- The Essex was an R&B group formed in 1962 by several active-duty Marines stationed on Okinawa. The founding members were Walter Vickers and Rodney Taylor, and when they were transferred from Okinawa to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, they added fellow Marines Billy Hill and Rudolph Johnson to the group. They later took on Anita Humes, a female and also an active-duty Marine, as their lead singer.
They sent a demo record to Roulette Records in 1963 that resulted in their signing a contract with that label. Their first song was "Easier Said Than Done", which reached the #1 spot on the Billboard charts and sold over a million copies, earning the group a gold record.
Rudolph Johnson left that same year, and in July the group had another hit with "A Walkin' Miracle". That was their last one, however. Their follow-up records didn't break the Top 20, and since the group were still active-duty Marines, they couldn't tour to help promote their records.
Rodney Taylor was killed in a mugging in New York in 1966. Anita Humes died on May 30, 2010, at 69 years of age.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com
- Members have included Walter Vickers, Rodney Taylor, Billy Hill, Rudolph Johnson, Anita Humes.
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