About The Slades
Hometown
Austin, TX, United States
Formed
1957
Genre
R&B/Soul
The Slades -- Don Burch, Bobby Doyle, John Goeke, and Tommy Kasper -- formed at Lamar High School in Austin, Texas, later adding Jimmy Davis. Signing with the fledging Domino Records after graduation, they put college on hold, much to their parents' chagrin. In 1957, Burch's composition "You Mean Everything to Me" started making noise. Unable to distribute nationally, Domino leased it to Dot Records for $600. "You Cheated" became their biggest hit. Its flipside was a dance song called "The Waddle." They recorded at the University of Texas' Radio House, and later at Austin Recording. Bobby Doyle, a blind child prodigy, played standup bass on the sessions. Domino started with 11 people who pooled resources for financing. Listeners' thought little of Domino's pick, but loved "You Cheated" and played the aching ballad. Once again, bigger companies clamored for a lease deal, but Domino refused, upset at the small amount of revenue received before and furious that the sales plummeted under Liberty's imprint. Domino's refusal prompted a distributor to provide funds for George Motola, head of Tender Records, to cut a cover version. Motola assembled a group of Los Angeles R&B singers and cloned the recording. Now you had two choices: the Slades and the Shields. Tender leased the Shields' cover to Dot Records and it smoked the original -- zooming to number 12, while the Slades' stalled at number 42 in 1958. The cover benefitted Domino, which also published the song. But the competition destroyed the Texas natives' shot at fame. "You Gambled" followed; it made Billboard's Hot Pics then died. In 1959, they released "Summertime" to deaf ears. "Just You" dropped in 1961, and later that year "Take My Heart" came and went unnoticed. A final release, "I Cheated" answered "You Cheated." When the answer song failed, the guys called it a day. Only Davis had his heart in music, and their parents wanted them to quit. Besides, they hated touring: in Arkansas, they practically got booed off the stage, and were only appreciated in West Texas. Domino and Burch profited from "Mr. Blue, " a number one hit, because Dolton Records made the Fleetwoods' remake of "You Mean Everything to Me" the B-side. The Domino Records Story on Ace Records includes almost every Slades recording, and some by other Domino artists. ~ Andrew Hamilton
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