"Two People in the World," written by Barrett and Wright, was recorded at the first session of the newly-christened quintet. But they persisted until he finally gave in and convinced label boss George Goldner to give them the go-ahead, changing their name in the process to something more regal and impressive: The Imperials. Barrett gave them the money to pay off the debt, and even though he liked their sound, he wasn't interested in signing them since he already had a full plate with hitmakers The Dubs and The Chantels, in addition to an up-and-coming new group, The Miracles, whose lead singer, Smokey Robinson, had a vocal quality similar to Anthony's. They told him they hadn't made any money off their record but owed Apollo 125 dollars for their stage outfits. But Berman's company was in a state of disarray by 1958, so the group approached Richard Barrett of the Gone and End labels, hoping for a shot with the presumably more stable company. They had no trouble getting in the door at Bess Berman's Apollo Records and cut a single near the end of the year, "The Fires Burn No More," featuring Anthony's falsetto lead vocal. After the first two in '57, Anthony left to join The Chesters, a group his friend, baritone Clarence Collins, sang in with bass Nate Rogers and tenors Tracy Lord and Ernest Wright, Jr. They were good enough to have three singles released between 19, each on a different record label: Winley, Royal Roost and Roulette. Like the company that first made its mark manufacturing gunpowder more than 200 years ago, these Duponts made an explosive sound.in the neighborhood, at least. He started going down that winding road in 1955 while still in high school, singing with The Duponts in an area of Brooklyn where it was hard to find a street corner that hadn't been taken over by a doo wop group. He was a member of three vocal groups and tried a solo career on his way to pop stardom, and though it took a few years, things worked out nicely for him. Anthony Gourdine knows this all too well. Getting that second hit, or third, can be more difficult.
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