BOB CREWE–born and labeled Stanley Crewe–had been a male model and a less then big time teen
idol. At a party in Philadephia in the mid’50s, he met a piano-puncher named Frank C. Slay. Jr. Frank
worked for Cameo Records by day and the British information Service by night. Amidst the consumption
of alcohol, the two hit it off, and talked of making their way in the world of pop music. Soon after, they
formed song- writing partnership and set up alittle label called XYZ.
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One night while riding the rails into Philly, Bob caught sight of a silhouette of two lovers in a warm
embrace; the reverberated in his cranium; it stuck. Crewe told Slay of the incident, and one evening while
shuffllng papers for the Brits, Frank wrote the story line. Crewe created the chorus and thought up the
title.
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First tenor Walter Ford (b. Sept. 5, 1931, Lexington, KY), baritone Harry James (b. 1932), second tenor
Davey Jones (b. 1931), and lead vocalist Harold “Hal’ Miller (b. Jan. 17,1931) were the Brooklyn-based
Rays. Hal and Davey had recorded with the Four Fellows, whose 1955 hit, “Soldier Boy,” a had peaked at
number four on the R&B listings; totally missing the pop action.
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When the Rays met the proprietors of XYZ, they had been together only a year or so. Chess had issued
their “Tippity Top, but it had flopped. While doing his workaday chores at Cameo, Slay overheard the
group’s audition for the label. Cameo turned them down flat away, on the spot. but legend has it that
Frank chased after them and signed them up with XYZ.
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“Silhouette” b/w “Daddy Cool” was a double-sided smash; a true rarity, meaning that both sides of the
disk were getting heavy airplay. Ah, this was a monster hit and a double rarity in that the disk went top
10 on both the pop and R&B charts–peaking at number three on both. For the next two years, Crewe
and Slay put forth a number of goodies on their own XYZ and their Topix label, and,
through a Leasing arrangement, Cameo. Eventually, the persistence paid off and the Rays returned to the
airwaves with “Mediterranean Moon” (#95, 1960) and its copycat sister tune, “Magic Moon (Clair De
Lune)” (#49,1961).
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Soon after bad vibes or some such–possibly money disputes–had Hal Miller & his Rays walk away from
Crese and Slay. The two label men had some stuff that needed a release. No group. Meanwhile Frankie
Valle & his variously label Four Seasons/Lovers/Travelers were available and at least one 45 disk were
put out improperly utilizing the name “Hal Miller & the Rays.”
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“Listen, we’re no One-Hit wonders, said Hal Miller, in an all to brief exclusive interview. “Silhouettes was a B-I-G hit! I was working for the city when it happened; and when we didn’t get our money and we couldn’t do it again, I went back to my job. I took 16 months leave, to give it a try. When it wasn’t paying off, I returned to my job. That’s it; story ended.”
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While the Rays failed to return, “Silhouettes” made the listings again–here and abroad–by Herman’s hermits and Cliff Richard; the flip-side, “Daddy Cool” granted chartings for BONEY M and the Darts.
