Little Anthony and the Imperials

Little Anthony and the Imperials, American rhythm-and-blues vocal group whose career straddled the eras of doo-wop and soul music. The Imperials were formed in New York City in 1958 as a new incarnation of a short-lived group called the Chesters. The vocal combo’s original members were Jerome Anthony Gourdine (b. Jan. 8, 1941, New York, N.Y., U.S.), Clarence Collins (b. March 17, 1941, Brooklyn, N.Y.), Ernest Wright, Jr. (b. Aug. 24, 1941, Brooklyn), Tracy Lord, and Nat Rogers (byname of Glouster Rogers).

The Imperials found instant success with their second single, “Tears on My Pillow” (1958), a doo-wop ballad distinguished by Gourdine’s youthful falsetto. While introducing the song on the radio, influential disc jockey Alan Freed, an early supporter, called the group Little Anthony and the Imperials (in reference to Gourdine), and the moniker stuck. After a number of less-successful releases, a brief departure by Gourdine, and the replacement of Lord and Rogers, the group hit its stride in the mid-1960s. Producer-songwriter Teddy Randazzo brought the Imperials’ vocal style in line with the popular soul sound of the day, resulting in a string of pop and rhythm-and-blues hits, including “I’m on the Outside (Looking In)” (1964), “Goin’ out of My Head” (1964), and “Hurt So Bad” (1965).

By the mid-1970s the group’s commercial fortunes had waned and the lineup had gone through several changes, most notably the 1969 departure of Wright. Gourdine left in 1975. The Imperials carried on for four more years but never achieved another American hit. Gourdine, Collins, and Wright reconvened in 1992 with latter-day member Sammy Strain (who had since joined the O’Jays) for a successful appearance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Thereafter, the group continued touring with varying lineups into the early 21st century, releasing a new album, You’ll Never Know, in 2008. Little Anthony and the Imperials were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.