Jesse Belvin

Jesse Lorenzo Belvin, born on 15 December 1932 in San Antonio, Texas, was an American R&B and doo-wop singer, pianist, and songwriter. At age five, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. In 1949, he performed as the opening act for Big Jay McNeely and Lionel Hampton at the 5th Cavalcade of Jazz. He joined Three Dots and a Dash, saxophonist Big Jay McNeely's backing vocal quartet in 1950, and later signed with Specialty Records in 1952. His fourth record, "Dream Girl", credited to Jesse & Marvin, reached number two on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1953. He co-wrote "Earth Angel", which was recorded by The Penguins and became one of the first R&B singles to cross over onto the pop charts, selling more than 10 million copies. He signed with Modern Records in 1956 and had his biggest hit with "Goodnight My Love", reaching number seven on the R&B chart. In 1958, he recorded "You Cheated" with The Shields, which reached number 15 on the US pop chart. He signed to RCA Records in 1959 and released his album Mr. Easy. However, he passed away in a car accident shortly after on 6 February 1960, near Hope, Arkansas, after a concert in Little Rock. The accident also claimed the lives of his wife Jo Ann Belvin and their driver.

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