The Checkmates, Ltd. were an American R&B group from Fort Wayne, Indiana.[1] The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, was named such because the group included both black and white members, and their various skin tones evoked a chessboard;[1] their one major hit was 1969's "Black Pearl", produced by Phil Spector.[1] The song peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. pop chart.[2] Their remake of "Proud Mary" reached No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1969.[3]
The group broke up in 1970, but reunited in 1974 for a few more years.[1] They performed on the same billing as Frank Sinatra and Herb Alpert, and sang the national anthem for the Thrilla in Manila in 1975. Lead singer Sonny Charles later had a moderately successful career as a solo artist. Charles and Marvin ("Sweet Louie") Smith later reunited and toured the U.S. into the 2000s.
Smith died on December 15, 2007, of a heart attack, while on a cruise ship in the Caribbean where he and Sonny Charles were scheduled to perform. He was 68.[4] [5]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=centre style="width:30px;" | US [7] | align=centre style="width:30px;" | US R&B [8] | |||
| 1967 | Live! at Caesar's Palace | - | 36 | Capitol Records | ||
| 1969 | Love Is All We Have to Give | 178 | - | A&M Records | ||
| 1971 | Life | - | - | Rustic Records | ||
| 1974 | F/S/O | - | - | |||
| 1977 | We Got the Moves | - | - | Fantasy Records | ||
| Sould Out | - | - | Gucci Records | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | B-side | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=centre style="width:30px;" | US [9] | align=centre style="width:30px;" | US R&B [10] | align=centre style="width:30px;" | UK | align=centre style="width:30px;" | AUS | ||
| 1966 | "Do the Walk (The Temptation Walk)" | - | - | - | - | Capitol Records | "Glad for You" | ||
| "Kissin' Her and Crying for You" | - | - | - | - | "I Can Hear the Rain" | ||||
| 1967 | "Please Don't Take My World Away" | - | - | - | - | "Mastered the Art of Love" | |||
| "Walk in the Sunlight" | - | - | - | - | "A & I" | ||||
| 1969 | "Love Is All I Have to Give" | 65 | - | - | 31 | A&M Records | "Never Should Have Lied" | Love Is All We Have to Give | |
| "Black Pearl" | 13 | 8 | - | 31 | "Lazy Susan" | ||||
| "Proud Mary" | 69 | - | 30 | - | "Spanish Harlem" | ||||
| 1970 | "I Keep Forgettin'" | - | - | - | - | "Do You Love Your Baby" | |||
| 1974 | "Sexy Ways" | - | - | - | - | Rustic Records | "Run Nigger Run" | F/S/O | |
| "Got to See "U" Soon" | - | - | - | - | "Might Get Betta" | ||||
| 1976 | "All Alone by the Telephone" | - | 96 | - | - | Polydor Records | "Body Language" | ||
| 1977 | "I'm Laying My Heart on the Line" | - | - | - | - | Greedy Records | "Make Love to Your Mind" | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||