Fast Fact
- — September 1, 2010
Did you know that a doo-wop group from Tacoma performed on the Ed Sullivan Show?
It’s true! The Pearls were an R&B group that formed in 1957 at Tacoma’s McChord Air Force Base. Artis Johnson Jr., Elsie Hall, Rueben Martin and Robin Small formed a band and competed in the Annual All Air Force Talent Contest held in Mississippi. They did well. So well that they were invited to perform “My Love” on TV on August 31, 1958, on the Ed Sullivan Show. Other guests that night included Anita Bryant and Dick Powell. Back in Seattle they performed weekends at Seattle’s fabled Birdland nightclub and put out a couple singles, though none took off. They played gigs until disbanding in 1960. •
Illustration by Regina Volpi Baerwalde for City Arts.
