The Servicemen

The Servicemen, four members of the US Airforce and one from the US Army, were a highly talented vocal group, serving at Luke Air Force Base west of Phoenix, Arizona. However, with just a few releases to their name and two or three other songs in the can they didn’t find the fame their talent deserved….at least not in the USA. The meeting of Larry Banks and James Mitchell marked the beginning of The Servicemen. Larry would then introduce to Mitchell Edgar “Goody” Goodman (first tenor of the Tridels) and Victor Gussew, a good baritone and very familiar with the R&B field. James Mitchell liked what he heard, both vocally and their style and accepted them into the group. The search then turned to a bass singer to complete the formation. Several were auditioned but none so far were satisfactory Mitchell then approached one of his friends, James Bailey. James was reluctant to join the group due to his religious beliefs. He was very experienced in this field but after serious consideration James decided to join the group.