Published On Apr 19, 2024
On Saturday night, October 25, 1986, 10 rhythm and blues and soul vocal harmony groups of the 1950s and ‘60s performed at the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All of the acts- the Silhouettes, Angels/Castelles, Blue Notes, Capris, Dreamlovers, Revels, Keystoners, Majors, Tymes and Brenda and the Tabulations- were formed in the greater Philadelphia area. Only 230 tickets were available for the show, priced at $40 each. Kae Williams, former disc jockey in the city, owner of Junior Records and producer of the Silhouettes’ “Get A Job”, served as the emcee.
In this 10-minute film shared by Seymour Simon, THE KEYSTONERS perform three of their original recordings, “Sleep and Dream” (1961), “After I Propose” (1956), and “The Magic Kiss” (1956). The group consists of three original members, lead singer Norman C. Smith (1931-1993), tenor Nathaniel “Mitch” Jackson, and baritone Al Singleton (1932-2001). Talmadge Allen (1938-2004) sings bass in place of the late Goliath James.
While the backing band was obviously not particularly familiar with their recordings, the Keystoners performed well throughout. The group remained active performing until Smith’s death from cancer in 1993.