Concepts
Catamount Recording Artist
The Concepts
Jersey City, NJ
An Acappella Street Corner Vocal Group
Abraham Santiago - Juan Perez - Ed Rivera - Amed Valentine
This Bio provided by Abe Santiago - 2004 and 2013
From the street corners of Jersey City came the impassioned sound of the Concepts. The group was formed in 1962 when they were students at Ferris High School. The celebrated entrepreneur and sage of urban street corner harmony Stan Krause discovered the Concepts along with the Royal Counts.
Although the Concepts had a repertoire of songs, they only produced a single recording for Catamount records. Their single, "The Vow" and their Spanish recording "Yo Me Pregunto"(I ask myself) was one of the first ever acappella recording in a foreign language by a singing group; the exception was the Valrays who recorded the same song on Parkway records in 1963.
Their third recording,"Our Anniversary" was featured on the album "I Dig Acappella Volume 2" on the Cat-Time label, a joint venture of Catamount and Siamese records. They are most remembered by their fans for their 45 single recording.
Although the Concepts had a repertoire of songs, they only produced a single recording for Catamount records. Their single, "The Vow" and their Spanish recording "Yo Me Pregunto"(I ask myself) was one of the first ever acappella recording in a foreign language by a singing group; the exception was the Valrays who recorded the same song on Parkway records in 1963.
Their third recording,"Our Anniversary" was featured on the album "I Dig Acappella Volume 2" on the Cat-Time label, a joint venture of Catamount and Siamese records. They are most remembered by their fans for their 45 single recording.
Their distinctive vocal harmony style gives them a place in the history of urban street corner music.
E-Mail/Information Provided by Abraham Santiago - 18 April 2004 Dear Tom, I'm writing to you because I was thrilled to find someone from Jersey City! The group that I sang with "The Concepts" was one of the early groups that Stan Krause recorded. I'm sure we met each other in Journal Square. Those years in Jersey City was fun years for all of us who sang. We all came from Ferris High school and as you know, we sang together with lots of the groups that was around during that time. Like many of the groups that Stan recorded, we only made one single on the Catamount label and was featured on the album"I Dig Acappella Volume 2" (Cat Time Records). I didn't know that Stan Krause was still around or is he? The guys that I sang with are still around. I live here in Chicago, Juan Perez lives in California, Ed Rivera lives in New York and Amed Valentine the lead vocalist of our group passed away about seven years ago. Ed Rivera continues to sing with his group "Harborside", his group is part of the UGHA. When I visit back east we meet in in PA. We all get together and blow some notes like we use to. Drop me a line if you get a chance. I'm sure we know each other or at least hung out with each other. Yours in perfect harmony, Abraham Santiago Abe |
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