. They were also proficient on several instruments: Cathi Hayes (vibes), Ruth Alcivar (drums), Humes (bass), Bob Alcivar (piano) and Jerry Hayes (guitar). Their first major performance came in front of a big-band jazz ensemble created by local disc jockey Norm Bobrow, and thereafter, they continued to feature prominently on the jazz circuit. After a year of such pursuits the Hayes siblings were replaced by Bunny Phillips on lead, and multi-instrumentalist and former Four Freshmen member Hal Kratzsch as bass singer. Their recording debut came in July 1956, when an album was recorded for Whippet Records.
The resulting collection sold steadily, as did the accompanying single ‘Julie Is Her Name’. Engagements at prestigious New York jazz nightclubs followed, where Count Basie became a fan. He encouraged Morris Levy of Roulette Records to sign the still young band, but they stayed instead with an earlier mentor, Stan Kenton, who brought them to Warner Brothers Records. A second album attracted further good notices, and was used as the launch pad for coast-to-coast tours playing with prestigious jazz artists including Dizzy Gillespie. Phillips was replaced on lead by Dottie Dunn just as the album was released, and Don Purdy also stepped in for Humes. Their next project was a tribute album to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, but this was never completed. Instead, they issued Prepared To Flip before appearing at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Chicago. However, the advent of rock ‘n’ roll in the 60s proved to be their nemesis, and after several more tours they finally folded. Most of the ex-members retired to day jobs, though Cathi Hayes recorded a solo jazz album. Bob Alcivar and his wife Ruth moved to Los Angeles where he still works as a film composer and she as a painter.
© TiVo
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Bigger Than All
Miscellaneous - Released by Birmingham Entertainment - Epic Entity Music Group on 17 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wonderful life (feat. Saeed)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Signaturedidit music on 28 Feb 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Me the Way
Miscellaneous - Released by BirminghamEntertainment on 30 May 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
2Cups 2Ls (feat. Phil Beach, Basik Lee, CunaBear, Super Toine, Quailz P., ItsCake, Rece2e, Scripcha, Kenny GuapUp & TuNeOuT) (Direct Version)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 17 Oct 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Hippie, Vol. 1
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Signature on 18 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Lettre d'hiver (feat. Tareeq)
Pop/Rock - Released by Signature on 17 Dec 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Omar si (feat. Tareeq)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Signature on 24 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Manifesting (feat. Lyric Heart)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 28 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Not Me (feat. Torijuano Harris)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 16 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Bigger Than All
Miscellaneous - Released by Birmingham Entertainment - Epic Entity Music Group on 16 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Going Up (feat. TuNeOuT)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 14 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Feel Something (feat. TuNeOuT & CunaBear)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 18 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What The Dj's Do?
Dance - Released by 5216262 Records DK on 6 Aug 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
5 Minute of Fire
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 26 Oct 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bow Down
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by HomeGrown Productions on 12 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Whole Day (Heavy Rollers)
Dancehall - Released by MillBeatz Music Records on 27 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo