The Monotones

The 1950s R&B group The Monotones was formed in 1955 by a group of friends living in the Baxter Terrace housing project in Newark, NJ. The original group consisted of Warren Ryanes, John Ryanes, Charles Patrick, Warren Davis, George Malone, Frankie Smith and Charles Patrick's brother James, who left the group shortly after it formed. They began singing together in the local New Hope Baptist Church choir (which was directed by Cissy Houston, who was related to the Patricks). In 1956 they appeared on Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948), on which they won first prize for their version of The Cadillacs' "Zoom". Later, inspired by a line in a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial, Charles Patrick, Davis and Malone wrote a song they called "The Book of Love". They recorded it for a small regional label, Mascot Records, in 1957. When the song started to become a hit Mascot, which couldn't distribute nationally, sold it to Chess Records' subsidiary label Argo, which did. It became a big hit in the US and Europe, and even became a hit in Australia. The group recorded a few follow-up songs, but all failed to chart. They soon left Argo for the smaller Hull Records label, but didn't have much luck there, either. The group finally disbanded in 1962. Some original members revived the group several times over the years with new personnel.