Zeke Carey born 24 January 1933

Zeke Carey (January 24, 1933 - December 24, 1999) was a tenor vocalist who came to prominence as an original co-founder of the American doo-wop group, The Flamingoes. 

Ezekiel J Carey was born in Bluefield, West Virginia and raised in Norfolk.  Zeke and Jacob “Jake” Carey are often noted as being cousins, but they weren’t really directly related at all. The Careys lived in Baltimore (down the street from Sonny Til), and Zeke was taken in and raised by Jake’s uncle and aunt. He adopted the Carey name and from that time on they’d always refer to each other as “cousin.” 

In 1950, they relocated to Chicago, where they joined the choir of the Jewish Church of God and Saints of Christ Congregation on the city's south side. Through the choir the Careys met Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter, and together they began performing as a quartet, performing in the same neighborhoods as another future soul legend, Sam Cooke. With the addition of lead Earl Lewis, the fledgling group's lineup was complete, with Carter and Zeke Carey installed as tenors, Wilson as baritone, and Jake Carey as bass. At first they called themselves the Swallows, but about six months later learned of a rival group with the same name back in Baltimore. Carter suggested el Flamingos, which was quickly modified to the Five Flamingos and finally just the Flamingos. 

They released their first single, "If I Can't Have You," in March 1953 and "Golden Teardrops" in October of the same year. The latter song became a strong regional hit in Chicago and New York and later kicked off the doo-wop collecting craze when it became the first 45 to sell for $20 at the legendary Times Square Records stall in a Manhattan subway. "Golden Teardrops" is often quoted as the most perfect group harmony record ever released and regularly tops polls from aficionados of this style of music. 

                                    

Most prominent among a succession of lead singers were McElroy (1951–54) and Nelson (1954–60). The group had regional success with a number of rhythm-and-blues records before achieving national fame in 1956 with the ballad “I’ll Be Home.” They went on to help pioneer rock and roll with appearances in several Alan Freed-sponsored stage shows and in the films Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) and Go Johnny Go (1958). After moving to New York City in 1957, the Flamingos lost Carter but added vocalist-keyboardist Hunt and guitarist Johnson. 

Working with producer George Goldner, they registered their biggest hits: “Lovers Never Say Goodbye” (1958), “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1959), and “Nobody Loves Me Like You” (1960). 1959 to 1961 was the group's most prolific period chart and album-wise. End put out four LPs in four years, "Requestfully Yours", "Flamingo Favorites", "The Sound Of The Flamingos" and "Flamingo Serenade", along with such outstanding singles as "Love Walked In", "I Was Such a Fool" , "Mio Amore" , "Your Other Love" , and "Time Was" . 

By 1961, however, the group was falling apart. Tommy Hunt left for a solo career; Nelson and Johnson formed a rival group called the Modern Flamingos. In the spring of 1964 the Flamingos returned to Checker for a few sides. They recorded an incredible Latin-rhythmed version of Oscar Hammerstein's "Lover Come Back to Me" that would have established a whole new legion of Flamingos followers had radio given it a chance to be heard. In 1965 the veterans joined Phillips Records and released a funk/doo wop version of Bing Crosby's 1934 (number three) hit "Temptation." 

The Flamingos' last charter was a 1970 ode to the black cavalry soldiers of the 1880s titled "Buffalo Soldier"  They  released a few singles for Roulette, Worlds, Julmar, and their own Ronze label (including three LPs shifting between an old and new sound) and by 1976 the Flamingos were finished with recording. They remained a fixture of the casino circuit, however, and for close to a quarter century both the Carey cousins and Terry Johnson led competing Flamingos lineups to considerable box-office success. 

Although suffering from Cancer, Zeke’s last performance was during December 1999 with his group on public television broadcasts of a doo-wop special, featuring more than 100 performers and hosted by singer-songwriter Jerry "The Iceman" Butler. That same month Zeke died from a heart attack on the 24th at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington. 

Though they've had only one national US top 20 hit and only 11 national US charters all told, the artists they've influenced (including the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Jackson Five, the Spinners, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and Gladys Knight and the Pips to name just a few) testify to their significance. Their timeless recordings live on forever. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic, Billboard &  Brittanica. Thanks to Marv Goldberg for the dated photos)

 

Nate Nelson born 10 April 1932

Nate Nelson (born Nathaniel Nelson April 10, 1932 – June 1, 1984) was a tenor vocalist in two legendary R & B vocal groups: The Flamingos and The Platters.

Nate nelson was trained on the gospel music of his Baptist church. After completing a Navy stint in the early Fifties, nelson formed a Chicago-based vocal group The Velvetones (not the more famous outfit). But after meeting the struggling three year old Flamingos at martin’s nightclub in 1953, Nelson joined the group on a part-time basis as the replacement for Sollie McElroy who was eased out of the line-up.
 
