Butlers

When Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes and Frankie Beverly & Maze broke out in the '70s, their names were unfamiliar to soul music lovers who lived outside the Philly/New York area. Yet, both Melvin and Beverly spent years trying to make names for themselves. Beverly's resumé begins in the early '60s with the Butlers, a vocal group comprising Beverly, Joe Collins, Jack "Sonny" Nicholson, Talmadge Conway, and John Fitch. They debuted on Philly's Liberty Bell label with "She Tried to Kiss Me" in 1963; the ditty, written by Beverly and Collins, sparked some interest locally, but no...