The Jarmels

The Jarmels are an American doo wop/rhythm and blues group officially formed in 1959 in Richmond, Virginia. They were composed of Nathaniel Ruff (1939 – 1990s), Paul Burnett (1946 – March 23, 2001), Ray Smith (born 1941), Earl Christian (1940 – 1960s), and Tom Eldridge (1941 – June 19, 2000). They are best known for their only hit single, "A Little Bit of Soap".

They met while attending Armstrong High School and while some sang at nearby Mount Olivet Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia) services. In 1957 they initially named themselves The Cherokees, "because we liked the name," said Smith — the last surviving member, through and including January 8, 2011.

The start of their big break came in 1960 when, attending a local (Richmond) venue where Ben E. King was appearing, and they met him. King invited them to travel to New York and meet with various record companies, including Laurie Records. Marking the first African American group that Laurie had signed, the Cherokees impressed Laurie after auditioning with King's signature song, "Stand By Me". The group, now called The Jarmels, was renamed after a street in Harlem, New York.

Jim Gribble, who had previously worked with The Mystics and The Passions, was assigned manager of The Jarmels. In early 1961 they released the single "Little Lonely One", which did not find much success outside New York. However, their second single, "A Little Bit of Soap", reached number 12 in America on the Billboard chart in June of the same year. The flip side of the recording was "The Way You Look Tonight" a song featured in the film Swing Time and originally performed by Fred Astaire. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.

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