Recording at the Chicago-based Parrot label, Nelson shared lead vocal duties with Johnny carter on the minor hit “I’m Yours.” Now at the Chess subsidiary Checker Records, nelson assumed the lead vocal duties as the blues and harmony-based ballad group enjoyed a string of hits with “When “ (1955), “Please Come Back Home” (1955) and a Nelson composition which was covered by Pat Boone “I’ll Be Home.” (1956).

                        

The Flamingos disbanded after recording the beautiful ballad “The Vow” (1956). After briefly recording as a solo act at Chess, Nelson relocated to Pittsburgh in1957 where he formed a new Flamingos line-up and released several substantial releases at Decca Records. Relocating to New York City and signing with George  Goldner’s End Records,  nelson and The Flamingos enjoyed renewed fame with “Lovers Never Say Goodnight” the timeless ballad “I Only

Have Eyes For You” (1955) and “Nobody Loves me Like You” (1960).

Leaving The Flamingos in 1962, nelson emerged in the Herb Reed-led Platters. Signed to Musicor Records in 1964, The Platters scored a pair of hits with “I Love You a Thousand Times” and “With This Ring” (1967). An intermittent member of the group, Nelson quit for good in 1982 when he had the first of many heart attacks.

Nelson's name had been on a waiting list for a heart transplant. He died of heart failure June 1, 1984 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston one day after his wife, Angel, called a news conference to try and find a heart donor for her husband. He was 52.  (Compiled and edited mainly from a bio by Nick Tolevski)
 

Tommy Hunt born 18 June 1933

                  

Tommy Hunt (June 18, 1933 – February 12, 2025) was an American soul and northern soul singer renowned for his deeply rich and powerful voice, his sharp hip and downright impossible dance routines and his spellbinding charisma.

Born to Georgianna Derico, Hunt started his life in Pittsburgh, where his school friends, nicknamed him Tommy which stayed with him throughout his entire life. Music dominated his life and he was sent to reform school after spending his learning hours

practicing for and entering talent shows. He was released from reform school when he was 10, and he and his mother moved to Chicago.

After a stint in the United States Air Force, Hunt went AWOL in order to be with his mother who was dying. He served time in prison for deserting, and after his release, returned to Chicago and formed a group called The Five Echoes. While performing in a club, he was approached by Zeke Carey of The Flamingos, and asked to take Carey's place, as he had recently been drafted. Hunt was kept on after Carey returned.

In 1959 their biggest hit was "I Only Have Eyes For You" which remains their most popular song, being used in film soundtracks and on compilation albums to this date.

Hunt left the group in 1960 due to musical differences, but within three days he was approached by Luther Dixon and released "Parade Of Broken Hearts" which was slow to be picked up by the radio stations. In New York a disc jockey called Jocko Henderson introduced the song but played the B-side by mistake. The track aired was "Human", Hunt's biggest hit in the U.S. His 1962 B-side, "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", written by Bacharach and David and produced by Leiber and Stoller, was the first recording of the song which later became a major hit for Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick and others.

 

                                
 

Hunt became a regular performing at The Apollo in New York alongside such artists as Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Shirelles, Dionne Warwick, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Sam and Dave. To the best of his knowledge, Hunt remains the only person to have his photograph framed twice in the Apollo foyer, both with the Flamingos and as a solo artist. Several years and a couple of minor hits later, Hunt sang for the U.S. Army in Germany. By 1969 he left his homeland, travelled back to Germany, through Belgium and across the English Channel to the United Kingdom.

After several performances in the theatre clubs throughout the UK, Hunt sang at the second anniversary of the Wigan Casino, and there followed success on the Northern soul scene. Hunt was approached by Russ Winstanly and Mike Walker of the Casino and released several hits on Spark Records. The first was a cover version of a song formerly sung by Roy Hamilton, entitled "Crackin' Up". It peaked at #39 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1975.This was followed by another chart success "Loving On The Losing Side" (UK #28, 1976). 1982/83 saw Hunt win the Male Vocalist of the Year, presented by Club Mirror. His track, "One Fine Morning", reached #44 in the UK chart in December 1976.
 

With the decline of the Northern soul, Hunt's shows dwindled and he hit the cabaret circuit further afield, moving to Amsterdam in 1986, and travelling the world. In 1996, the first of his recognitions came in the form of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for the Flamingos contribution to music. In 1997, Hunt relocated to the UK and embarked on a revived Northern soul scene. 
 

In later years, having turned his hand to song-writing, Hunt penned his autobiography, Only Human, My Soulful Life, with author, Jan Warburton, which was released in December 2008.

In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Flamingos. Later, Hunt started a new live show as Tommy Hunt & the New Flamingos, with members of the Spanish vocal group Velvet Candles. This show was presented on June 3, 2011, during the Screamin' Summer Festival in Barcelona, Spain. At the same time, Tommy also joined John Valero and The Black Beltones, and later The Twisted Wheels, that was his backing band in some shows around Spain.  Tommy wrote all lyrics of their first album released in 2024.

 

Touring almost to the end, Tommy Hunt died in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom on February 12, 2025, at the age of 91.

(Edited mainly from Wikipedia)