Formed 1956, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
The Tymes comprised of:
George Williams (b. George Reginald Williams Jr, 6th December 1935, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. d. 28th July 2004, Maple Shade, New Jersey, U.S.A.)
George Hilliard
Donald Banks (d. 7th October 2011, U.S.A.)
Albert 'Ceasar' Berry
and
Norman Bumett
The Tymes were formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1956.
Originally in 1956, the group were called the Latineers, and comprised of Donald Banks, Albert Berry, Norman Burnett and George Hilliard.
The Latineers performed on the club circuit in Philadelphia for a four year period, at which time they enlisted a lead vocalist called George (Reginald) Williams to their ranks, and renamed themselves the Tymes in 1960.
During the early Sixties the Tymes signed with the Cameo Parkway imprint and achieved chart success with their first single 'So Much In Love' b/w 'Roscoe James McClain' (in 1963).
The same year, the group released the singles 'Wonderful! Wonderful!' b/w 'Come With Me To The Sea' and 'Somewhere' b/w 'View From My Window'.
so much in love - 1963 / the sound of the wonderful tymes - 1964
They released a debut album that year, titled 'So Much In Love', followed by 'The Sound Of The Wonderful Tymes', also in 1963.
somewhere - 1964 / people - 1968
The Tymes left the Cameo Parkway label in 1966, signing initially with the MGM label, later to the Winchester and Columbia labels in 1968.
After relocating to RCA in 1971, The Tymes achieved success with two 1974 releases, namely 'You Little Trustmaker' and 'Ms. Grace' (which became the group's biggest U.K. hit, reaching Number One in the UK Singles Chart in 1975).
trustmaker - 1974 / the tymes - 1976
'Ms Grace', was less well received in the U.S., however, it became a regional hit with the Carolina Beach Music scene.
Although the original line-up stayed intact for several years, George Hilliard, then Albert 'Caesar' Berry, eventually left the group.
In 1976, their self titled album contained the track 'It's Cool', a song later recorded by Luther Vandross, who sang sessions for the Ensign Records group, Mascara in 1979.
turning point - 1976 / diggin' their roots - 1977
They were replaced by the singers Terri Gonzalez and Melanie Moore in 1977.
The Tymes continued to tour into the new millennium, the line-up featuring Donald Banks, Albert Berry, Norman Burnett, Lafayette Gamble and Jimmy Wells, during 2003.
George Williams later recorded with the mid-eighties jazz group 'The Chosen Three', but sadly passed away in July 2004.
The Tymes initial release, 'So Much in Love' was elected to the Songs of the Century in 2001.In 2005 The Tymes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
donald banks
Donald Banks, the bass singer for the group, died from complications of a stroke and cancer in October 2011.
Albums:
So Much In Love (Cameo Parkway Records 1963)
The Sound Of The Wonderful Tymes (Cameo Parkway Records 1963)
Somewhere (Cameo Parkway Records 1964)
People (Direction Records 1968)
Trustmaker (RCA Records 1974)
Tymes Up (RCA Records 1976)
Turning Point (RCA Records 1976)
Digging Their Roots (RCA Records 1977)
