Little Anthony and the Imperials

Little Anthony and the Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials in 2005, New York City. (L to R) Harold Jenkins, Ernest Wright, Clarence Collins, Jerome "Little Anthony" Gourdine
Background information
Also known as	The Imperials
Origin	Brooklyn, New York City, United States
Genres	Rhythm and blues soul
Years active	1958–present
Labels	End Roulette London United Artists Ridge Records Avco Janus Veep Records DCP Records
Members	Jerome "Little Anthony" Gourdine Ernest Wright Robert Deblanc Johnny Britt
Past members	Clarence "Wa-hoo" Collins Samuel "Sammy" Strain Gloster "Nate" Rogers Tracy Lord Bobby Wade Harold "Hawk" Jenkins Kenny W. Seymour SR. George Kerr
Website	littleanthonyandtheimperials.org

Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his high-pitched voice. In addition to Collins and Gourdine, the original Imperials included Ernest Wright, Gloster "Nate" Rogers, and Tracy Lord, the last two of whom were subsequently replaced by Sammy Strain.

The group was one of the very few doo-wop groups to enjoy sustained success on the R&B and pop charts throughout the 1960s. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009,^[1] 23 years after the group's first year of eligibility for induction.