The Checkmates, Ltd. were an American R&B group from Fort Wayne, Indiana. [1] The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, included both black and white members; [1] their one major hit was 1969's " Black Pearl", produced by Phil Spector. [1] The song peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. pop chart. [2] Their remake of " Proud Mary" reached No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1969. [3]
The group broke up in 1970, but reunited in 1974 for a few more years. [1] They performed on the same billing as Frank Sinatra and Herb Alpert, and sang the national anthem for the Thrilla in Manila in 1975. [4] Lead singer Sonny Charles later had a moderately successful career as a solo artist. Charles and Marvin ("Sweet Louie") Smith later reunited and toured the U.S. into the 2000s.
Smith died on December 15, 2007, of a heart attack, while on a cruise ship in the Caribbean where he and Sonny Charles were scheduled to perform. He was 68. [4] [5]
Year | Album | Peak chart positions |
Record label | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [7] |
US R&B [8] | ||||
1967 | Live! at Caesar's Palace | — | 36 | Capitol Records | |
1969 | Love Is All We Have to Give | 178 | — | A&M Records | |
1971 | Life | — | — | Rustic Records | |
1974 | F/S/O | — | — | ||
1977 | We Got the Moves | — | — | Fantasy Records | |
Sould Out | — | — | Gucci Records | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Record Label | B-side | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] |
US R&B [10] |
UK [3] |
AUS | |||||
1966 | "Do the Walk (The Temptation Walk)" | — | — | — | — | Capitol Records | "Glad for You" | |
"Kissin' Her and Crying for You" | — | — | — | — | "I Can Hear the Rain" | |||
1967 | "Please Don't Take My World Away" | — | — | — | — | "Mastered the Art of Love" | ||
"Walk in the Sunlight" | — | — | — | — | "A & I" | |||
1969 | "Love Is All I Have to Give" | 65 | — | — | 31 | A&M Records | "Never Should Have Lied" | Love Is All We Have to Give |
" Black Pearl" | 13 | 8 | — | 31 | "Lazy Susan" | |||
" Proud Mary" | 69 | — | 30 | — | " Spanish Harlem" | |||
1970 | " I Keep Forgettin'" | — | — | — | — | "Do You Love Your Baby" | ||
1974 | "Sexy Ways" | — | — | — | — | Rustic Records | "Run Nigger Run" | F/S/O |
"Got to See "U" Soon" | — | — | — | — | "Might Get Betta" | |||
1976 | "All Alone by the Telephone" | — | 96 | — | — | Polydor Records | "Body Language" | |
1977 | "I'm Laying My Heart on the Line" | — | — | — | — | Greedy Records | "Make Love to Your Mind" | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |