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SONNY CHARLES & CHECKMATES LTD.
One of the best lounge acts currently working the Strip casinos in Las Vegas is the Emeralds, a self contained group of vocalists and instrumentalists
led by Sonny Charles. If your preference in material runs to the songbooks of the likes of Tyrone Davis, Billy Stewart, Wilson Pickett and Jackie Wilson then I would recommend you catch their show. When I saw them
they were performing at the Stratosphere, doing 3 shows a night, each one featuring different songs. In one of their intermissions I took the opportunity of interviewing Sonny about his long and varied career.
Sonny was born in 1940 in Blytheville, Arkansas, which is located some 60 miles north of Memphis. He didn't come from a musical family
although his older sister was a vocalist but she never took her talent seriously. Sonny started singing, do-wop style, second tenor with the Continentals in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Continentals came together in
1957 when Sonny and Robert Stevens joined the Central High football team along with Calvin Thomas - drummer - and they would sing the latest hits on the bus on the way home from the matches. The trio enjoyed the
attention the singing brought and so they added two more singers, Marvin 'Sweet Louie' Smith - bass - and Jimmy Milton - first tenor . To supplement Calvin Thomas on drums they added Harvey Trees - guitar - and Bill
Van Buskirk - bass guitar. They soon signed a recording contract with a small local label. The seven piece outfit was known as the Continentals and at that time Sonny was known as Chuck Kemphill, it wasn't until
1965 that he took the name Sonny Charles. A record was released on the group, 'Dance With The Dolly' in 1958 and this became a regional hit in the mid west, reaching No.5 in the charts.
The groups members joined the army together and got assigned to the entertainment division in 1960. Due to a clash of
names with another existing band they changed their name to the Checkmates. While stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington they performed for the armed forces at several military bases and local night spots when the
opportunity presented itself, finally winning their way to the finals of the all-army entertainment contest. When they got out of the service in 1962 they signed with Regency Records. The label released two records
on the group, 'What Do You Do ?' which featured Robert 'Bobby' Stevens on lead and ' Searching For Love' a duet between Sonny and Bobby. The records gained a fair amount of local radio exposure. Due to a clash of
names with another existing outfit they once again had to change their name, this time to the Checkmates Ltd. and shortly afterwards they moved to Los Angeles. Here they went for various auditions and these won them
some work locally. They toured the western U.S. for about a year and then began playing dance halls and saloons all across the country. They first played Las Vegas in November 1964 and they were the first mixed act
- 3 black + 2 white members - to gain regular bookings in the city. Their line-up had been consolidated to Sonny, Bobby, Sweet Louie, Bill Van Buskirk and Harvey Trees. The group released another record, a
double album for IKON Records of Sacramento, California 'Checkmates Inc. Live at Harveys'. While performing in Vegas one night at the time that Marvin Smith sang 'Louie Louie' as a part of the groups act, a woman in
the audience yelled out for that 'Sweet Louie' song and the name stuck as Marvin's nick-name. Also while working in Vegas they were seen by Nancy Wilson who liked what she saw and so she took over as their
manager. She obtained some national television bookings for them and these helped win them a recording contract with Capitol Records, Nancy's record company at the time.
They enjoyed some releases on the label in 1966/68, 4 singles & a live album in all. One of the singles being 'Do The
Walk / Glad For You' - Capitol 5603. These tracks were written by Robert 'Bobby' Stevens in conjunction with Sonny and produced by Nancy Wilson & David Cavanaugh. 'Do The Walk '- The Temptation Walk - which
featured Bobby Stevens on lead vocals had obviously been developed for the groups live performances, Sonny and group member Sweet Louie getting a mention in the lyrics. This single was picked up for British release
in the late sixties by the Ember label - Ember 235. Ember also released a 2nd single 'Mastered The Art Of Love / Please Dont Take My World Away '- Ember 240, these later sides being credited to Sonny Charles &
Checkmates Ltd. Although the name was probably a marketing ploy following the success on A & M, the sides did actually feature Sonny on lead vocals. Another of their efforts for Capitol, 'Kissin Her And Crying
For You' - Capitol 5753 has recently found favour in the UK and as a result was included on the Goldmine CD 'Northern Souls Diamonds & Pearls'. Kelly Gordon took charge of production duties on the groups live
album, 'Live At Caesar's Palace' , Capital ST 2840, which was made in Las Vegas. This comprised tracks that were in the groups stage act at the time, these included 'Can I Get A Witness', 'Sunny', 'A Quitter Never
Wins', 'Baby I Need Your Lovin' and 'You've Lost That Lovin Feeling'. The later track could well have been an inspired choice and their version maybe helped the group get a break which was to reach fruition later in
1968. The album again enjoyed a U.K. release on Ember, NR 5048, however it didn't make it into British record shops until 1972. The A sides of the groups two Ember singles were also included on the Ember compilation
album 'A Drop Of The Hard Stuff' - Ember 3413, which was released in 1970 and again in 1972.
