Who was/is The Tams ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more

The Tams

What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)

The Tams

What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)

Atlanta had long been an R&B hotbed, but The Tams were one of the city's precious few vocal groups. Named after the blue headgear they modeled onstage during their formative years, they consisted of brothers Joseph (born November 6, 1933) and Charles Pope, Floyd Ashton, Horace Key, and bass singer Robert Lee Smith. Atlanta entrepreneur Bill Lowery, who owned the NRC label (home to such future stars as Ray Stevens, Joe South, and Jerry Reed), was their manager.

The Tams cut South's Untie Me at Rick Hall's fledgling Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Lowery assigning the master to Philadelphia's Arlen Records. The result was a #12 R&B hit in late 1962. Their Arlen follow-ups didn't follow suit, but Lowery didn't give up. At a subsequent Muscle Shoals date, the quintet waxed What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am), Joe Pope's gritty lead vocal contrasting with a trilling flute and swirling rhythm. Penned by another Lowery protege, Ray Whitley, it rocketed to #9 pop after Lowery engineered a pact for the group with ABC-Paramount Records.

The Tams continued to score hits for ABC—You Lied To Your Daddy and its flip It's All Right (You're Just In Love), Hey Girl Don't Bother Me, and Silly Little Girl later in '64 and the buoyant Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy in 1968. Their later hits were cut in Atlanta at Master Sound Studios rather than in Muscle Shoals, Al Cottle, Jr. replacing Ashton in 1964. The Tams' original ABC version of Whitley's I've Been Hurt was a regional hit but a '69 pop smash for Bill Deal & The Rhondels, who covered What Kind Of Fool the same year and had another sizable seller.

Long after The Tams stopped piercing the charts, they maintained their following on the Carolina beach music scene. In 1987, they scored a UK hit with There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin'. Though Joe Pope died March 16, 1996, his brother Charles continues to lead one Tams group, while Smith leads a rival Tams aggregation. 

- Bill Dahl -

Various - Sweet Soul Music

31 Scorching Classics From 1964

Read more at: https://www.bear-family.de/various-sweet-soul-music-31-scorching-classics-from-1964.html
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More information about The Tams on Wikipedia.org

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Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy (CD)
The Tams: Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy (CD) Art-Nr.: CDFAB165

Item has to be restocked

(Acrobat) 18 tracks This 18 track album showcases the talents of one of most memorable soul bands of the 60's and 70's. It includes their hits 'What Kind Of Fool' 'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me' and the anthemic title track 'Be Young Be...
$11.26
Hey Girl Don't Bother Me - Take Away (7inch, 45rpm)
The Tams: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me - Take Away (7inch,... Art-Nr.: 45ABC10573

the very last 1 available
Ready to ship today, delivery time** appr. 1-3 workdays

Original 45rpm record on 'ABC-Paramount' from 1964.
$16.92
The Best Of The Tams (CD)
The Tams: The Best Of The Tams (CD) Art-Nr.: CDBGO266

the very last 1 available
Ready to ship today, delivery time** appr. 1-3 workdays

(BGO) 14 tracks 1963-1968
$22.58
Hey Girl Don't Bother Me (CD)
The Tams: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me (CD) Art-Nr.: CDHMN032

This article is deleted and can no longer be ordered!

​(Spectrum) 22 tracks
$5.60