

Indeed, whether Wert is percussively stomping on an old wooden box, sawing a dusty fiddle, picking a banjo, or yelping a song as his head bobs and weaves from a seated position, fans are never under the impression they are seeing and hearing something of this earthly realm.

And until very recently, he worked as a full-time school teacher while perform live on the side. Konrad Wert came up with the Possessed by Paul James moniker as a way to channel the spirits of his late grandfather, Paul, and his father, James. Some of these may take a member or two on the road with them occasionally, but it’s when the artist creates alone that the one-man band magic undeniably reveals itself in a gut-tugging, rib-wrenching fashion. While some of the more ambitious artists of this ilk manage to command control over a number of instruments-both acoustic and plugged-in-others are able to give a plucky banjo and some dramatic boot-stomps the feel of a surging power trio. Thankfully, there are plenty of acts that fit well into a rustic, gritty middle ground between such extremes. Depending on who you ask, the one-man band might be defined as a carnival worker stacking as many instruments as possible onto his back and squeaking and squealing as much as possible, or it may more simply be comprised of a single, overly-earnest artist and a humble guitar. They were still titled the Flames when they cut deAndrade's song "I Remember", but when it was released they had chosen a new name, the Five Discs.The one-man band is a curious, nebulous concept. There were no takers until songwriter Billy Martin introduced them to the proprietors of the Emge Records label. After recording demos at Bell Sound studios in New York the group started to offer these to interested parties. This produced a new line-up of deAndrade (lead), Jackson (bass), Albano (first tenor), Basile (second tenor) and Barsalona (baritone), though membership remained fluid over ensuing years. Composed of Italian-descended young men and originally titled the Flames, they subsequently shuffled the pack by adding black singers Mario deAndrade and Andrew Jackson from the Love Notes. They were formed in 1954 by Joe Brocco (lead), Joe Barsalona (baritone), Paul Albano (first tenor) and Tony Basile (second tenor). The Five Discs were one of several doo-wop groups (Carollons, Chips, etc.) to trace their origins to the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn, New York, USA. Playing off the long popularity of the Dominos hit the Du Droppers got instant "name" recognition and publicity that go along with airplay and demand by the public for the record. The flip side of this first outing by the group was "Chain Me Baby" on Red Robin #108. In this case the tune was "Can't Do Sixty No More" answering the Dominos massive hit of "Sixty Minute Man". The first record released by the group in December of 1952 was that special niche of the early years of Rhythm & Blues, the "answer" record.

Joel Turnero owners of the Harlem based Red Robin label. The newly named Du Droppers worked on some R & B material and soon auditioned for record producer Bobby Robinson and radio d.j. In prior years different members of the group had been part of such gospel groups as the Royal Harmony Singers, The Dixie-Aires, The Jubilaires, and the Southwest Jubilee Group. The original members of the Du Droppers were Junior Ginyard on lead, Willie and Harvey Ray on tenor and baritone, and Eddie Hashow on bass (soon replaced by Bob Kornegay).

The Du Droppers, like so many of the pioneer R & B vocal groups that came to prominence in the late 40s and early 50s had their genesis in the field of gospel music.
