Lee Andrews & The Hearts
By Marv Goldberg
© 2004 by Marv Goldberg
“Long Lonely Nights,” “Tear Drops,” “Try The Impossible”: those were the hits, the charted legacy of Lee Andrews and the Hearts, one of the finest groups to emerge from Philadelphia. Their story had more downs than ups, but they turned out a body of wonderful music.
Arthur Lee Andrew Thompson (guess where the “Lee Andrews” came from) was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina to a musical family. His father, Beechie Thompson, had been with the Dixie Hummingbirds gospel group. When Lee was two (around 1940), his family moved to the Woodland Avenue and 49th Street section of Southwest Philadelphia, where Lee grew up. He attended Bertram High School, where, in 1952, he helped to form a vocal group called the Dreamers. This group, which would go on to become the Hearts, was comprised of: Lee (lead), Royalston “Roy” Calhoun (first tenor), Thomas “Butch” Curry (second tenor), Jimmy McCalister (baritone), John Young (bass), and Kenny Lowe (piano).
Their influences were the usual: the Orioles, the 5 Keys, the 5 Royales, and the Ravens. Lee's special influences were Nat “King” Cole and Bing Crosby; he loved pop music, and it shows in the recordings, which are not as heavily R&B as those of their contemporaries. They originally sang spirituals, guided by Butch's aunt. But little by little they expanded their repertoire to include Rhythm 'n' Blues
In July, they played the Apollo, sharing the stage with Lloyd Price, the Moonglows, the Teenchords, and the Hearts (the Baton group, of “Lonely Nights” fame).
In August, the Hearts appeared on Philadelphia's TV Bandstand. The end of the month saw them as part of the Apollo Theater's Labor Day Week show, on the same bill with the Harptones, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Maybelle, the Cookies, Little Joe and the Thrillers and the Reuben Phillips Orchestra. Guess who the MC was (I'll give you a hint: his initials were “Jocko”).
Another Jocko show followed on the 14th of September at the Laurel Gardens in Newark. This time they took the stage with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Doc Bagby, the Teenagers, the Chantels, the Channels, the Love Notes, the Sentimentals, the Shepherd Sisters, and the Shells.
By the time “Long Lonely Nights” had peaked, it had gone to 45 on the pop charts and 11 on R'n'B. In spite of the fact that the record-buying public favored Clyde's version then (it went to 1 on the R'n'B charts), it's rarely heard today.
Regardless of talent, most R&B vocal groups never make the charts. Lee Andrews and the Hearts were there three times. They weren't major hitmakers, but they did better than most. As with any group, there are a few clinkers in there, but for the most part, they came off as a polished, professional group, that probably should have done even better than they did. To my ears, the records sound as good today as they did back then. “The Fairest” may be my favorite, but “Tear Drops” and “Try The Impossible” are darn good songs too. I'm glad they made them all.
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