The “Golden Hits Of The 70s” 

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PRESIDENTS

“5-10-15-20 (25-30 YEARS OF LOVE)”

(Tony Boyd, Archie Powell)

Sussex 207

No. 11   December 26, 1970

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None of their former labels, nor usually knowledgeable industry heads, could tell us much about the

Presidents.  While they did sell some records, they received scant coverage in the media.  So here is what

little could be gleaned:  Tony Boyd, Archie Powell, and Billy Short­er were from Washington (others insist

that they were from Philadelphia). Before their limited success on Sus­sex, they had recorded for Hollywood

(1968) and Deluxe (1969-1970, with “Gold Wal,” “Which Way,” and “Lover’s Psalm”).  Possibly, they are

the same Presi­dents that recorded for Warner Bros. in 1961.  Some have claimed that they sang “Pots &

Pans” for Mercury the following year, though the Chi-Lites’ Marshall Thompson has told this writer that the

latter disk was his group incognito.

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Only four 45s are known to have been issued by the group while on Sussex; all successfully made the R&B

charts: “For You” (#45, 1970), “Triangle of Love (Hey Diddle Diddle)” (#5, 1971), “The Sweetest Thing This

Side of Heaven” (#30, 1971), and their monster-sized moment, “5-10-15-20.” Mysteriously, Archie, Bill, and

Tony reappeared on a Columbia chartin–“On and Off (Part 1)” (R&B: #41, 1972)–as Anacostia.  Presum­

ably, the Presidents no longer exist, though as Anacos­tia, they did continue to have numerous disks issued

by Columbia (1972-1975), MCA (1977), Tabu (1978- 1979), and possibly Roulette (1984).