The Downbeats

Signed to Motown in the early Sixties, The Downbeats were an early incarnation of the mid-Sixties “second tier” Motown group The Elgins. As the Downbeats, they were a male trio who struggled for success and attention during the early part of the decade, ending up with just two singles to show from five years of recording activity (most of the shelved archive material has thankfully since been issued).

In 1965, all that changed when another long-time Motown straggler, vocalist Saundra Edwards, was drafted into the group as lead singer; the newly-configured Elgins (a name originally wanted by The Temptations!) recorded several highly-regarded singles and an album, Darling Baby, released in 1966. The group broke up in 1967, but reformed in 1971 (with another new singer, Yvonne Vernee) when one of their old Motown singles unexpectedly cracked the Top 3 in Britain.
Original members: Cleo Duke Miller, Robert Fleming, Johnny Dawson

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