VIVIAN CARTER AND VEE JAY RECORDS

followed, including “Oh What a Night” the most successful independent labels company’s audition studio before doing by the Dells in 1956. Vivian Carter during rock and roll’s coming-of-age, Vee “For Your Precious Love.” Butler recalled: enjoyed her newfound wealth to the hilt, Jay attracted aspiring harmony groups “As we got into the song, Calvin’s eyes lit riding around Gary and Chicago in a gold from around the country, as well as locally, up. He shouted, ‘That’s it! That’s it! That’s Cadillac and often sporting an expensive including the Impressions (formerly the the one. Abner, get me some contracts.’” mink coat. Sometimes she would preview Roosters) featuring Jerry Butler and Curtis Then five guys walked in, the Spaniels test recordings at the record shop, playing Mayfield. themselves, and Carter had them do “Pre­ them through a loudspeaker while patrons Butler’s group performed more than cious Love” again. For a moment Butler listened and sometimes danced. One of a dozen songs for Calvin Carter at the feared they might be secretly recording the song and preparing to steal it or give it to Hudson’s group. Soon afterwards, they re­ corded “For Your Precious Love” and three other songs over two days at Chicago’s Universal Studios. Carter rushed an acetate to Vivian, who opened her WWCA radio show that night with “For Your Precious Love.” A smash hit in 1958, the song earned the group a gold record, and it later was ranked Number 327 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs” of all-time. One of Vee Jay’s most innovative re­ cording artists was Delectus “Dee” Clark, whose family moved to Chicago from Bly- theville, Arkansas, in 1941 when Dee was three years old. Matriarch Delecta Clark, a gospel singer, encouraged him to pursue a music career. Just fourteen years old when he had a hit, “Hambone,” as a member of the Hambone Kids, he embarked on a solo career in 1957 after recording for the Vee Jay subsidiary label Falcon/Abner as a member of the Cool Gents (named after the nickname of Chicago deejay Herb Kent) and The Delegates. Clark’s first hit came in 1959 with “Nobody but You,” followed by the unforgettable “Hey Little Girl.” Its first verse goes: “Hey Little Girl in the high school sweater / Gee, but I’d like to know you better / A-just swinging your books and chewin’ gum / A-lookin’ just like a juicy plum / Hey, hey-hey, hey-hey, hey, hey / Little girl.” Clark’s groundbreaking ballad, “Raindrops,” Vivian Carter during her days at “the hostess who brings you the mostest” on Gary, Indiana’s released in 1961, reached number two WWCA radio station, an ABC affiliate. Established in 1949 by Dee O. Coe, WWCA covered high school sports and had a number o f popular daytime programs. on the Billboard charts, surpassed only by

52 | TRACES | Winter 2011