This R & B vocal group from East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.A, comprised:
Phil Perry (b. 1st January 1952, Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A.) - lead vocalist
David Frye
George McLellan
Kevin Sanlin (b. 1953)
and
Clifford 'Scotty' Williams.
They Montclairs were a Sweet Soul vocal group who were, actually, named after a local brand of cigarettes!
The group recorded their first single in 1969, which was only distributed in the St. Louis area, and the following year began recording for bandleader / producer, the late, Oliver Sain at his Archway Studio.
They also recorded 'Hey You! Don't Fight It!' on Arch in the late 60's, and recorded other sides for the Vanessa, Premium and United International imprints.
Sain arranged for the group to be signed with Paula Records, based in Shreveport, Louisiana.
At Paula the group released the songs for the label, 'Dreaming Out Of Season' (number 34 R & B), in 1972, 'Beggin' Is Hard To Do' (number 33 on Billboard) and 'Make Up For Lost Time' (number 46 R & B) in 1974.
In 1974, Clifford Williams was drafted into the U.S. military and the group continued as a quartet.
Their only album, 'Dreamin' Out Of Season', was released in 1972, with the track 'Prelude To A Heartbreak' (number 70 R & B) released as a single the following year.
Their last chart record was 'Baby You Know (I'm Gonna Miss You)' (number 40 on Billboards charts) in 1974.
After the Montclairs left Paula in 1975, they disbanded.
phil perry and kevin sanlin
In 1979, Phil Perry moved to Los Angeles, hooking up with producer Chuck Jackson who signed the singer to Capitol, along with Kevin Sanlin of the Montclairs, to form the duo Perry & Sanlin.
Their first single reached number 81.
They continued as songwriters and freelance producers. Perry issued his own debut LP, 'The Heart Of The Man', for Capitol in 1991.
phil perry
Several solo releases followed into the new millennium.
Albums:
Dreaming Out Of Season (Paula Records 1972)