In late 1968 the group were signed to a new recording contract by maverick producer Phil Spector. Spector had just agreed a deal with A
& M Records under which he would have his own custom logo on productions he did for the label. Although Phil had been the world's No.1 record producer through the early 60's with his artists enjoying numerous
hits which culminated with the Righteous Brothers 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' in 64, he wasn't used to working for someone else's record label anymore. His overly orchestrated extravaganza's had earlier
enjoyed great commercial success but had also submerged the vocal prowess of the likes of Darlene Love, Al DeLory, Bobby Sheen and to a measure Tina Turner. However by the mid 60's US radio was ignoring his new
work and his Philles label went bust in 1967. Phil didn't like the way pop music was going, he preferred black music to rock but had come to the conclusion that soul was in the process of committing suicide. He
considered that Motown and Atlantic, then the most successful black music labels, had become lazy corporate organisations.
Phil wanted to stay well clear of the torn denim Woodstock type outfits currently in vogue and this was one reason that
the Checkmates Ltd., an integrated cocktail-lounge group who fused a Drifter's style vocal presentation with the self contained backbeat of a chittlin circuit soul revue, became his first new signing in two years.
He could see in the group's twin leads Sonny and Bobby Stevens an evolved black version of the Righteous Brothers, his most successful act. His first concern was to find the right songs for the group and it's
vocalists. Acts who wrote and performed their own material had led to the collapse of almost all of the old Brill Building song writing / publishing company set-ups. However Phil made the trip to New York to visit
the office of one of the few remaining such concerns, Don Kirshners. Now peddling bubble-gum music by the likes of the Monkees, Kirshner had nothing for him. However, by chance, at his office he met two song-writers
hawking their wares. Irwin Levine and Toni Wine had just the song Phil wanted for Sonny, a fairytale-like ballad inspired by the film 'For The Love Of Ivy', 'Black Pearl'. This song had the charm he was looking
for to help launch the Checkmates new recording career and so he took it, along with several other of the writers efforts, back to L.A. with him.
In March 69 the groups debut A & M single, 'Love Is All I Have To Give' - A & M 1039 - written by Bobby Stevens, with help
from Spector, was released. This bluesy number, featuring typical Spector style instrumental overload, was an ideal vehicle for Bobby's soulful voice. But Spector left all promotion of the single to A & M. and
they didn't try too hard, as a result the record reached No.65 in the chart in May and then disappeared. For the groups second single Phil relied on Sonny's vocal strengths, 'Black Pearl' being ideal for his higher
and sweeter sound. The single, when released in April as soon as it was realised that 'Love Is All....' wasn't going to be the hoped for hit, was credited to Sonny Charles & the Checkmates Ltd. The record
charted almost immediately and rose into the Top 10 soul chart and Top 20 pop chart by July, staying on the pop chart for 13 weeks in all. Bobby Stevens was none too pleased at the prominence that the record had
given Sonny within the group and this generated a lot of bad feeling both within the group and with the record company. The success of the record however meant that the group were in demand for live work. One of the
venues they played at the time was the newly opened International Hotel in Vegas. This building became the Las Vegas Hilton a number of years down the line and was to feature again in Sonny's career.
Phil Spector had now achieved the big come-back hit he had been searching for and, with the in-fighting within the group, he immediately lost interest in
them and in his deal with A & M. He had started cutting tracks on the group for a proposed album but the completion of this task was turned over to Perry Botkin Jr. The groups 3rd single, 'Proud Mary' -
again Phil Spector produced, was released later in the year and entered the pop chart in October rising to No. 69.
Over in the UK all 3 singles were also released. 'Love Is All I.....' was a club hit and 'Black Pearl' was a radio hit but neither made it into the pop
charts. The popularity of 'Black Pearl' was recognised however when reggae artist Horace Faith recorded a version of the song in 1970 and took it into the pop Top 20. The groups 3rd release, 'Proud Mary' - A & M
769 - did however make it onto the UK pop chart when it made the Top 30 in late 69. The groups version of this song is credited for prompting Ike & Tina Turner to cut the number for Liberty in 1971. Although
'Proud Mary' was the groups last A & M US single, as it had been a UK hit a follow up had to be released. In March 70 another 7", 'I Keep Forgettin / Do You Love Your Baby' - A & M 780 - was issued but
didn't enjoy similar chart success. To my knowledge the B side wasn't released in the US, not even on the LP 'Love Is All I Have To Give' - A & M 4183. It certainly wasn't included on the U.K. released
version of the album - A & M AMLS 943.
