One of the
most celebrated musicians who contributed to "The Norfolk Sound" was
multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and label owner Lenis
Guess. Born on February 27th, 1940, Lenis was entertaining his family at an
early age. By the time he was seventeen he joined a vocal group called the Blue
Beards and started entering talent shows. Inspired by his talent show success,
he decided to pursue a recording career.
In 1966
he signed a contract to record his first release with Frank Guida. The single,
"Working For My Baby" b/w "Just Ask Me" (SPQR 1002) would
become the record that really launched the long career of Lenis. He would
oversee Guida's operation for the following three years and continued releasing
45s on Guida's many labels. In 1969 he founded D.P.G. Records along with
Kenneth Deal, a recording artist and George Perkins, a club owner. Tragically,
Kenneth Deal was killed in a car accident shortly after releasing "What
Have You Heard" b/w "Clown Suit" (D.P.G. 1006) under his stage
name Terry Sinclair. Guess and Perkins continued releasing 45s of local talent
though, most notably Sir Guy & his Rocking Cavaliers.
In 1970,
after Perkins and Guess parted over artistic differences, Lenis and gifted
engineer Dorsey "Brock" Brockington opened up their own recording
studio, Brockington & Guess, in Norfolk, Virginia. They had an in-house
band called Raw Soul which consisted of Barry Saunders (guitar), Maurice Glass
(bass) and Grover "Groove" Everett (drums). All three were still
teenagers at the time the group was assembled. The three matured into a tight
unit and started backing some of Virginia's finest vocalists including Barbara
Stant, Lee Fields, Debbie Taylor, Shirley Johnson, and many more.
The
partnership of Brock and Guess ended in 1978. Lenis ran the studio on his own
through its final years and eventually signed for a few releases with two major
record companies, Polydor Records and Brunswick Records. Feeling he had done
about all he could do in Virginia, Lenis then moved to New York to continue his
professional career there. Having learned from Frank Guida and Dorsey
Brockington, Lenis was ready to start his own studio in New York City, which he
still operates today.
Includes:
- 8-page
CD-booklet and deluxe double-gatefold LP with detailed liner notes, label scans
and unseen photographs
- many
of these songs appear on CD for the very first time.
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