The Sensations Explained

The Sensations were an American doo-wop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1]

The group formed in 1954 under the name the Cavaliers, soon after changing to the Sensations. The group scored two hits on the US R&B chart in 1956 with the Atco Records singles "Yes Sir That's My Baby" (#15) and "Please Mr. Disc Jockey" (#13).^{[2] [3]} By 1957 they were managed by Kae Williams.^[4] The group disbanded soon afterwards, and lead singer Yvonne Mills married and started a family.^[5]

In 1961, bass singer Alphonso Howell persuaded Yvonne Mills Baker that the group should re-form, and they won a contract with Chess Records subsidiary label Argo. They soon had a hit with a version of "Music, Music, Music", which reached #12 on the R&B chart and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] A few months later, they released the tune "Let Me In".^[4] It was their biggest success, peaking at #2 R&B and #4 on the Hot 100.^[6] However, later releases were less successful and the group broke up.^[5]

Yvonne Baker later started a solo career, recording a number of tracks that achieved cult status among Northern soul fans, most notably "You Didn’t Say a Word" on Parkway Records in 1966.^[5]

Alphonso Howell died on May 7, 1998, at the age of 61.^[7] Sam Armstrong died on July 11, 2017. Yvonne Mills Baker died on May 3, 2020.^{[8] [9]}

Members

Early members

• Yvonne Mills Baker (b.15th Feb 1933- d. 3rd May 2020)
• Tommy Wicks
• Alphonso Howell (1937–1998)^[10]
• Hosea Haralson

Later members

• Yvonne Mills Baker (b. 15th Feb 1933 - d. 3rd May 2020)
• Alphonso Howell (1937–1998)
• Richard Curtain
• Sam Armstrong (died 2017)

Notes and References

1. Book: The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music. Colin Larkin. Colin Larkin (writer). Virgin Books. 2002. Third. 1-85227-937-0. 385/6.
2. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 393.
3. Biography
4. Jay Warner, American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):287.
5. Web site: Classic and Rare Soul Sisters 50s - 70s: Yvonne Baker and The Sensations: Let Me In - The Complete Collection (1955-1968). Noelia. Almenara. Supersoulsisters.blogspot.com. March 28, 2009. August 15, 2019.
6. Billboard Singles
7. News: Alphonso Howell Jr. . 28 April 2024 . Philadelphia Daily News . 15 May 1998 . 34.
8. News: Ils nous quittent : Yvonne Baker, Arthur Freeman, Earl Green, Sibel Thrasher, Andre Harrell… . 28 April 2024 . Soulbag . 17 May 2020.
9. Web site: So sad to hear of the passing of Yvonne Baker, lead of the Sensations. Yvonne died May 3. . Classic Urban Harmony LLC on Facebook . 28 April 2024 . 9 May 2020.
10. Web site: The Sensations . TIMS . 28 April 2024.