Toppiks

The Toppiks were an all male vocal quartet featuring Theodore (Ted) Mills, Charles Henderson, Ronald Nelson and a fourth member only remembered by the name of Chuck. As the Toppiks the group recorded a solitary release the sweet sounding “Give It A Chance To Grow/Surrender". The Toppiks would during 1972 audition for the Philly based WMOT Production Company alongside another group called The Shades Of Love. WMOT felt that The Shades Of Love (whom they contractually owned) lacked a strong lead singer, so they made the decision to release the other members of The Toppiks and signed Ted Mills only to WMOT as a singer/songwriter and then installed him as the new lead singer of the Shades Of Love. Ted alongside original Shades Of Love members brothers Vernon and Wendell Sawyer, Keith ‘Duke’ Beaton and Richard Pratt later underwent another name change to become the hit group Blue Magic who through WMOT signed to Atco records and went on to score several billboard hits.