The Paragons

Founded in Brooklyn, the Paragons were a Black vocal harmony quintet signed to the New York-based Winley label, which was also home to the Jesters ("The Wind"). Julius McMichael (lead), Ben Frazier (first tenor), Donald Travis (second tenor), Ricky Jackson (baritone), and Al Brown (bass) had a distinctive sound with McMichael's high tenor voice as the lead, very much defining this distinctly New York-centered doo wop sound. The Paragons began their recording career for Winley with the single "Florence" b/w "Hey Little School Girl," which was released in early 1957 and was a ...