Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
This R&B vocal group from Lancaster, South Carolina, USA, was led by Maurice Williams (b. 26 April 1938, Lancaster, South Carolina, USA; pianist/songwriter). The hit record ‘Stay’, which went to number 3 R&B and number 1 pop in 1960, immortalized the Zodiacs as a one-hit-wonder group. (In the UK ‘Stay’ went to number 14 in 1961.) Williams, however, had a long history before and after the hit, forming his first group, the Gladiolas, in 1955. Besides Williams (b. 26 April 1938, Lancaster, South Carolina, USA), the group comprised Earl Gainey (tenor), William Massey (tenor/baritone), Willie Jones (baritone), and Norman Wade (bass). Their one hit for the Nashville-based Excello Records was ‘Little Darlin’’, which went to number 11 R&B and number 41 pop in 1957. The record was covered with greater success by the Canadian group, the Diamonds. In 1960 Williams formed the Zodiacs, comprising Wiley Bennett (tenor), Henry Gaston (tenor), Charles Thomas (baritone), Albert Hill (double bass), and Little Willie Morrow (drums).
After the unforgettable ‘Stay’ the group honoured themselves with many outstanding compositions, most notably ‘I Remember’ (number 86 pop in 1961), ‘Come Along’ (number 83 pop in 1961), and ‘May I’ (1966), but nothing close to a hit resulted. The latter song was re-recorded in 1969 by Bill Deal And The Rhondels who had a Top 40 national hit with it. The most frequently remade Williams song was ‘Stay’, which the Hollies in the UK (1963), the Four Seasons (1964), and Jackson Browne (1978) all placed on the charts. Its timeless lyric of teenage lust and angst has been passed through the decades: ‘Well your mama don’t mind, well your papa don’t mind’, leading to the punch line, ‘Oh won’t you stay, just a little bit longer’. During subsequent decades Williams sustained a career with a new group of Zodiacs, playing their classic catalogue to the Beach Music club circuit in the Carolinas.
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Christmas with Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Soul - Released by SnailWorx on 1 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
How to Pick a Winner
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by GCM - Prime on 11 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year from Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Rock - Released by White Christmas on 4 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Remember (Mono Version)
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Music around the World by Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Sunny Side of the Street on 8 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come Along (Billboard Hot 100 - No 83)
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Soul - Released by Music Manager on 13 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 12 Days of Christmas with Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop/Rock - Released by All I Have To Do Is Dream on 25 Nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stay
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Foggy Milan Records on 3 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Remember (Billboard Hot 100 - No 86)
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Soul - Released by Music Manager on 13 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo de Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Amamos la navidad on 23 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Broadway
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
R&B - Released by Mistral Music Sounds on 31 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lifeworks - Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (The Platinum Edition)
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Night & day on 17 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
White Christmas
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Snowflakes on 18 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Nearness of You
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Unchained Melody on 20 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Highlights of Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Weishaupt Music & Entertainment on 14 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stay
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by M.Z.Records on 14 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keep Calm and Listen Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Blue Moon Recordings on 21 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stay
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by CTS Digital on 14 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Members Club
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Allstar Recordings on 7 Feb 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It's Christmas Time with Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Wintertime Love on 3 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stay (From "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack)
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Pop - Released by Milestones Records on 13 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo