The Olympics - Cool Short - 1961 Titan 1718.wmv

INFO--By Marv Goldberg thank you.

Based on interviews with Walter Ward,,The Olympics were one of the few 50s groups that continued a string of hits into the 60s. Concentrating on raucous dance numbers (somewhat like a group version of Chubby Checker), they were even the originators of a #1 song (alas, however, not for them).

Walter Ward, a mainstay of the group for 50 years, was born in Mississippi and sang gospel with his father and three uncles (as the Ward Brothers). In the early 50s, the family relocated to Los Angeles, and he met up with his cousin, Eddie Lewis, who had also come to L.A. from Mississippi. While at Willowbrook Junior High School, Walter and Eddie (both tenors) formed the West Coast Gospel Singers (with James Lloyd and Walter's uncle, Jimmy Ward).

Then Walter and Eddie started attending Centennial High School in Compton and, in 1954, formed an R&B group called the Challengers. The other members were pianist Marcus Banks, a second tenor named Nathan, and baritone Freddy Lewis. One day, at a talent contest, the Challengers met Charles Fizer and Walter Hammond, and, when they decided that it would be more advantageous to join together rather than compete, Charles and Walter replaced Freddy and Nathan.

Therefore, when the dust had settled, the Challengers were: Walter "Sleepy" Ward (lead), Eddie Lewis (tenor), Charles Fizer (baritone), Walter Hammond (baritone), and Marcus Banks (piano). They didn't have many gigs (mostly local record hops and clubs), but they had fun singing in the hallways and bathrooms, as well as on Compton's street corners. Initially, Jesse Belvin was the main influence on the group; later on, they admired the Spaniels and the Dells.

I Can Tell In 1956, as a result of appearing on a television show, they were offered a recording session by Joe Fornis, owner of Melatone Records. The Challengers only cut a single record for Melatone (the ballad "I Can Tell," backed with the vaguely Latin-ish "The Mambo Beat"), but at least they were on their way. However, they found out that there was another group calling itself "The Challengers," so they renamed themselves "the Olympics." (Actually, since 1956 was an Olympic year, it's surprising that there weren't lots of other Olympics groups.) Their recording career was put on hold for almost two years while they practiced and practiced.

In 1958, their idol, Jesse Belvin, introduced them to John Criner, who became their manager. (Criner, a former singer who recorded "Sugar Mama Blues" in 1946, owned the Shade and Spot labels.) He got them a contract with Sy Aronson, Joe Greene, and George Brown's Demon label (which was distributed by Liberty Records). The a&r men at Demon, Fred Smith and Cliff Goldsmith, were also songwriters, who had written a little ditty called "Western Movies."

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