Queens, New York based Shep and the Limelites was formed in 1960 from the ashes of the popular doo-wop groups the Heartbeats ("A Thousand Miles Away") and the Videos by James ("Shep") Sheppard, Clarence Bassett and Charles Baskerville.
The group hit pay dirt quickly with their song "Daddy’s Home," which shot to the top of the pop and R&B charts (and was later remade as a minor hit by Jermaine Jackson). They hit the R&B top 10 again the next year with "Our Anniversary" but never again reached the heights of their first hit. After four more years of less successful recordings, the group disbanded. They reunited in 1969 as an oldies group, but Sheppard’s shooting death in 1970 abruptly ended their return. Baskerville died in the late 90s and Bassett in 2005.
Most recently a new version of the Limelites, led by Ronald Bassett (brother of Clarence), has toured. The current group also includes Randy Reid and Al Handfield.
By Chris Rizik
