The Seminoles

Early-'50s and -'60s Detroit blue-eyed soul vocal groups usually had great first tenor leads, and the Seminoles were no exception. These smooth harmonizers, led by Joey Finazzo and consisting of members Andy, Al, and Paul (last names unknown), debuted with "Open Your Eyes" b/w "True Love" in 1961 on local hopeful Go Gee Records. The record got their name known around town, and local disc jockeys gave it a few spins, but it was nothing special. When Roquel "Billy" Davis left Anna Records to form Checkmate Records, he gave the Seminoles a shot. "It Takes a Lot," released May 1962, was starting to do something when Roquel closed Checkmate to take an A&R position with Chess Records (who distributed Anna and Checkmate), leaving the Seminoles in a lurch. Not for long, though -- Hi-Lite Records picked up the song and managed to get an area hit for their troubles. A second Hi Lite release, "Trouble in Mind" b/w "Have You Got Love," bombed. They were the Embers for one release on Act IV Records, "Forever" b/w "You Can Lump It"; when Act IV failed to do anything, the Seminoles took the master to Midtown Records who re-released the sides as the Seminoles. It didn't matter, the single still failed to ignite and the Seminoles disbanded. Finazzo later toured with the New World Symphony and sang with the Larados, whose members also include the Reflections' lead singer Tony Micale, John Dean, and two original Larados members. ~ Andrew Hamilton