BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " THE CHANNELS " DOO-WOP GROUP FROM NEW YORK CITY AND ONE OF THE UNSUNG/SOUL GROUPS OF THE 50's : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                                        BLACK               SOCIAL              HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                              The Channels wdoo wop group from New York City.

ere an American 

One the unsung R&B/soul groups of the 50's, The Channels formed in 1955 around the singers Larry Hampden, Billy Morris, and Edward Doulphin; they started as a quintet with two additional part-time members, but soon after they permanently added Earl Michael Lewis and Clifton Wright, formerly of The Lotharios. Lewis was the group's main songwriter, writing (among others) their regional hit "The Closer You Are" (1956).

The Channels recorded for record labels Gone, Fury, Port, Hit, Enjoy, and Groove. The lineup changed several times over the course of the band's lifetime. They enjoyed significant regional success on the East Coast but never charted a major nationwide hit.^[1]

Other notable (though not nationally charted) singles include "Bye Bye Baby" b/w "My Love Will Never Die," "That's My Desire," "The Gleam in Your Eye," "Anything You Do," and "You Can Count On Me."

Frank Zappa covered "The Closer You Are" on his album Them or Us (1984).