b. James Walter Castor, 23rd June 1940, Manhattan, New York, U.S.A.
d. 16th January 2012, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.
Jimmy Castor's group comprised, at varying times, of:
Gerry Thomas (keyboards),
Ellwood Henderson (drums),
Paul Forney (bass),
Doug Gibson (bass),
Harry Jensen (guitar),
Langdon Fridie Jnr. (percussion)
William King (bongo's)
Nate Wingfield (guitar)
Jeffrey Grimes (guitar)
and
Robert Manigault (drums)
Jimmy Castor began his recording career as a doo wop singer in New York.
He was recording at the same time as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers during the mid-50's.
i promise to remember - 1956 / she's just my size - 1960
Jimmy wrote and recorded 'I Promise to Remember' b/w 'I Know The Meaning Of Love' for the Wing imprint with Jimmy Castor and the Juniors in 1956, a group whose line-up included Al Casey Jr., Orton Graves, and Johnny Williams.
Jimmy later replaced Frankie Lymon in the Teenagers in 1957.
He briefly sang with Lewis Lymon & The Teenchords, and the Harlem based group The Clintonian Cubs in 1960, releasing two 45's on the My Brothers imprint.
He then took to playing the sax, following which he finished school and returned to the music business in the mid 60's, forming the Jimmy Castor Bunch.
from the roots - 1967 / hey leroy - 1968 / we just begun - 1972 / phase II - 1972
The group had a U.S. soul hit in 1967 with 'Hey Leroy', on Smash Records, and then disappeared for six years.
Jimmy, additionally, played sax on Dave 'Baby' Cortez's hit 'Rinky Dink.'
In 1972, now signed to RCA Records, where the line-up consisted of:
Gerry Thomas (keyboards),
Doug Gibson (bass),
Harry Jensen (guitar),
Lenny Fridie Jnr. (percussion)
and
Robert Manigault (drums)
This incarnation immediately scored with 'Troglodyte (Cave Man)', which reached number 6 in the U.S. singles chart.
dimension III - 1973 / the everything man - 1974 / butt of course - 1974 / supersound - 1975
Jimmy continued the trend in 1975 with 'The Bertha Butt Boogie' and later recorded 'E-Man Boogie', 'King Kong' (Atlantic Records 1975), 'Bom Bom', and 'Amazon'.
Gerry Thomas then left to join the Fatback Band.
e-man groovin - 1976 / maximum stimulation - 1977 / let it out - 1978 / i love monsters - 1979
The Jimmy Castor Bunch went on to record several albums for various labels, four of which charted in the U.S.A. during the 70's.
Jimmy recorded as a solo performer from 1980 until 1988.
the jimmy castor bunch - 1979 / c - 1980 / the return of leroy - 1983 / best of - 1995
1979's album, 'The Jimmy Castor Bunch' featured vocal input from the original female vocal group, The Chantels.
Jimmy Castor had one of his bigger hits in 1988, a revival of Barbara Acklin's evergreen 'Love Makes a Woman', which teamed him up with the singer Joyce Sims.
Jimmy ran his own label, Long Distance, during the 1980's, whilst also releasing singles for the Salsoul, Kinetic, Dream, Catawba and CMF imprints.
In 2003, a new single was released, entitled, 'I Got Something For Ya'.
In recent years he lived in New Jersey before relocating to Nevada in 1996.
In November 2011, Jimmy suffered a heart attack and underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery.
Jimmy passed away in January 2012 in Nevada.
the jimmy castor bunch
...you can check Jimmy's official website, right here...
Albums:
From The Roots (Smash Records 1967)
Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Calling! (Smash Records 1968)
It's Just Begun (RCA Records 1972)
Phase Two, (RCA Records 1972)
Dimension III (Atlantic Records 1973)
Everything Man (Atlantic Records 1974)
Butt Of Course (Atlantic Records 1974)
Supersound (Atlantic Records 1975)
E-Man Groovin' (Atlantic Records 1976)
Maximum Stimulation (Atlantic Records 1977)
Let It Out (Drive Records 1978)
I Love Monsters (Drive Records 1979)
Jimmy Castor Bunch (Cotillion Records 1979)
'C' (Long Distance Records 1980)
E-Man Boogie '82 (Salsoul Records 1982)
The Return Of Leroy (Dream Records 1983)