Spector got a call from England, John Lennon and the Beatles wanted him to come over and work on some songs with them. This was just the chance he
had been seeking, so without a second thought for the Checkmates Ltd. or A & M, he flew to London in January 70. In his haste to get to London he must have over-looked paying the group their due royalties as
Sonny distinctly remembers that they weren't paid even though the records had been commercial successes. This left the group without the producer of their hits and there was still the bad blood between it's members.
A & M wanted to salvage something from the situation and so they flew Sonny down to Memphis to work on a solo project with Chips Moman. It was a rushed affair, Sonny was only in the Memphis studio for 1 day and
then he was flown back to L.A. Two songs were cut, 'It Takes A Little Longer' - which Sonny describes as 'not really my kind of song' and one of Sonny's own compositions, 'Welfare Man' - a song with a message
in the lyrics. The two songs were released as a single in April 70 - A & M 1177 - with a UK release following in May - A & M 787. 'It Takes A Little Longer', which was the A side, was an unusual,
disjointed number and sank almost without trace, it just managed to make the lower reaches of the US Top 100 soul chart. Another solo single followed around April 71 (A & M 1214) 'Half As Much / Will You Be
Easy'. The A-side 'Half As Much' is a dance track and would be a popular 'floor-filler' here if copies were turned up in quantity. The record is very classy & has a Tyrone Davis 1970s feel to it, it was
produced by George Tobin. The single never sold though & with Phil gone and no recent US hits on Sonny or the group, A & M lost interest.
Sonny performed solo for a while and had another solo release, 'It's Alright In The City / Nicasio' which came out on RCA Records. But the group's ex-members still had
to make a living and they could do this more effectively as a combined unit. So their differences were put behind them and Sonny, Bobby and Sweet Louie reunited for tours across America and also went back to the
Vegas showrooms. The group also returned to recording, starting their own record label, Rustic Records. Bobby Stevens acted as president of the record company which operated out of 6430 Sunset Boulevard,
Hollywood, Sonny was head of A & R and Sweet Louie handled publicity. The first 4 releases on the label were re-issues of the group's earlier albums but the next was a new LP, 'F/S/O' - Rustic RR 2004. This
contained 10 tracks and was produced by Sonny who also handled rhythm & vocal arrangements. One of the tracks, 'Got To See U Soon', has recently been included on a compilation CD on the Big Cheese label.
The album was cut at Mystic Sound Studio in Hollywood, with some additional work being undertaken at Las Vegas Recording Studio. In November 74 a single culled from the album 'Sexy Ways / Run Nigger Run' was
released - Rustic 502. Both sides of this single were written by Sonny and published by his Black Pearl Music company. The uptempo B side 'Run Nigger Run' was from the film of the same name.
Another release followed in April 76 'All Alone By The Telephone / Body Language' - Polydor 14313 and this
enjoyed some success, making the lower rungs of the Soul Top 100 chart. The track was produced by H.B. Barnum and featured Sonny on lead vocals. At the time of its release the record received some good reviews, 'All
Alone By ...' being likened to Al Wilsons 'Show & Tell'. This similarity may account for the track being yet another of the groups efforts that has been much in demand with UK collectors in recent times. Polydor
had a tie up with Greedy Records & later in 76 because of this the group were signed to a deal with Greedy who operated out of 8560 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, just along the street from where Rustic Records had
been based. Sonny informed me that Greedy Records was H.B. Barnum's label however most west coast tracks released by the company seemed to be masterminded by one Henry Grumpo Marx. Now this is a very unlikely real
name so it may have been H.B. in disguise but I still have to be convinced of this fact. The Checkmates work on the label was credited to the Chessboard Co. Inc. but I assume that this was the groups company -from
the association of the names - rather than H.B.s. Anyway whatever the link was between the label and H.B., while the group were on the road he laid down the tracks for their album in his studio in L.A. They then
went into the studios to add their vocals at a later date, however this process resulted in a few problems for the group as H.B. had cut the tracks in the wrong keys for the group. By that time though it was too
late to change matters and so with some discomfort and straining the lead vocals were added.
