This article reproduced with permission from “Echoes of the Past ” magazine, Issue # 88 (2009). © 2009, Classic Urban Harmony LLC. All Rights reserved.

birthday, Tyrone accomplished more in his life than most people ever dream of. Tyrone and his vocal group, the Nu-Ports, had only two records under their own name; one a local and one a national hit. But the group was immensely popular in Philadelphia and surrounding areas, leading to work in the Catskills and eventually to an engagement in New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall. Tyrone and the Nu-Ports burst onto the scene like a burning meteor in the early 1960’s, be-fore any members of the group were even twenty-years-old. Within two years, the groups ’ career had been extinguished, victim of a tragic accident. But for those of us who knew Tyrone and his group, or even for those who were familiar with their records, Tyrone & the Nu-Ports will forever be remembered. South Jersey during the 1950’s was a heterogeneous mix of inner city (Camden), working class communities and farmland. It also was home to a number of well-known Afri-can-American night spots, particularly in Lawnside (just east of Camden) and in the coastal resort of Atlantic City. At the time there was no Atlantic City Expressway, so the main routes connecting Philadelphia and Atlantic City were th