Don Julian born 7 April 1937

Don Julian (April 7, 1937 – November 6, 1998) was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer, guitarist and songwriter. Most famous for his work as an R&B singer in the 1950s and 1960s, he's also known for composing the soundtrack and songs to the blaxploitation film, Savage!.

Born Donald Ray Julian in Houston, Texas, United States, in his teens he moved to Los Angeles, California. Unlike many teenagers, Julian grew up in a non-musical family, and didn't sing in the church choir or have any formal vocal training to speak of. He was a high-school track star, and it was during school that he met up with the first group of Meadowlark singers: Randolph Jones (later a member of both the Penguins and the Coasters), Earl Jones, Ronald Barrett, and Billy Pruett. The group's lineup changed numerous times over the years, however, with Julian being the only constant member. 

Around 1952, the foursome formed a vocal group, originally calling themselves the Soulinaires, but they later decided that the name was too "church-sounding" and changed it to the Meadowlarks, this at a time when many of the popular vocal groups of the day had "bird" names.

Cornel Gunter of the Flairs (and later one of the Coasters) introduced the group to Modern Records' Bihari brothers in 1957, who subsequently released two singles on their RPM subsidiary. Despite the fact that Maxwell Davis, Modern's legendary producer, was working with the group and writing all of their vocal arrangements, Julian felt the label wasn't promoting them and he began looking for a new label.

                             

After auditioning for Dootone label owner "Dootsie" Williams, the Meadowlarks earned a recording contract; Julian also ended up working for Dootone as a shipping clerk and learned even more about the record business. In early 1954, the success of Don Julian & the Meadowlarks' first single "Heaven and Paradise" -- while the group was still in high school -- changed their lives forever. The 
song became a hit with R&B fans and the burgeoning Mexican-American audience. In all, the Meadowlarks issued five more Dootone singles before Julian and the group left the label in 1957. They moved over to DJ Art Laboe's Original Sound label briefly; their first single, "Please (Say You Love Me)" did well locally. Julian also recorded "Slauson Shuffle" for DJ Rudy Harvey's Dynamite label before eventually ending up with a Central Avenue legend named John Dolphin, a local mini-mogul who had nearly every facet of the record business covered.

Dolphin operated a group of record stores -- each was named Dolphin's of Hollywood (despite the fact that the main store, and the first to use the name, was actually located on East Vernon Ave., near the corner of Central Avenue). Dolphin also owned his own radio station, KRKD, which broadcast late-night programs from the store's shop window, and he ran several small "black" record labels, a few with appropriately inspired names revealing Dolphin's penchant for making money above all else: Cash, Money, Lucky, and Recorded in Hollywood Records (which they weren't!).

Three months after leaving Dynamite, Julian's single "The Jerk"

was released on Money. It was the first to be credited to the Larks (not to be confused with other groups who also used the name, including Eugene Mumford's Larks). By now, the Larks' new lineup featured Ted Walters (who had been friends with Julian since the two graduated from high school), Charlie Morris and Julian.  The single, released on the Money label, was Julian's only chart hit. It went to number one on both the Billboard R&B chart and the Cash Box R&B chart and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart  in 1964.

They continued touring and recording; Money also released an album by the group. Julian continued to stay with the label through the '60s and into the early '70s.  In 1968, the Larks had recorded a tune called "Shorty The Pimp." It featured the voice of Richard Berry (along with Don Julian, Ted Walters, and Sonny Chaney, formerly of the Jaguars), and was the last known release on Jerk. Now, in 1973, someone decided to make a film with that title. The Larks/Meadowlarks were used in the flick as a lounge band, but for whatever reasons the picture was never released.   

Don Julian with Arthur Lee Maye

                                       

Julian went on to record several solo albums for a variety of record labels in the 1970s, including Amazon and Magnum. Don Julian’s final recordings were done for the Classic Artists label in 1989.

Though not a musical innovator, Don Julian was always a businesslike musician and organiser who kept his band together as part of the California oldies scene right up until his death  in Los Angeles (of pneumonia) in 1998 at the age of 61. His longevity in the music business went far beyond that of most of his peers.

(Edited from various sources but mainly from an AllMusic bio by Brian Thomas. Name tagged photos from Marv Goldbergs R & B Notebook)