THE LIFE AND CAREER OF GREGORY CARROLL.

dereksmusicblog ♦ February 3, 2025 ♦ Leave a comment

The Life and Career Of Gregory Carroll.

John Wayne Carroll a.k.a. Gregory Carroll was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 19th December 1929. He was one of six children born to Upsher and Sally Carroll. By the time he was a teenager at Frederick Douglass High School, he formed the vocal group, The Metronomes. They would eventually enjoy a hit single.

Before that, the group changed their name to The Four Buds, and then The Four Buddies. By then, they were signed to Savoy Records. Success came quickly for the newly-named group and in 1951, they enjoyed a hit with the heartfelt doo wop ballad ‘I Will Wait.’ It reached number two in the US R&B chart in the US R&B charts. This was their biggest hit, but not Carroll’s biggest hit.

After leaving The Four Buddies in 1953, he joined The Orioles as second tenor. Not long after this, they recorded the Artie Glenn composition ‘Crying In the Chapel.’ The single topped the US R&B chart and reached number eleven in the US Billboard 100. Carroll had joined the group at the perfect time. However, in 1955 The Orioles split-up.

After that, Carroll started working as a backing singer and began his career as a producer. He also formed the vocal harmony group The Dappers with Larry Harrison. However, the group split-up not long after releasing their first recording. Carroll recruited a new group to tour but the project was short-lived.

Carroll then formed the duo Greg and Peg, with singer and guitarist. He then produced a session for former Orioles lead vocalist, Sonny Til. Then in 1960, Carroll recorded a single for Epic, ‘Wa Ding Dung Doo’ which failed to chart. This was a disappointment for him.

He formed a quartet The Halos in the early sixties with Al Showell, Doc Wheeler, and Doris Troy. While the new group wasn’t a commercial success, Carroll and Troy forged a successful songwriting partnership.

Troy had started writing songs in 1960 as Doris Payne. The first song she wrote with Carroll was ‘Just One Look.’ Troy recorded a demo of the song in October 1962 with producer Buddy Lucas. The recording took just ten minutes. When executives at Atlantic Records heard the demo, they decided not to rerecord the song and release it as a single. 

It was released in 1963, with ‘Bossa Nova Blues’ on the B-side. Carroll and Payne cowrote the track with Rex Garvin. The single reached number three the US R&B chart and reached number ten in the US Billboard 100. Troy’s career was underway with a soul classic that featured an impassioned and needy vocal on what’s regarded as the definitive version of the song. It gave The Hollies a number two UK hit in 1964, and was also recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Anne Murray, Iain Mathews and Michelle Phillips.

Carroll, Payne and Garvin also penned ‘What’cha Gonna Do About It’ as the followup to ‘Just One Look.’ Troy’s voice is full of frustration and sadness on this relationship song. It was released later in 1963, and reached twenty-one in the US R&B chart. Sadly, it was Troy’s last hit single.

The Carroll and Payne continued to write songs, including ‘One More Chance’ with Eric Gale. Soon, though, Carroll would form another songwriting partnership.

He joined forces with Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson and penned ‘Please Little Angel.’ However, by 1970 Carroll rejoined one of his former groups.

The Orioles, featuring Sonny Til, had reformed and Carroll was a member of the group until 1987. He then joined a new incarnation of The Ink Spots which was led by Jim Nabbie. However, in 1994 Carroll called time on his musical career and retired to Ashe County, North Carolina.

Despite having retired, he occasionally performed at concerts. Music was in his blood, and was what he loved doing. 

Sadly, Gregory Carroll passed away aged eighty-three, on 25th, January 2013, in Creston, North Carolina. He had enjoyed a long and successful career as an arranger, producer, singer and songwriter. Carroll wrote over 300 songs during his career including Doris Troy’s soul classic, ‘Just One Look.’

The Life and Career Of Gregory Carroll.