Their Smash Hit “Twine Time” Has Sparked
the Biggest Teen Dance of the Year, the Twine
THE LITTLE STEPS. Jerry Lewis called them the Little Steps (Step Brothers) when he hired them for his Sands Hotel Show in Las Vegas. Disc Jockey Robert “B. Q.” on KATZ, St. Louis, called them the Crawlers (“the crawl is a dance, man”). Alvin Cash and his group still go under both names (depending on whether it’s records or night club work you’re talking about) and Cash has the distinction too of having the only group that’s basically in the dance business, with a hit record under its belt.
The record, “Twine Time,” on the Mar- V-Lus label out of Chicago, is still moving up this week, and, among other things, it again highlights the record power of a
dance title. “I’ve been dancing for quite a few years,” Alvin Cash said this week, as he took a break between photograph sessions of him and his group doing the Twine, “And the group has been going for two years. We still really just dance. “I have a good band on the records and we do a little singing and shouting. I guess that’s what really makes it.”
Cash is 23 and from St. Louis. His group consists of crawlers Charles Tait, 17 and Edward Lance (no relation to Major) 19, plus Cash’s two younger brothers, George and Robert, when they are not in school.
STARTED IN CHICAGO. “The twine dance started at Dunbar Vocational High School in Chicago,” added Chicago -born Charlie Tait, and Andre Williams wrote the tune for our record which we did real quick after hearing about the dance. We don’t do much of our own writing but Alvin did write one called ‘The Bump’ for the album we just recorded.”
“It has all the dances you could want,” continued Eddie Lance. “We like to feature the dances at our own shows and we do the same in our first album. It’s got ‘Shake a Tail Feather,’ The Shake,’ The Jerk,’ `The Twine,’ The Bump,’ (which started as a dance in Louisville before Alvin wrote a tune to go with it), and ‘The Barracuda.’
“The Barracuda will probably be our next single to follow up `Twine Time.’ It’s another strong dance and when the record comes out, we’ll feature it in our shows. Right now we’re getting ready to do a series of one-nighters in the East.
JERRY LEWIS MOVIE. “We’ve been asked to do a movie with Jerry Lewis. He saw us on the Hollywood Palace show last December with Ginger Rogers and he signed us for his Las Vegas show at the Hotel Sands. The Step Brothers were on the show and since we danced the real modern teen dances while they did their own dances, they called us the Little Steps. Now he says he wants us iN his next picture.”
Also on tap for the three-man (sometimes augmented to five) group are taping for the two top teen TV shows, “Hullaballoo” and “Shindig.” The former was due almost immediately; the latter will come when the boys tour their way back to the Coast.
In addition, according to Alvin, “We’re hoping to go into the Apollo Theater in with the Righteous Brothers.
That’s supposed to be March 12 and we’re waiting for the final word right now. I hope we can make it there and I think we will because we’ve had a lot of practice working for an audience. Back home we often appear at a place called the Budland Club. It’s a teen age spot at 64th and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago. It’s been great experience for us, especially for working out new things.”
ST. LOUIS DAYS. “I had in-person experience even before that,” Cash continued, recalling his earlier years in St. Louis. “At least five years ago, I got a real break from E. Rodney Jones. He’s a famous deejay and he’s on WVON in Chicago today, but then he was in St. Louis. He booked me and a group onto the Jackie Wilson show and later on, we did our first TV show with Rodney.
“When we’re home in Chicago, we try to listen to Rodney on the air. He’s an old friend. But if I’m not listening and not working, well then, I like bowling and horseback riding. I like seeing stars like Nancy Wilson, the Impressions and the Temptations too.”
As for Charlie Tait and Eddie Lance, both live at home, but both also have their own interest. “I like to draw cartoons and I spend a lot of time doodling at it,” said Charlie.
Ed, on the other hand, is a sports fan and enjoys playing pick-up basketball games at Chicago’s Jackson Park Field House. “I dig the Harlem Globetrotters too,” he admitted. “But the way things are going now, I guess I won’t be having too much time for basketball.” END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business, February 20, 1965
Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