The first result of this work was a single in early 1977, ' I'm Laying My Heart On The Line / Make Love To Your Mind' - Greedy G111. H.B. Barnum co-wrote, produced and arranged the A side on which
Sonny handled lead vocals, while Sonny produced the Bill Withers penned B side on which Bobby featured on lead. The album, which Sonny informs me also included ' All Alone By The Telephone' followed shortly
afterwards - Greedy G1003 . In 1977 another album was released, this time on Fantasy, 'We Got The Moves, and this was produced by Richard Rome. Sonny informs me that this was recorded about 1975 and featured himself
as lead vocalist with Bobby and Sweet Louie assisting on vocals. A single, 'Take All The Time You Need' - Fantasy 800 - was released off the LP and this was later included on the Kent compilation album 'Fast, Funky
and Fantastic' - Kent 082 - which came out in 1988.
Later in 1977 Bobby Stevens split from Sonny and Sweet Louie and went his own way, forming a trio under the name Bobby Stevens & the
Checkmates. His outfit landed a record deal, this being with Beverly Hills based Gucci Records. An album, 'Sould Out' - G301 , was released in 1977, however the shoe-string nature of this project reveals itself
in a number of ways. Most of the songs are almost live versions of pop songs done in unimaginative ways, with even the version of Tyrone Davis` ' Turn Back The Hands Of Time' leaving much to be desired. The
track listing on the sleeve and on the records label differ from the actual sequence on each side of the record, all in all it can't have been a release that Bobby was too proud of.
Sonny and Sweet Louie continued to put in good quality live performances in Vegas and these didn't go un-noticed. Many music industry types
based in L.A. regularly made the short journey to Vegas for rest and recuperation purposes. As a result of this Sonny had made many acquaintances in the entertainment business over the years and one of these led to
him landing a new solo recording contract. Sonny and Sweet Louie split in 1980 and Jerry Buss, the owner of the Lakers, who was a friend of Sonny's knew the owner of Los Angeles based Highrise Records. Bobby Paris
was acting as a producer at Highrise and he wanted to cut a new version of his old hit 'Personally'. Sonny seemed the right person to undertake this task and so he was signed to a deal with the label. So Sonny went
into the studio with Bobby Paris producing and Gene Page handling arrangements and the team cut an album.
The first release from the session was a single, 'Put It In A Magazine' - SHR2001, and this did well, quickly rising up the
charts following it's release in 1982. The album, 'The Sun Still Shines' - Highrise HR 102AE - was released soon afterwards and this 8 song collection also started to climb the charts. Sonny, in collaboration
with Bobby Paris, had written 6 of the 8 songs including both sides of the single 'Put It In A Magazine / The Week-End Father Song'. 'Personally' from the LP has found favour on the Carolina 'beach music' scene and
has recently been included on a compilation CD of popular 'beach music' tracks. Suddenly however copies of both the single and album stopped reaching the shops and so the records died. Within six months of the
labels creation it had disappeared and Sonny was again left unpaid for all his endeavours. Some copies of the records had though managed to find their way to the UK and 'Put It In A Magazine' was soon very popular
on the British soul scene. Due to his experiences with Highrise Sonny decided to give up recording for some time and he concentrated on his live work once again.
He kept busy appearing in Vegas and at venues in other American casino cities. By 1986 he was appearing together with his old
colleague Sweet Louie again. The pair performed as the Checkmates doing old Motown, Al Green and Delfonics songs but as ever Sonny was always expected to perform 'Black Pearl'. The duo formed their own little label
and cut a cassette album - 1991 - which sold well to their audiences. Sonny went solo again in 1993, performing the Sonny Charles Show at various venues around Vegas. By 1995 Foster Wilson, Las Vegas Hilton
entertainment director had opened a new lounge / mini showroom in his hotel, 'The Nightclub'. Together with show producer, Dick Bright, he decided an R & B format would be ideal for the venue however there were
no acts regularly performing such a repertoire at the time in Vegas. The pair decided to put a lie-up together and thus the 11 strong Emeralds were formed. Sonny ended up as the group's main vocalist and show host.
Nearly all their material dates back to the sixties and they add different songs on a regular basis however there is such a wealth of great songs from the era that it will be years before they exhaust the supply.
The Emeralds have proved such a popular attraction that even today, over 2 years later they are booked solid. The groups
members take a great pride in putting on a good show for their audiences and I can confirm that when Sonny attacks an old Billy Stewart or Jackie Wilson song he always does so to great effect. But Sonny keeps moving
on and his latest project is a re-teaming with Sweet Louie. No doubt they will recreate that old Checkmates magic together once again.
JOHN SMITH
Oxford. July 97.
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