The group came together as The Carnations, with lead vocalist Earl "Speedo" Carroll (November 2, 1937 – November 25, 2012), Bobby Phillips, Lavern Drake (bass vocalist), and Gus Willingham. As the group moved into the recording studios, James "Poppa" Clark was added as a fifth member, and the name "The Cadillacs" was given to them. The group's first recording came in July 1954, with Josie Records #765, featuring Gloria and Wonder Why.
In 1955, Willingham and Clark left the group and were replaced by Earl Wade and Charles Brooks. At this time, the group first began to experiment with choreography, suggested by manager Esther Navarro. Later that year came the group's biggest hit, "Speedoo", Carroll's nickname. Lavern Drake left the group in 1956 and was replaced by J. R. Bailey.
In 1957, differences in opinion caused the group to split. One group was initially known as The Four Cadillacs, with current bass J. R. Bailey, former bass Lavern Drake, and new members Roland Martinez and Bobby Spencer. The previous year, Bobby Spencer had written the "My Boy Lollipop" pop song shuffle for Barbie Gaye, which was played by Alan Freed and secured Barbie Gaye a spot in his 1956 Christmas Show opening for Little Richard. In 1964, an Ernest Ranglin produced ska version of the song became a multi-million seller for Jamaican teenager Millie Small and made producer Chris Blackwell rich, leading to further development of his Island Records label.
The other four current members - Carroll, Wade, Brooks, and Phillips - continued recording separately, later as Earl Carroll and the Cadillacs. Bailey's group also included former group saxophonist Jesse "Tex" Powell, and recorded in early 1958 as Jesse Powell and the Caddys. Both groups recorded simultaneously on Josie Records. Later in 1958, the groups combined back into one. Carroll's backup vocalists, Wade, Brooks, and Phillips, all decided to retire and Carroll joined Bailey, Drake, Martinez and Spencer. Carroll's lead spot had been given to Spencer and Bailey, and he left shortly thereafter, creating a new group, Speedo and the Pearls, which recorded briefly in 1959. In 1959, the Cadillacs are also featured in the movie Go Johnny, Go
The group split and re-formed in 1960, with Carroll, Martinez, Kirk Davis, and bass Ronnie Bright. Later the group was Carroll, Martinez, the returning Bobby Spencer, Milton Love, and Reggie Barnes. Martinez, Love and Barnes were all members of The Solitares at one time.
In 1961, the group began to resemble The Coasters in their music. The lineup shifted again, now with Carroll, Martinez, Curtis Williams, Ray Brewster, and Irving Lee Gail. Carroll was out by 1963 to enter the group they'd been emulating, The Coasters, with Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, and former Cadillac Ronnie Bright. 1963 also ended the group's run on Josie Records.
Brewster and Martinez brought in former members Bobby Spencer and J. R. Bailey and continued to record through 1963. The group split, with Bailey joining the Jive Five. Brewster brought in former Cadillac/Solitare Milton Love with Solitares Bobby Baylor and Fred Barksdale. This group recorded briefly in 1964. Spencer became lead vocalist, with Joey Levine (Ohio Express, Reunion) as backing vocalist, for Crazy Elephant, a bubblegum music group, in 1969.
The Cadillacs were back in 1970 with J. R. Bailey, Bobby Spencer, original member Bobby Phillips (who had retired from Speedo's group during the split), and new member Leroy Binns, of The Charts. Steven Brown later replaced Phillips. Teddy Pendergrass came on as the groups drummer. The group split into the mid-1970s and some members joined Herold Melvin and the Bluenotes, including Teddy Pendergrass as drummer. In 1979 Earl Carroll, Earl Wade, Bobby Phillips, and Steven Brown came together for a Subaru commercial.
Carroll had remained with the Coasters during this time, and left in the early 1990s to permanently re-form the Cadillacs with Phillips, Brown, Gary K. Lewis, and musical director Eddie Jones. Brown left in 2003. Phillips died in March 2011.
The Cadillacs were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.
I'm In Love
The Cadillacs Lyrics
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Noyes, Nugent, Santoriello)
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no shake your rattle in another playpen
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no, no, no, no
You sure wore out your welcome, baby. Not to mention all the men in town
You better think about your reputation, baby it's gone from bad to worse
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no shake your rattle in another playpen
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no, no, no, no
Taxicab, a big jet plane. A greyhound bus, a hot air balloon
Why don't you grab any one you can. And leave by tonight it wouldn't be too
Soon
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no shake your rattle in another playpen
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no, no, no, no
Well, there must be a million places that a woman like you can go
Cause you nasty little Juliet you ran out of Romeos
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no shake your rattle in another playpen
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
No, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no
The lyrics to The Cadillac's song "Still In Love" paint a picture of a woman who has worn out her welcome in her small town due to her promiscuous behavior. The singer warns her that she will never make love there again, and that she should leave before it's too late. The lyrics are full of metaphors, with the woman's sexual exploits compared to shaking a rattle in a playpen or running out of Romeos like Juliet. The repeated "no, no, no" adds to the sense of finality and rejection.
The lyrics suggest a certain moral judgment on the woman's behavior, with the singer warning her about her reputation and implying that she is a "nasty" person. However, there is also a sense of sympathy and even affection, as the singer urges her to leave before she does any more damage to herself. The song is catchy and upbeat, despite its lyrics, with a driving drumbeat and funky guitar riff.
Line by Line Meaning
No, no, no you'll never make love in this town again
You're banned from ever having intimacy in this town again
No, no, no shake your rattle in another playpen
Find a different place to cause trouble
You sure wore out your welcome, baby. Not to mention all the men in town
You overstayed and overused your welcome, and everyone in town knows it
You better think about your reputation, baby it's gone from bad to worse
You need to take a hard look at your reputation because it's only getting worse
And goin'down,down,down
Your reputation is plummeting
Taxicab, a big jet plane. A greyhound bus, a hot air balloon
Take any mode of transportation and leave town as soon as possible
Why don't you grab any one you can. And leave by tonight it wouldn't be too Soon
Take any opportunity to leave town and don't waste any time
Well, there must be a million places that a woman like you can go
There's no shortage of places for your kind to find a new home
Cause you nasty little Juliet you ran out of Romeos
You've gone through all your options and have no one left in this town
No, no, no, no, no, no
Reiterating the ban on any future romantic activities in this town
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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