The Fellas were formed in the summer of 1991. The group consisted of founding members, Joe Rivera III (lead vocals/1st tenor), Ricardo Wright (lead vocals/1st tenor) and Andrew 'Drew' Rhoden (lead vocals/2nd tenor) and Anthony Cooper, Jr. (lead vocals/baritone/bass). A pre-cursor to the Fellas was the group, Vision, founded by Luis Mercado, Ricardo Wright, Joe Rivera III & Andrew Rhoden.
The Fellas are patterned after the Temptations, whose style allows anyone to step out front and sing lead, without compromising the harmony. Not wanting to be known as an "oldies" group, The Fellas are also armed with original material catered to the adult audience. Artists that influenced The Fellas (besides Motown acts) are The O'Jays, The Manhattans, The Spinners, Rachelle Farrell, Marvin Gaye, Will Downing and Phil Perry, to name a few.
Today in 2011, original members Ricardo Wright and Joe Rivera III have reunited to perpetuate Classic Soul music, along with JoQuae DeVonish, a member of the latter lineup of the Fellas and Luis 'Blue' Mercado, a founding member of Vision. Classic Soul returns from Detroit, MI and New York City.
JoQUAE DeVONISH - JoQuae began singing at a very early age. At the age of 10 he sang with the group Soul Direction and had his first stage perfomance.As a young man, in the early 90's JoQuae met Joe Rivera through mutual friend, Anthony Warr in 1993. This was when he began to sing with the Fellas. So afterwards the members of the group went on to lead their lives and in 2009 The Fellas reconnected. JoQuae currently sings lead & first tenor.
LUIS 'Blue' MERCADO - A self taught guitar player, Luis began singing grade school, performing at school functions. In high school, he founded Acapella Soul, where he recruited Joe Rivera III. Luis continued on with singing after high school with acapella group, Subway, another group he founded. The group gained recognition at Ronnie I's monthly UGHA shows and yearly Lead East car shows in the mid 1980's. Luis sings baritone, bass, 2nd and 1st tenor along with an occasional lead.
JOE RIVERA III - Joe started his career in high school where he co founded an acapella group. After high school he played keyboards and sang lead in a few local R&B bands. In 1991, Joe cofounded The Fellas with Ricardo Wright. The group disbanded in 1993. Afterwards Joe went on to sing with NYC doowop group Earl Lewis & The Channels from 1995 to 2009. In November 2009, the Fellas regrouped with Joe doing leads and singing 1st tenor, 2nd tenor and baritone backup vocals. He also scores out all music for the group. Joe was inducted into the DooWopp Hall of Fame in 2007 as a member of Earl Lewis & The Channels.
RICARDO E. WRIGHT - Ricardo started his singing career with his two sisters, Rosalyn and Denise, as The Wright Trio. Afterwards he moved to NYC to pursue an acting career where he was a member of The National Black Theater, touring across the USA and abroad in Asia. In 1989 he joined R&B band CLOUT where he was the lead singer and he met keyboardist Joe Rivera III. When the band parted ways, he and Joe co-founded The Fellas. In November 2009, Ricardo returned to The Fellas where he sings lead, 1st tenor, 2nd tenor and baritone background.
Travel back to the 1960's and 1970's as THE FELLAS take the stage with class & style. Our show incorporates smooth choreography and tight harmonies, as it was done years ago. Be prepared for audience participation; you might even SHARE the microphone with THE FELLAS.
The Fellas can provide the following to suit your entertainment needs:
• 30 minute, 45 minute or 60 minute sets
• 1 set or 2 sets
• Perform live with our band
• Perform live with your band
• Provide charts and music to the client’s band
• Perform with tracks
Stage/Setup Requirements:
Four (4) stright round-based microphone stands
o Four (4) UHF cordless microphones (Shure Beta 58) or Four (4) Shure Beta microphones with 30' cables
Additional Notes:
Among professional references are: Joe Herndon - bass singer for The Temptations, David Sea - performing member of The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Albert 'Ceasar' Berry - founding and performing member of The Tymes, Jimmy Merchant/Herman Santiago - founding and performing members of The Teenagers (now The Legendary Teenagers) and Barbara Harris - founding member and lead singer of Barbara Harris and The Toys.
