The Capitols were an American, Detroit, Michigan-based soul trio, widely known in 1966 for their Billboard hit single "Cool Jerk".

Formation and disbandment

The R&B trio formed in 1962 as "The Three Caps," with Samuel George as the lead vocalist and drummer, Don Storball (birth name: Don Norman) on backup vocals and guitar, and Richard Mitchell (birth name: Richard McDougall) on backup vocals and keyboard. After playing predominantly small gigs, they were discovered by former Ann Arbor radio DJ Ollie McLaughlin after performing at a local dance headlined by Barbara Lewis. After signing with the Karen record label, owned by McLaughlin, the group went on to record and release their first single in 1963, "Dog and Cat". Richard McDougall died on February 19, 1984, of unknown causes. Storball went on to a career in the Highland Park, MI, Police Department and, as of 1997, still lived in Detroit.)

  • We Got a Thing (ATCO 33-201) (1966)
  • Golden Classics (Collectables, ) (1990)
  • The Very Best of the Capitols (Marginal, ) (1997)
  • Dance the Cool Jerk / We Got a Thing (Collectables, ) (2004)
  • Cool Jerk (Collectables, ) (2006)

Covers

  • "Cool Jerk" has been covered by many bands, most famously by the Go-Go's, who recorded three studio versions of the song.
  • Todd Rundgren played a version of "Cool Jerk" as part of a medley on his A Wizard, A True Star album.
  • The California Raisins did a cover of "Cool Jerk" on their album Meet the Raisins.

References

  • [ Billboard: The Capitols]
  • Yahoo!: Movie Credits - The Capitols
  • Music Web: The Capitols
  • Soulful Detroit: The Golden World Story of the Decade