Song:Smokey Places
Album:The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 1
The 1962 hit Smokey Places was the only hit for the doo wop group The Corsairs. They were a family group from La Grange, NC. with lead singer Jay Uzell along with brothers James and Moses and cousin George Wooten. They were originally called The Gleems and performed in clubs in the Tri State area around New York City. While performing in a club in Newark, NJ, they were spotted by producer Abner Spector. They released the single Time Waits on Smash Records but it went nowhere. Spector started his own label Tuff Records and got national distribution from Chess Records. Also The Gleems became The Corsairs. Smokey Places was their first release and it reached #10 on the R & B Singles chart and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Spector wrote and produced all their songs. He also wrote and produced The Jaynettes' Sally Go Round The Roses. The Corsairs released a total of seven singles including one as Landy McNeil & The Corsairs in 1964. Of course by then doo wop was dead and The Corsairs had no future in music. Smokey Places was used in the 1994 film There Goes My Baby and in a 2006 episode of The Sopranos. You can get Smokey Places on various artists comps but this one from Ace Records is packed with 30 classic songs. Here's a video for Smokey Places by The Corsairs.
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