Wade Herbert Flemons (September 25, 1940 – October 13, 1993) was a splendid but underrated American R&B/soul singer and pianist, who made a brief impact on record charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In spite of several 7” records for different labels, he made only one album throughout his career.
He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas to Samuel and Kathyrine Flemons. His father was a minister, who introduced him to gospel music. Raised to the west in Wichita, Flemons took to singing, first in his local church choir and later in various gospel groups. His parents' marriage ended in divorce, so Flemons moved with his parents to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1955. While attending Battle Creek Central High, he formed a vocal group called The Shifters, for whom he composed material during a series of lessons he undertook on the piano.
By June 1958, The Shifters were rehearsed and competent enough to travel west to Kalamazoo and cut a demonstration record. The tune The Shifters had elected to record was "Here I stand," a song Flemons had authored himself. A copy was sent to James and Vivian Carter-Bracken at Vee Jay Records. Vee Jay liked "Here I stand." Having the group change names to the less furtive Newcomers, they signed them up in July. "Here I Stand" was a regional hit and reached #80 on the Hot-100 which earned him an appearance on American Bandstand in 1958, as well as an appearance on the Alan Freed Show.
The Newcomers were no more by the time of the follow-up, 1959's "Hold Me Close"; two more singles appeared that year -- "Slow Motion" and "Goodnight, It's Time to Go" -- neither of them hits. However, in 1960 Flemons returned to the charts with his biggest hit, "Easy Lovin'," which reached the R&B Top Ten; its B-side, "Woops Now," was also a significant hit in scattered regions of the country. A self-titled LP preceded his next single, "Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby," and in 1961 Flemons returned to the charts one final time with a reading of the Percy Mayfield hit "Please Send Me Someone to Love," which squeaked into the R&B Top 20. Influenced by singers like Nat Cole and Roy Hamilton, Flemons chose to sing in a smooth, infectious way, drifting into a more dramatic style when the song demanded it.
Flemons resurfaced two years later on the tiny Ramsel label with "Jeanette," quickly followed by "Two of a Kind." He gained a reputation as a prolific songwriter: during his career, he wrote as many as 200 songs for himself and for other musicians. He went on to co-write the Dells' 1968 hit "Stay in My Corner," around that same time joining Vee-Jay session vocalist Maurice White in the Salty Peppers for their debut single, "La, La, La"; in 1969 the group signed to Capitol for "La La Time," and after one subsequent effort, "Your Love Is Life," evolved into Earth, Wind & Fire.
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L-R Wade Flemons, Sherry Scott and Maurice White
Flemons contributed vocals, vibes, and electric piano to the group. After releasing two albums on Warner Bros, the leader of the group, Maurice White, fired most of the group in 1972, including Flemons due to a lack of commercial success.
Flemons married in 1980; he and his wife Brenda had a daughter and three sons. His subsequent musical pursuits, if any, remain unknown. He died from cancer October 13, 1993 in Battle Creek, Michigan, at age 53. A United States Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, he was buried at the Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Michigan. One of his sons, Brian Wade Flemons, followed in his father's footsteps and also became a musician.
(Edited from Wikipedia. AllMusic, Doo-Wop blog & blackcat.nl)