Checkmates, Ltd.

Checkmates, Ltd. were an American R&B group from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, included both black and white members; their one major hit was 1969's "Black Pearl", produced by Phil Spector. The song peaked at #13 on the U.S. pop chart. Their cover version of "Proud Mary" reached #30 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1969.

The group broke up in 1970, but reunited in 1974 for a few more years. They performed on the same billing as Frank Sinatra and Herb Alpert, and sang the National anthem for the Thrilla in Manila in 1975.Lead singer Sonny Charles later had a moderately successful career as a solo artist. Charles and Smith later reunited and toured the U.S. into the 2000s.

"Sweet Louie" Smith (born Marvin Smith) died on 15 December 2007 of a heart attack, while on a cruise ship in the Caribbean where he and Sonny Charles were scheduled to perform. He was 68.

Members

Emile Ford

Emile Ford (born 16 October 1937) is a musician and singer, who was popular in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the leader of Emile Ford & the Checkmates.

Life and career

Emile Ford was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, in the West Indies. According to his own web page, he was born Michael Emile Telford Miller, the son of a Barbadian politician, Frederick Edward Miller, and Madge Murray, a singer and musical theatre director whose father had founded and conducted the St. Lucia Philharmonic Band. His mother married again, taking the name of Sweetnam; some sources erroneously give Emile Ford's birth name as Sweetnam or Sweetman.

He moved to London with his mother and family in the mid-1950s, partly motivated by his desire to explore improved sound reproduction technology, and was educated at the Paddington Technical College in London. It was during this time that he taught himself to play a number of musical instruments. These included the guitar, piano, violin, bass guitar and drums.