By and For the Troops
- Thread starter BOP
- Start date
I had to post this on Facebook for my son who is in the Army and LOVES Journey! Thanks for the link, however old it may be 
BOP
Well-Known Member
The Essex - "Easier Said Than Done." I've been hearing this song for most of my life, but I never knew the name of the group, nor the fact that the 1 woman and 3 men who made up the group were active duty Marines at the time of the hit. Which probably explains why they never made it big, even though the Everly Brothers managed to do so after their time in the Corps came to an end. Still, they were popular before hand, and they were white.
From Wiki:
"Founding members Walter Vickers (guitar) and Rodney Taylor (drums) were members or the United States Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After being transferred to Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, they enlisted fellow Marines Billy Hill and Rudolph Johnson as group members. Next they added a female lead singer, Anita Humes, another Marine.
The band was signed to a recording contract in 1963 after submiting a demo to Roulette Records. The song was written by Larry Huff and William Linton. Released as their first single, the song reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track sold over one million records and received a gold disc award from the R.I.A.A. "Easier Said Than Done" charted at #41 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1963.
Rudolph Johnson left the group, and the Essex became a quartet. Three months after "Easier Said Than Done" reached #1 in July 1963, the group had a #12 hit with the follow-up song, "A Walkin' Miracle" in September 1963. On the label of this single, the group name appeared as 'The Essex Featuring Anita Humes.' "She's Got Everything", their next single, written by Jimmy Radcliffe and Oramay Diamond, was a #56 hit. Being marines made it hard for the group to take advantage of their hits; for example, before long, Johnson was posted to Okinawa. Rodney Taylor was killed in 1966 in New York City during an attempted mugging. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Gary, Indiana. All of his former band mates attended his funeral.
Humes released several solo singles for Roulette, but had no chart success. She died on May 30, 2010, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, aged 69."
Article on Anita Humes, who did tours with both the Marine Corps and the Army, and was an Army wife for 24 years.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/content/blog-post/don-rhodes/2010-06-09/goodbye-anita-humes-chappelle
From Wiki:
"Founding members Walter Vickers (guitar) and Rodney Taylor (drums) were members or the United States Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After being transferred to Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, they enlisted fellow Marines Billy Hill and Rudolph Johnson as group members. Next they added a female lead singer, Anita Humes, another Marine.
The band was signed to a recording contract in 1963 after submiting a demo to Roulette Records. The song was written by Larry Huff and William Linton. Released as their first single, the song reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track sold over one million records and received a gold disc award from the R.I.A.A. "Easier Said Than Done" charted at #41 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1963.
Rudolph Johnson left the group, and the Essex became a quartet. Three months after "Easier Said Than Done" reached #1 in July 1963, the group had a #12 hit with the follow-up song, "A Walkin' Miracle" in September 1963. On the label of this single, the group name appeared as 'The Essex Featuring Anita Humes.' "She's Got Everything", their next single, written by Jimmy Radcliffe and Oramay Diamond, was a #56 hit. Being marines made it hard for the group to take advantage of their hits; for example, before long, Johnson was posted to Okinawa. Rodney Taylor was killed in 1966 in New York City during an attempted mugging. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Gary, Indiana. All of his former band mates attended his funeral.
Humes released several solo singles for Roulette, but had no chart success. She died on May 30, 2010, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, aged 69."
Article on Anita Humes, who did tours with both the Marine Corps and the Army, and was an Army wife for 24 years.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/content/blog-post/don-rhodes/2010-06-09/goodbye-anita-humes-chappelle
Last edited:
Retrodeb54
Surely you jest ...
LIKE
Thank you for making a rainy day bright. I love the song of course, but the added TRIVA is such a bonus.
Dancing in my seat and
ing loud and happy.
Thank you for making a rainy day bright. I love the song of course, but the added TRIVA is such a bonus.
Dancing in my seat and
ing loud and happy.