The Jesters

The Jesters

The Jesters are a doo-wop group from Harlem, United States, active from 1956 onwards. They are identified as a 1950s and 1960s Harlem doo-wop act, and Lenny McKay is listed as a member.

Harlem doo-wop group

The Jesters are described as one of the leading doo-wop groups of the 1950s in the United States. They are associated with the style’s Harlem scene and are often mentioned alongside the Paragons, including on albums such as Rumble.

Releases and related recordings

Beyond the Harlem group, the name The Jesters is also used for several other acts and releases. One version is a garage band that is signed briefly to Sun Records. Its 1966 single Cadillac Man is one of the last releases from the label during the Sam Phillips era, and the group includes Jerry, Sam Phillips’ son, on guitar. For a long time this single is the only official release from that band, until the 2008 Ace compilation Cadillac Men appears with all of its known Sun recordings.

Other acts using the same name include an early 1960s rock and roll band from Ohio, with members Lloyd Berrier on saxophone and vocals, Jerry Pocatko on accordion and organ, and David Vandernick on drums. That group issues the singles Peter Gunn Twist / The Jesters Jump and Jamaican Holiday / Diesel in 1961, and both tracks from the first single later appear on the Las Vegas Grind compilation series.

Other uses of the name

The name The Jester also refers to a composer who writes the soundtrack for the game The Town With No Name, which appears in 1992 for DOS and CDTV. The name is also used on later releases including the demo cassette Something in the Streets Tonight (1999), the mini-CD Tonight the Bar Is Ours/Primitive Man (2005), the album Small Town Stories (2005), and the mini-CD Not an Angel (2007).