The Manhattans

The Manhattans are an American R&B vocal group. Their songs "Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's "Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the Billboard R&B Chart, including twelve top-10 R&B hits in the United States, starting in 1965. Sixteen of their songs have reached the Billboard Hot 100, including two top 10s and a number-one hit with their song "Kiss and Say Goodbye". They also charted eight U.S. R&B top 20 Albums, three of which were RIAA certified gold. The Manhattans were inducted into The Atlantic City Walk of Fame in September 2024.The Manhattans, originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, formed in 1962 with members George "Smitty" Smith (December 28, 1939 – December 16, 1970), Edward "Sonny" Bivins (January 15, 1936 – December 3, 2014), Winfred "Blue" Lovett (November 16, 1936 – December 9, 2014), Kenny "Wally" Kelly (January 9, 1941 – February 17, 2015), and Richard "Ricky" Taylor (1940 – December 7, 1987). Bivins, Lovett, and Kelly graduated from Lincoln High School, while Taylor and Smith graduated from Snyder High School. All five enlisted in the armed forces and came together as a group following their discharges from their respective branches.The group's first single was "For the Very First Time", released in 1964 by Carnival Records. The Manhattans continued recording successfully with songs written by various members of the group. In 1968, the group received the "Most Promising Group" award by NATRA (the National Association of Television and Radio Announcers). In 1969, the group moved to the De Luxe record label, a subsidiary of King Records, and subsequently embarked on a college tour. While playing at Kittrell College in North Carolina, the group met another group, the New Imperials, featuring Gerald Alston, nephew of The Shirelles' lead singer, Shirley Alston-Reeves. They were so impressed with Alston that they asked him to join the group, but he declined.Misfortune hit the group late in 1970 when Smith fell ill. The value of this dynamic lead singer can neither be undervalued nor forgotten, with songs such as "I'm the One Love Forgot" and others that first established the group's popularity. With Smith unable to perform, the group began to search for a new lead. First they attempted to woo The Cymbals' lead, Lee Williams, but he was unwilling to leave his current group. The group then renewed their request to Gerald Alston (born November 8, 1951), who accepted and took over the lead spot. Smith died of a brain tumor on December 16, 1970, 12 days before his 31st birthday.The Manhattans continued recording throughout the 1970s with Alston singing lead vocals. They struck chart gold in 1973 with the Bivins-written song "There's No Me Without You". Then their biggest song was their March 1976 release "Kiss and Say Goodbye", written by Blue Lovett and arranged/co-produced with the group by the Philadelphia-based record producer Bobby Martin, a former member of the MFSB band of session musicians. The song quickly became a number-1 chart-topper on both the US Billboard Pop and R&B charts. It also became the second ever single to go platinum, after the RIAA introduced that certification level in 1976. Taylor left in 1976 to concentrate on his conversion to Islam. He died in 1987 after a long illness.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.