The Plaids

A doo-wop and Rock & Roll group that had a single 45 on Nasco Records in 1958. Most were students at Cumberland High: Elvis Brandon, Jerry Carmen and Richard South graduated in 1956 and piano player Elaine Williams graduated in 1958. Jerry Cavender graduated from Goodlettsville High in 1955.

History[edit | edit source]

Formed by students at Cumberland High, The Plaids, at that time baritone Elvis Brandon, songwriter Richard South, and Jerry Carmen, recruited Jerry Cavender, a student at Goodlettsville High when they needed a bass singer. Fellow Cumberland High student Elaine Williams provided piano accompaniment. The group participated in talent shows where they got the attention of local DJ and producer Noel Ball, who brought them to Ernie Young, owner of Ernie's Record Mart and the Nashboro Records family of labels. The sublabel Nasco, used to release R&B and rock and roll records, had enjoyed recent national success with the hit single "Oh Julie" by The Crescendos, also students from Cumberland High, which helped finance numerous future releases of local groups by the label.

Most the members graduated from Cumberland in the class of '56, while Elaine Williams was class of 1958 and Jerry Cavender was class of '55 in Goodlettsville. An indication of a closely connected musical environment, Elaine was also best friends with another piano player at Cumberland named JoAnn McIllhenny who was the piano accompanist for The Crescendos. After graduating high school the group continued to perform. sharing bills with local performers like The Crescendos and Brenda Lee. In interviews, Elvis Brandon recalled they were also scheduled to open for Jerry Lee Lewis.

Their only single released in 1958, with two original songs penned by member Richard South. The slow dance ballad on side A, "Till the End of the Dance," lead to the rocking flipside "My Pretty Baby" on side B. According to member Elvis Brandon, the group recorded two other songs in the studio scheduled for release if the first 45 did well enough. The 45 received numerous mentions in the local paper, as well as a 'Cash Box Best Bet" list to positive reviews. According to recordresearch.com, the single reached #1 in Nashville in April 1958, being played by producer Noel Ball on his own show on WSIX, as well as #1 in Corbin, Kentucky in June by DJ Arch Wyatt at WCTT. However, even with these successes, the label did not greenlight the second single, with the master tapes now lost.

After the group disbanded, Elvis Brandon studied at Belmont College before moving to Cleveland, TN where he continued to sing at local Baptist churches and eventually became chief of the city police department. Richard South became a traffic officer for the Nashville police department after school and stayed in active in automotive interests. Jerry Cavender received a Masters degree in Mathematics from the University of Alabama before joining the army and seeing combat In Vietnam, which began a 30 year career in government service including the space industry.