The Uplifters were an American boy quartet group founded by Ricky Vandella and Frank Davis on May 13, 1969. The group officially left Sunbow in 1976, and joined Atlantic Records the same year and left in 1978 and rejoined Sunbow. The group disbanded in 1986.
Origins and career[]
Early years: 1955-1967[]
Ricky Vandella and Frank Davis started singing together in church as children. As in their teenage years, Ricky and Frank started to communicate with each other as friends and moved to Corpus Christi until 1967, and then progressively, formed a group. They went back to Albuquerque and got a contract from Taylor Price to sign to Sunbow. After receiving a contract from Price, they accepted it and Ricky befriended Price.
Pre-debut years & shooting: 1969[]
As Mentin Benz and James Trevor got into Sunbow, they started to hold out auditions from April 1969 to May 1969. On May 13, 1969, they formed together as The Uplifters. They were rumors and speculations about who thought of the name of the group. Rumors say it was either Ricky or Frank, the founder of the group. As they formed, they decided to perform in clubs like Albuquerque’s The Sarasota Club, and Detroit’s Roostertail.
On August 6, 1969, Rick was heading to a local convenience store in Albuquerque. After he got out of that store, he was robbed by a unknown white man and got shot by his right side of the waist. Only to be found out; that he did not get hit by a single bone.
After he got shot, he was taken to a local hospital and Frank came to check on Ricky’s condition. Ricky didn’t want to file a lawsuit, instead, Ricky only just said “I will be alright.” to Frank.
Cloud Nine, I Can't Get Next To You, Greetings! ...This Is The Uplifters and summer tour: 1969- summer 1970[]
The Uplifters insisted on Ricky Vandella, Frank Davis, James Trevor & Mentin Benz; The upcoming success that would follow the group results in what could happen, in later years. In December 1969, their new producer Louis Whitfield requested them a song that he originally wrote, “Cloud Nine” with James Trevor on lead, and next year, they released it as a single that would soon be the Top 40 hit in May.
After the enormous success at the end of the year, they went on to start making more songs written by Whitfield, Vandella and so on. On May 6, 1970, they released their second single, “I Can’t Get Next To You” that reached the Top 40 Roboard hits. Several days later, their debut album “Greetings! ...This is The Uplifters” released on May 19, 1970. After their debut, Price and Vandella announced the group’s tour in the summer.
Soon after, they opened their tour at Carnegie Hall on June 15, 1970. Not to mention, their third single “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” was released.
Autumn tour, For Once In My Life, Nu'soul, Ricky's solo career, Regina, Mentin's death and Red Bull: late 1970-1972[]
Throughout autumn 1970, they had sold out shows in colleges, arenas and nightclubs, and in between, recorded their next album. "For Once In My Life" was released on December 16, 1970 to commercial success, and their third album "Nu'soul" was released 16 days later, on January 1, 1971. After, they went on a 1 year hiatus, occasionally releasing singles from the two albums.
Ricky decided to record and release a solo album during their hiatus, which became "R.H.V", and it released on July 12, 1971. Ricky also produced the song "Move Over" by the first female artist at Sunbow, Regina. He also wrote a song for her debut album "Regina.", which released on January 2, 1972.
Most of the members besides Ricky left in June, and during the consideration whether The Uplifters would continue, three new members joined the group, including Brown Clarkson but he was a temporary member, so there was Jeremiah Easton. Their next album "Red Bull" was released on February 3, 1972, and their tour began earlier in the year.
Sadly on February 20, 1972, Mentin passed away at his home due to an overdose. A concert scheduled for that date was cancelled, and the following concerts were played in tribute to him. The Uplifters continued to tour throughout spring and summer 1972, selling out festivals and arenas. They performed Sunbow Revue 72 at the Nippon Budokan in May, which was filled with technical difficulties. Nonetheless, the Japanese papers called it the "best show of Japan's history."
Lineup[]
Classic Era (May 1969- June 1971)[]
- Ricky Vandella
- Frank Davis
- Mentin Benz
- James Trevor
July 1971 - December 23, 1971[]
- Ricky Vandella
- Freddie Vincent
- Brown Clarkson
- Anthony Toussaint
Prime Era (December 27, 1971 - November 1972)[]
- Ricky Vandella
- Freddie Vincent
- Jeremiah Easton
- Anthony Toussaint
Exodus Era (December 1972 - October 1977, February 14, 1979 - July 22, 1986)[]
- RIcky Vandella
- Frosty Bennett
- Jeremiah Easton
- Anthony Toussaint