A master of novelty/disco funk, saxophonist
Jimmy Castor started as a doo wop singer in New York. He wrote and recorded "I Promise to Remember" for Wing with the Juniors in 1956, a group whose roster included
Al Casey, Jr., Orton Graves, and
Johnny Williams.
Castor replaced
Frankie Lymon in
the Teenagers in 1957 before switching to sax in 1960. He appeared on several soul-jazz and Afro-Latin sessions and had a solo hit with "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You" on Smash in 1966.
Castor also played sax on
Dave "Baby" Cortez's hit "Rinky Dink." He formed
the Jimmy Castor Bunch in 1972 and signed with RCA. Their first release,
It's Just Begun, launched
Castor's next phase with the song "Troglodyte (Cave Man)." It was a Top Ten R&B and pop smash.
Castor continued the trend in 1975 with "The Bertha Butt Boogie" and later recorded "E-Man Boogie," "King Kong," "Bom Bom," and "Amazon." The
Castor band included keyboardist/trumpeter
Gerry Thomas, bassist
Doug Gibson, guitarist
Harry Jensen, conga player
Lenny Fridle Jr., and drummer
Bobby Manigault.
Thomas left to join
the Fatback Band.
Castor recorded as a solo performer from 1976 until 1988. He had one of his bigger hits in many years with a 1988 revival of "Love Makes a Woman," which paired him with disco diva
Joyce Sims.
Castor had his own label, Long Distance, during the decade.
–
Ron Wynn, Rovi