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The Medallions

The Medallions
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres R&B
Years active 1954–1960s
occasionally later
Labels Dootone
Past members Vernon Green
Andrew Blue
Randolph Bryant
Ira Foley
Willy Graham
Donald Woods
Jimmy Green
Charles Gardner
Albert Johnson
Otis Scott
Billy Foster
Bubba (Buddha) Carter
Joe Williams
Jerome Evans

The Medallions were an American doo-wop vocal group led by Vernon Green (1937–2000).

The group formed in Los Angeles in 1954, after Vernon Green was heard singing on the street by Walter "Dootsie" Williams, the owner of Dootone Records. Green – who walked with a cane as a result of childhood polio – put together a singing group with three friends from Fremont High School, Andrew Blue (tenor), Randolph Bryant (baritone), and Ira Foley (bass), and named them the Medallions because of his own penchant for wearing medallions around his neck. Their first release, "Buick 59", based on Todd Rhodes' double-entendre R&B recording "Rocket 69", was one of the first releases on Dootone in September 1954. It was backed with a ballad called "The Letter", which received extensive airplay in the region. "The Letter" contained the nonsense lyric, "the 'puppetutes' of love", which was later picked up by the Steve Miller Band as "the pompatus of love" and used in their song "The Joker". The song also included the nonsense word "pismotality", invented by Green.

Blue was replaced by Willy Graham, and Donald Woods joined to make the group a quintet. The group became a popular attraction in southern California, appearing on bills with stars such as Fats Domino, Percy Mayfield and T-Bone Walker. They continued to release singles on Dootone into late 1955, including "Edna", a favorite of Frank Zappa when interviewed on the Pop Chronicles documentary. They also recorded with singer Johnny Morrisette, as Johnny Twovoice & The Medallions. The original version of the Medallions then broke up.


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