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THE BIRDS FLY HOME
The "Birds" were born
during the winter of 1954. Encouraged by the success of
their first engagements, they auditioned unsuccessfully
for a spot in a Birmingham show.
A face lifting
in the group brought together a new group of singers still
known as The Birds of Paradise, but still lacking the spark
which would eventually bring them recognition. A portion
of this spark was added in the early spring of 1955 in
the acquisition of Randy Barrett. With Barrett, the group
(now including Jim Leach, Pete Kass, Tom Halstead, Howard
Leavenworth and Noel Stookey) auditioned for the talent
contest on Ed McKenzie's television show. The new "Birds" returned
to Birmingham with a victory on the McKenzie program, followed
by two successful appearances on radio and a two night
engagement at the Birmingham Junior High School, and an
appearance at the Detroit Memorial Hospital.
An appearance "on-tour" during
a May 1955 trip to Washington D.C. netted the B.O.P still
more fans and a marvelous voice and ear for harmony in
the person of Don Fraser. Now the group had their final
spark. During August alone, they sang for a record hop
in Pontiac, Michigan, moderated and entertained at a visiting
Birmingham assembly, and made their third performance over
the airwaves on Ted Donay's disc-jockey program before
school life pulled them apart. Kass and Leavenworth went
to the University of Michigan, Don Fraser to Western Michigan,
Jim Leach to Hillsdale and Noel Stookey to Michigan State
University, leaving Tom Halstead, a senior at Birmingham
High School, in charge of engagements for the "Birds" in
the future.
During the short
Thanksgiving holiday, Tom not only arranged for the group
to again appear on the McKenzie talent contest in a review
of past winners (which they won handily) but also set the
first recording date for the B.O.P. Here then, is
the first recording, "The Birds Fly Home".
The introduction
on the record of the B.O.P. was done by Jim Mosby. We would
like to thank Monzelle Clark for her direction and supervision
and social club D.J.F.R. for the use of their dance intermission
to record side two. Side one was recorded in Birmingham
High's little theatre.
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