R&B vocal combo the Roamers formed in Jersey City, NJ, in 1953.
According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the September 1999 issue of
Discoveries, the lineup comprised lead James
Ricketts, tenor Billy
Williams, baritone Sam
Walton, and bass Judge
Taylor. Originally dubbed the Four Flames, they soon adopted the
Roamers in an obvious nod to the
Drifters; after unsuccessfully auditioning for Atlantic in 1954, the
group signed to Savoy, making its recorded debut late that same year
with the Taylor
original "Deep Freeze." At the same session, the Roamers
backed Wilbert
Harrison on his single "Women and Whiskey," issued in
early 1955; when "Deep Freeze" reached the Philadelphia area
Top 20, the group went on tour, additionally hitting the road with Harrison
and Latin bandleader Joe
Loco. In the spring the Roamers released their sophomore effort,
"Chop Chop Ching a Ling," soon after backing Varetta
Dillard on her "You're the Answer to My Prayer." The
session proved to be their last, despite a Savoy contract that kept them
tied to the label until 1958. The group continued touring with Harrison
until dissolving in 1959. Williams
and Ricketts
then signed to Sue as Billy
& Ricky, issuing a pair of singles, "Mama Papa Please"
and "How You Sound," to little notice. In 1962 the duo
reunited with Walton
as the
Astronauts, but generated nothing beyond an unreleased demo before
splitting two years later.