The “Golden Hits Of The 60s”
Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After
SONNY CHARLES &
THE CHECKMATES. LTD.
“BLACK PEARL”
(Phil Spector, Toni Wine, Irwin Levine)
A & M 1053
No. 13 July 5, 1969
.
.
SONNY CHARLES (b. Charles Hemphill, Sept. 4, 1940, Fort Wayne, IN, lead vocals, keyboards), Marvin
“Sweet Louie” Smith (b. Sept. 25, 1940, Fort Wayne, drums), and Bobby Stevens (b. Sept. 6, 1939, Fort
Wayne, lead vocals) grew up together, played together, and attended the same Fort Wayne, Indiana, high
school. In 1958, they started performing together as the Checkmates, Inc., playing blues, rock, and light
jazz. In the ’60s, Bill Van Buskirk (b. Feb. 7, 1941, Fort Wayne, bass) and Harvey Trees (b. June 14,
1940, Aitkin, MN, guitar) were added, making the group multi-racial. The guys had one 45 issued in
1963 on the Chicago-based I.R.P. label and then were sidetracked for a few years by military service; but
on their return, the group’s persistence paid off with gigs throughout the Midwest and ultimately, Las
Vegas.
.
While working the Pussycat A Go-Go, a late-night desert resort where the stars would stop by, the
Checkmates were spotted by Nancy Wilson. She offered to manage the group, so a deal was struck the
next morning; Wilson handled the Checkmates for several years. Under her direction, they appeared at
swanky venues like Caesar’s Palace, the Coconut Grove, and the Copa. In 1966, Wilson secured a
recording contract for them with Capitol Records, but “Do the Walk,” “Mastered in the Art of Love,” and
a critically acclaimed LP (The Checkmates Live in Las Vegas) failed to sell.
.
Meanwhile, the legendary Phil Spector, after a two year hiatus, was ready to return to the studio. His
deal with A & M called for him to produce some sides on the Checkmates. Their A & M debut, “Love Is
All I Have to Give” (#65, 1969)–penned by Stevens and Spector–almost clicked. Their second effort,
“Black Pear” is considered one of Spector’s finest productions.
.
All, however, was not bliss. The billing on “Black Pearl’s” label read “Sonny Charles & The Checkmates,
Ltd.” and Bobby Stevens, a founding member and co-lead singer, was not pleased. “Proud Mary” (#69,
1969)–credited to “The Checkmates, Ltd. featuring Sonny Charles” and also produced by Spector–and a
hastily assembled album, reportedly budgeted at $450,000, were released. As “Sweet Louie” Smith told
Black Stars, the album “didn’t make us a dime.” Further recording plans fizzled, and in 1970, the
Checkmates split up.
.
The group has since reformed, separated, reformed, separated…. For a while, they had their own record
label (Rustic), their own TV production company (Associated Video Artists), and their own L.A. night
spot (The Club). In 1976, Bobby and “Sweet Louie” returned the Checkmates, Ltd. to the R & B charts
with “All Alone by the Telephone” (#97) for Polydor. Sonny Charles had a solo hit in 1983 on the
Highrise label with “Put It in a Magazine” (#40; R&B: #2). Following this solo charting, Sonny reported
returned to the fold … for awhile.