The Bopchords

Harlem's the Bop Chords formed in 1955 in the same building where the Ladders, Channels, and Willows got their start. Lead vocalist Ernest Harriston, William Dailey, Ken Hamilton, Leon Ivey, and Morris Smarr had all sung with other neighborhood groups, and Hamilton had recorded with the Five Wings earlier in the year on a tribute to Johnny Ace that was issued by King. The Bop Chords recorded for Holiday in 1956, and the mid-tempo "Castle in the Sky" was a local and regional hit. Their second single, "When I Woke Up This Morning," also did well on the East Coast, but internal c...