the Bees / Little Boyd and the Blues Bees

Hamilton, late 1950s - early 1960s

Let's start with the facts. The Bees were an R&B group based in Hamilton. The guitarist was Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, who loved there. He was 19 years old in late 1962. The other main member of the group was Robert Singleton who had the nickname "Cherokee". He was the band's lead singer.  The book "Going to Cincinnati" by Steven Tracy lists the other members as "Rico" or "Dan" on bass, "Rufus" on drums, "Chico" on harmonica.

The Bees recorded two 45s for Finch. The first one features a blues vocal on one side and instrumental on the flip. The second one has two vocals, the slow shuffle "Oh Yes" and the driving rocker "Tough Enough" on the flip. The second 45 was a better seller and seems to have been a decent local hit.

According to Tracy's book, Singleton passed away around the same time as the second 45 was released. The cause was allegedly poisoning. Sounds like a blues myth more than the truth, but that's all we have. The Hamilton paper has a few mentions of Sugarfoot but nothing about Singleton, death or regarding the band. 

Without Cherokee, the Bees were done. Leroy moved to Dayton and joined the Ohio Untouchables who merged with another band to start the Ohio Players....all common knowledge. One thing we didn't know was that Leroy was shot by his (estranged?) wife in 1966.

The next part of the story is much more confusing than anything else. The Bees supposedly had an earlier incarnation (from about 1959-60) as the Blues Bees led by Little Louis Boyd. Boyd's direct connection to greater Cincinnati is not clear. He is listed as a harmonica player and is credited with some recording sessions at King. Little Louis Boyd was based in Los Angeles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

There are two cited 45s for Little Boyd and the Blues Bees. The first one, released on the Boyd label, definitely exists. The band on the Boyd record doesn't sound that much like the band on the Finch records. It's possible that the Finch group adopted the name with Boyd's blessing, or maybe on their own.

There is a second 45 out there on the internet, listing both sides as "Drinking Blues". A youtube clip shows a smeared and barely legible label for one side, is it real, or photoshopped?. We could not find any other reference to the record. Both sides are claimed to be on a comp of Chicago blues with different song titles.

Discography
So Jealous / Terror - Finch 506, 1960
On Yes / Tough Enough - Finch no #, 1962

Little Boyd and the Blues Bees:
Harmonica Rock / Don't Leave Me Baby - Boyd 191-1
(unconfirmed) Drinking Blues / ? - Boyd 191-2