On October 18, 1997 I did a five-hour radio special with Little Isidore on my weekly "Night Train Memories" show on radio station WYRE 810 AM in Annapolis, MD. This is the story of how it came to pass. I first saw Little Isidore & the Inquisitors perform opening a double billing with the venerable Persuasions to a packed house at the club Bottom Line in New York City's Greenwich Village. This was a great crowd for a 7:30 PM show on a Wednesday night. The surprising number of young people raised the question of whether this group was capable of attracting a younger crowd. The question was soon answered -- If you like rock 'n roll, you'll love Little Isidore & the Inquisitors, no matter what your age. This is a complete show with eight professional musicians and four vocalists, including Little Isidore and one who doubles as the M.C. Little Isidore is the main lead singer but each of the other vocalists sings lead on at least two numbers. Regrettably, the depth and variety of the group's live show doesn't come through on their two Hy-Sam label CD releases: No One Gets Hurt and Inquisition of Love. You have to see them to fully appreciate the visual impact of the performers and totality of the performance. A new CD is in progress on a major label – Mercury, a subsidiary of Polygram. Vinyl collectors can find a few releases from the Hy-Sam CDs on 45 RPM on the Early Bird label. 

The show began with the M.C., Gary Lovett, introducing the members and telling a bit of the group's background as the musicians warmed up the crowd. All or most of this is fictitious, but establishes a surreal atmosphere for the show. This is a high-energy show, with few if any low spots. The visual impact of the group could be described as eclectic. There was no common theme. Each member presents his own image, which ranges from the natty attire of the M.C. to a 1960s garage band look. Little Isidore has the most distinctive appearance, which includes a tufted mustache and beard, bobbed ponytail, and flashy clothes: definitely a 90s look. The show's opening numbers were the late 1950s New York City street corner classics "All Night Long" (DuMauriers) and "Let's Go for a Ride" (Collegians), with a good remake of "Love You So" (Ron Holden & the Thunderbirds) thrown in. Little Isidore does the opening leads on these, as well as on his own material like the sultry "Go" and "She's My Soul," and the quirky "Ain't No Child," which he sprinkles throughout the show. Little Isidore, whose real name is David Forman, is a musical talent with more than 25 years in the business. However, the Inquisitors are a recent creation of his and Johnny Gale, the group's lead guitarist, song writer, producer, arranger, and vocal group record collector extraordinaire. Little Isidore's vocals are what the early urban vocal group aficionado craves: deep, gravelly and nasal, and capable of launching into soaring falsetto and executing the most difficult of leads. These are best exemplified by his remakes of two recordings of one of the quintessential New York City street corner groups of 1957, the Charts. The songs "Desirie" and "Why Do You Cry?" are executed in their complexity with a voice reminiscent of Joe Grier, the original lead. 

Each of the group's other three vocalists have something to offer. Gary Lovett, a former Vee Jay recording artist (one half of the duet, Gary & Gary), did a beautiful rendition of "You're So Fine" (Falcons), and "Hey Little Girl" (Dee Clark), the latter enhanced over the original by the heavy Bo Diddley style bass guitar intro and backup. Frenchy Concepcion appeared next with a straight falsetto lead right out of the early 1960s. "Peanuts" (Little Joe & the Thrillers) is followed the rollicking rocker "La La" (Four Knights/Cobras).  Soon I expect he'll be tackling heavy falsetto songs by the Paragons and the Jesters. Little Leopold, Little Isidore's "brother," stuck to the 1960s with the well-known hit "Bongo Stomp" (Little Joey & the Flips), and a rare British invasion survivor from 1967, "May I" (Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs). Little Leopold, like Frenchy Concepcion, is adept, albeit not as blasting, at doing the requisite falsetto leads. 

The Little Isidore & the Inquisitors show reverts back to the 1950s for the rockin' finale, "The Woo Woo Train" (Richard Barrett & the Valentines). If there could be a favorite, this was mine. The saxophone refrain was as good as anything from the 50s. If the venue allows for dancing, then be ready to dance; if not, bring a seat belt. 

Little Isidore & the Inquisitors appear regularly in both the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Airplay of their two CD releases is common to both of these areas, as well as some reported play in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore, Miami, and Annapolis, Maryland. 

An interview with Little Isidore a few days after the show revealed why he does this show, and where he would like to go with it. The answers were music to the ears of any fan of 1950s-60s urban vocal groups. His immediate goal is to "preserve this incredibly beautiful, [almost] lost art form. When well represented, this music made me love rock 'n roll, before Bandstand sanitized the whole scene. I want American adolescents to know about this."  Little Isidore's goal is to become a mainstream recording act, and to "make a big noise!" 

Little Isidore & the Inquisitors are unique. Until now, 1950s-60s style urban vocal groups have been reconstituted versions of the original group, sometimes with none of the original members remaining, or inoffensive, but not very exciting, a cappella groups. This group accurately recreates the musical art form, and develops their own music as well. 

Urban vocal group harmony was mixed together with many musical forms during its heyday of the 1950s. The first renaissance came in the early 1960s when Irving "Slim" Rose and Jerry Greene of Times Square Records, and Alan Frederics, the DJ of the "Night Train Show," separated this music out. Another New York DJ named Gus Gossart led the second renaissance in the early 1970s. Little Isidore & the Inquisitors, given their talents and energy, can build on the growing interest in this musical art form currently found in many American urban centers, and become the spark that ignites the third renaissance. This could appeal not only to collectors and nostalgia buffs, but also to an entirely a new generation of vocal group fans. 
 

For a complete track listing of Little Isidore & the Inquisitors two Hy-Sam CD releases visit their website at www.littleisidore.com.  The author of this article can be reached by e-mail address WIRESQR@aol.com.  The author is the DJ for the weekly radio show on WEBR 94.5 FM, Fairfax, Virginia, "Night Train Memories:  Sound of the Cities," every Saturday from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM.  The show can also be heard live on the Internet on www.fcac.org/WEBR/