The Hornets

**The Hornets** were a classic R&B vocal group that buzzed out of Cleveland's Central High School around 1951, starting as the Mellowtones with James "Sonny" Long on lead, Johnny Moore on tenor, Ben Iverson on baritone, and Gus Miller on bass before switching to the Hornets name. They scored their big break in summer 1953 when a skating rink owner hooked them up with a session at Leonard Allen's States Records in Chicago, leading to their debut "Down in Mexico"/"Darling Patricia," which got them gigs at spots like Gleason's Musical Bar and the Circle Theater alongside heavy hitters like the Midnighters.

Things shifted when Sonny's timing issues led to Johnny Moore stepping up, but fate had bigger plans—Johnny jumped ship to join the Drifters as their long-time lead after chatting up Bill Pinkney backstage, leaving the Hornets to scatter. They popped back up in '58 at Gleason's with a new lineup of Bobby Ward (high tenor), Eddie Woods (baritone), Ben Iverson (tenor/baritone), and Sidney Elbee (bass), but their real legacy is that Drifters connection and those short-lived but fiery doo-wop singles that captured Cleveland's R&B scene.