The Royal Holidays recorded these 45s in 1958 and 1959. The group’s manager, Harry Nivens, owned the Penthouse label.

Royal Holidays

The Royal Holidays recorded just two 45s, but both are wonderful examples of late-50’s vocal harmony.

Like scores of other teenagers in the 50s, Charles Farley, Kenneth Fuqua, Chester Scott, Jerry Wallace and Vernon Williams got together on Detroit’s street corners to harmonize. Their professional break came after Williams penned some original songs, which led to the group cutting a record for their manager, Harry Nivens.

Mr. Nivens had the slow and delightful doo-wop number “I’m Sorry” with the up-tempo “Margaret” pressed on his Penthouse label in ’58 and then did a deal with Carlton. It was this second release that gained the group some national exposure and they began gigging around the east coast. The tour culminated at the Apollo Theater in September that year, appearing with the likes of Ruth Brown and The Moonglows. The future looked full of promise.

Their wonderful follow-up 45 was released on the New York-based Herald label in January 1959 and although the jiving-mambo “Swingin’ At The Bandstand” is the A-side, “Down In Cuba” oozes class with its mellower feel and slower pace.

An unfortunate mix-up resulted in their recordings getting allocated the same Herald label number (536) as The Mello-Kings’ “Chip Chip” recording. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, a batch of The Mello-Kings’ labels were put on The Royal Holidays’ discs, which scuppered any hope of a hit.

Frustrated and without a new record to plug, the five guys inevitably split up. None of them had any involvement with the latter Holidays, but Vernon Williams did become one of Motown’s legendary Satintones. And after Robert Bateman and Sonny Sanders parted with Berry Gordy’s company to focus on producing and writing, Vernon joined them at Correc-tone Company, singing with The Pyramids.
 

Researched and written by Graham Finch