Gene and the Team Beats I Wanna Be Your Baby 45 Pic

GENE AND THE TEAM BEATS

Martinsville, VA

Gene and the Team Beats were led past Gene Rumley of Martinsville, Virginia, who played sax and booked the band in the '60s after starting his musical career in a group called the Corvettes in loftier schoolhouse. The Team Beats performed mostly in VA, NC, SC and DC from 1959-1968. The band started recording late in their career, with all three 45'due south released in 1966 and '67.

The Team Trounce'southward first single release, "I'll Comport On" was on Leatherwood. Gene explains that the band saved some coin "from a couple of gigs, rented a studio most Rocky Mountain somewhere and cut our beginning tape, which nosotros self-promoted." Rumley describes the recording quality as "bad," noting "there was non much separation at all... probably one, ii tracks considering nosotros were playing like nosotros were playing in a nightclub and had the volume cranked up. When the sound came out, we were not as well happy with information technology."

For their 2nd release, "I Wanna Be Your Baby," Factor and drummer Mickey Walker got in the car "and drove for 2 days from Danville to Richmond, up to a guy playing all kind of rhythm and blues out in Delaware. Just anybody who would listen to united states we go into a studio and try and tell them who were and what we were doing."

"I Wanna Be Your Baby," and "I'll Allow Nothing Split Me" were the grouping's second and third 45 releases, respectively. Both were recorded for Raven Records in Danville, Va. The former received extensive local airplay and is regarded equally a classic in the genre. "I'll Let Nothing Separate Me" is a cover of an obscure vocal by the Wallace Brothers that outshines the original. Since they didn't write their own material, Rumley says the band would "sit down downwardly and listen to sometime records" then decide which tunes would be suitable for the group.

The personnel on "I Wanna Exist Your Baby" is: Gene Rumley (sax and backup vocals); Charles Hairston (lead vocal); Lonnie Woodall (guitar and backup vocals); Rickie Trick (drums); Carl Barrow (bass).

A fourth single release was planned and the backing track was recorded. The project was shelved afterwards the grouping's new lead singer, Alfonzo Martin of Martinsville, was drafted. The group disbanded shortly thereafter. Gene describes Martin'due south song range as "unbelievable." Martin served in the U.Due south. Army and rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was killed past hostile fire in Vietnam.

Gene & The Team Beats were the house ring at the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach, Virginia for a summertime in the mid-60s. The club was the sister of the renowned Peppermint Lounge in New York City and habitation of Joey Dee & The Starlighters of "Peppermint Twist" fame.

Lew Woodall was the ring's original guitarist, and still performs with his ain jazz quartet. He recalls the early years, when the band formed in 1959-60 as Cistron and the Teenbeats. "We played most every weekend for gigs effectually the area in Martinsville, Danville, Roanoke, etc and in NC. Lots of college fraternity gigs. We played several summer beach gigs. In '61 at Norfolk (Star Terrace) and at VA Beach at Acme Hat. In '62 we played for opening of Peppermint Beach Lodge and equally house band for the summer. In '63 we played a couple of months at the Twist Lounge at Nags Caput. I left the Teambeats at the end of that summer when I transferred to VCU in Richmond. Subsequently graduating in '65, I was drafted and my brother, Lonnie, began playing with Factor while I was in Vietnam."

Musician and composer Rickie Play tricks was also a fellow member and explains that his brother, Butch, got him into the grouping later on Lew Woodall was drafted into the Army. Butch Fox switched to lead guitar and his 12-year-old brother, Rickie, picked up the bass. Fox ended up playing with the group for several years, first on bass, afterward on guitar and finally on drums when Mickey Walker was drafted. His drumming can be heard on the ring'south offset 2 records. Fox says his most brilliant memory is playing with Otis Redding in Martinsville in 1965. Flim-flam was also with the band when they backed Percy Sledge and the Shangri-Las. The group also performed with Sam and Dave, Joe Simon, Inez Foxx, Freddie Cannon, William Bell and the Kelly Brothers.

As he was too immature to drive, Fox recalls that "when my ride left the band, I had to leave, too." He went on to play with the Soulmasters, the Majors, City Council, the Manchesters and Pull a fast one on and Company. Fox continues to record and perform today, both equally a solo artist and with his ring, 58 West.

Other musicians and singers who performed with Gene & The Squad Beats include Carl Clark, Wayne Motley and Mickey Walker.

Leader Cistron Rumley says while the band was small in number, they were able to get a "fat" sound considering of the musicianship of each of the members. They were primarily a soul and rhythm and blues band and Rumley points out that "Lewis (Woodall) and some of the guys hated playing rock and gyre."

Gene found vocalist Charles Hairston by sheer tenacity, explaining that he went upward Fayette Street in Martinsville maxim: "Hey, we're looking for a black vocalizer to really represent our grouping with soul music... who'southward a skillful singer?" Someone recommended Charles, who passed the audition and became the voice of the Squad Beats. Factor says his contribution cannot be overlooked, and believes "Charles really made our band at that fourth dimension."

The add-on brought some problems in the segregated Due south, where the band was refused service at a eating house while returning from a fraternity gig at the Academy of Virginia. But having Hairston on vocals also allowed the Team Beats to play in some blackness clubs that were more often than not off limits to white bands.

Rumley recalls one performance at Baldwin's Gymtorium on Fayette Street in Martinsville that drew 3,000 fans. He says the one-time, ii-story building had a balustrade that circled the interior, with a high stage and a large dance floor. The Squad Beats were the warm-up human action that nighttime. Rumley says when they performed, "that place was jumping and the old wooden building was literally shaking." He says when Otis Redding took the stage the sound was "admittedly unbelievable." Rumley recalls that the horn section from James Chocolate-brown's band had just defected to the "upwardly and coming" Redding and says "they basically tore the roof off the place. That was one of the best jobs that we'd ever played."

The music of Factor and the Team Beats lives on today and has experienced a resurgence, particularly with Northern Soul fans in the U.k.. Rumley is currently in talks with a U.k. label to have several of the band's tracks released on compact disc.