Their Day Did Come!
When I came into my local Starbucks today “Our Day Will Come” was being played, a more recent version – It was okay, but nothing compared to Ruby Nash’s delivery back in 1962/63.
The male members of the Romantics had their roots, first very briefly, as “The Skarlettones” recording one single in 1958. Next, they would become the “Embers” but only for a very short time before becoming the “Supremes”, recording one single for Apt Records.
With no chart success, the Supremes then became “The Felios” with the four male members who would continue on the rest of the way.
“The Embers”, then the “Supremes” and briefly the “Felios”. The Supremes would combine with a female vocal group that was comprised of Ruby & Betty Nash along with two other girls and a male member. Ruby would team up with the Supremes as soon as she graduated from Akron Central High School.
Ruby didn’t sing while in high school and in fact, her classmates didn’t realize she could even sing until they heard her later on around town at dances and sock hops. Ruby’s early influences were Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington among others.
Ruby would join the Felios after member Leroy Fann heard Ruby and her friends singing at a dance. Once Kapp settled on Ruby being the primary lead voice, the label would scrap the name “Felios” and change it to Ruby and the Romantics”.
While working at Kapp, they heard a demo of “Our Day Will Come” which the label intended for singer Jack Jones but were convinced by Ruby to let them give it a go. The song would rise all the way to the top of the Pop and R&B charts. Jazz guitar player Kenny Burrell played on the session.
Kapp worked all of the members hard in order to determine who would step up to the microphone to become the lead vocalist.
The Romantics from Akron, Ohio, were George Lee, Ronald Mosley, Leroy Fann and Ed Roberts.
The trio would decide to disband sometime in the early 1970s. None of the Romantics would ever receive any royalties from record sales. They only realized income from live performances. Some internet sources state that a new lineup of Romantics joined Ruby on the ABC recordings, but Ruby refuted that in a 2008 Marv Goldberg interview, stating that the original lineup was the only lineup throughout their recording years and there were never any other members.
The group released 17 singles, a half dozen long plays and placed nine songs on the nation’s charts up into 1969. Rather oddly, Ruby Nash told Marv Goldberg that the Romantics never laid down any tracks for MGM Records, however, a source refuted that stating that he owned three masters recorded by the group which were recorded in Philadelphia in 1970 at Sigma Sound. They only exist on acetate format.
Steve Feldman and Joey Levine composed all three tracks especially for the Romantics and MGM.
Ruby eventually settled down in Akron where she was employed by AT&T. Ruby & the Romantics have been honored with:
- The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Grammys) “Best Rock and Roll Recording” for “Our Day Will Come” 1963
- Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award
- Vocal Group Hall of Fame 2007
- Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame Inductee 2013
All four male members of the original Romantics have since passed away.
Ruby Nash Garnett Reminisces 1994
Ruby had no interest in returning to music after retiring in the 1970s, mainly due to the bad experiences she and the group had at the hands of the music industry – a common tale.
Leroy Fann died on November 13th, 1973, the victim of a gunshot
Ed Roberts died losing a bout with cancer on August 15th, 1993
George Lee passed away in October of 1994 also from cancer
Ronald Mosley died on December 3rd, 2011 at the age of 72
The Akron Beacon Journal – December 1962
April 20th, 1963 – The Evening Star – Washington D.C.
November 22nd, 1963 – The Daily News – NY
February 7th and 8th, 1964 – Newsday Long Island Edition – NY
June 20th, 1964 – The Jersey Journal – NY
September 11th, 1964 – The Pittsburgh Courier
September 20th, 1964 – The Jersey Journal
September 25th, 1964 – The Mount Vernon Argus – White Plains, NY
October 9th, 1964 – The Jersey Journal, NJ
October 15th, 1965 – The Jersey Journal, NJ
October 28th, 1967 – The Morning News – Wilmington, Delaware
May 24th, 1968 – The Jersey Journal – NJ
July 6th, 1968 – The Delaware County Times
October 7th, 1969 – the Jersey Journal – NJ
January 9th, 1970 – The Daily News – NY
January 23rd, 1970 – The Jersey Journal – NJ
January 30th, 1970 – The Jersey Journal – NJ
March 13th, 1970 – The Jersey Journal – NJ
Ruby & Romantics Discography
None of their long plays reached the charts
45 – The Skarlettones – “Do You Remember” b/w “Will You Dream” – 1959
45 – “Another Chance to Love” b/w “Fidgety” – 1961
45 – “Our Day Will Come” – #1 Pop – #1 R&B – #38 UK – b/w “Moonlight & Music” – December 1962
LP – “Our Day Will Come” – March 1963
45 – “My Summer Love” – #16 Pop – #6 Adult Contemporary b/w “Sweet Love & Sweet Forgiveness” – May 1963
45 – “Don’t Let Him In” b/w “Dance What You Wanna” – May 1963
Romantic George Lee sang lead on both of these tracks in a session where Ruby sat out.
LP – “Till Then” – May 1963
45 – “Hey There Lonely Boy” – #27 Pop – #5 Adult Contemporary b/w “Not a Moment Too Soon” – August 1963
Later charted for Eddie Holman in November 1969
45 – “Young Wings Can Fly (Higher than You Know)” – #14 R&B – #47 Pop – #15 Adult Contemporary b/w “Day Dreaming” – October 1963
LP – “Greatest Hits Album” – January 1966
May 1968 – “More than Yesterday” – May 1968
LP – “Makin’ Out” – 1975
45 – “Our Everlasting Love” – #12 R&B – #64 Pop – #14 Adult Contemporary b/w “Much Better Off Than I’ve Ever Been” – February 1964
45 – “Baby Come Home: – #28 R&B – #75 Pop b/w “Every Day’s a Holiday” – June 1964
45 – “When You’re Young & in Love” – #48 Pop – #15 Adult Contemporary b/w “I Cry Alone” – September 1964
Later charted for the Marvelettes in April 1967 – Also charted for the Choice Four, by Ralph Carter and Frankie Valli all in 1975. In the UK, the Flying Pickets took it to number 7.
45 – “Does He Really Care for Me” – #87 Pop b/w “Nevertheless (I’m in Love with You)” – January 1965
45 – “Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore” – #108 Bubbling Under b/w “We’ll Meet Again” – May 1965
“Your Baby” charted for the Carpenters in 1984
45 – “We Can Make It” – #120 Bubbling Under b/w “Remember Me” – June 1966
45 – “Think” b/w “Hey There Lonely Boy” – August 1966
45 – “Twilight Time” b/w Una Bella Brazilian Melody” – March 1967
45 – “This is No Laughing Matter” b/w “Only Heaven Knows” – June 1967
45 – “We’ll Love Again” b/w “I Know” – July 1967
45 – “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” b/w “More Than Yesterday Less Than Tomorrow” – April 1968
45 – “Hurting Each Other” – #113 Bubbling Under b/w “Baby I Could Be So Good at Lovin’ You” – March 1969
Later charted for the Carpenters in 1971 – The song was originally recorded in 1965 by Jimmy Clanton
Three Tracks at Sigma Studios: August 7, 1970
“Look At Me” – “I Wanna Make You Feel Better” – “Baby, Let Me Take You On”
Ruby has no recollection of such a recording session.
PopBopRocktilUDrop 