The Legendary Escorts Meet Their Lovely Wives Reggie & Oona Haynes William & Lois Martin La'Grant & Lorraine Harris Reginald Haynes |  William "Billy" Martin | La'Grant Harris

Reggie Haynes: The story began in 1968, behind the walls of Trenton State Prison when a young Reginald Haynes started a singing group comprised of inmates serving sentences within the confines of a maximum-security facility. Little did I know then that the group named The Escorts would become a legend in their own right. Two years later, in 1970, The Escorts were doing what they did best, performing on stage. Rahway State Prison rocked as they sang to a cheering, stomping, clapping audience comprised of hardcore prisoners, visitors, prison officials and guards. Little did they know that the late Linda Jones, sister to one of their fellow inmates was sitting in the audience accompanied by her producer-manager, George Kerr. Kerr a veteran since the early Motown days in the recording industry was in his own words, "shocked and amazed to find this type of raw, pulsating talent in such a hellish place." One thought kept running through his mind, he had to find a way to record The Escorts so that the outside world could be privy to their unique style. On January 15, 1973, George Kerr released the first two albums recorded by The Escorts; "All we need is another chance" followed by "3 down and 4 to go", Alithia Records, LTD. Several months later Reginald Haynes was released and began a non-stop tour across the country promoting The Escorts on radio, television, personal appearances and newspaper interviews both on the east and west coasts. In 1975, Reginald decided to embark on a solo career. In the midst of promoting and developing his career, he was arrested for a crime he did commit and returned to prison. Having survived his unjust incarceration, family, friends and fans urged him to sing again. Reginald performed locally and was received with open arms. His career began to draw attention from agents, producers and promoters. He was offered the chance to record and produce his own album. In 1988, "On Wings of Love" was released. His solo career began to blossom, but he couldn't forget the group he gave life to, The Escorts. George Kerr reentered his life and his thoughts echoed Reginald's, let's put the group back together. Time and space made it impossible to revive the old group. Reginald searched for new members and found veteran singer Billy Martin and La'Grant Harris. After recording one more album with George Kerr "Back to Love", Reginald and his new Escorts found it necessary to part from Kerr once again taking with them the smoothness, the silkiness, the sweet magic which is the Escorts sound. Reginald's proven producing abilities and lyric delivery coupled with the mature artistry of Billy Martin and La'Grant Harris has indeed awakened the sleeping dragon known all over the world as 'The Escorts'. After you hear the New Escorts I think you too will agree that from this moment on the Escorts should be spelled CLASS. TOP

Billy Martin: My name is William G. Martin. The nickname (Billy) came from the Yankees baseball club of New York City. For your information I was born in the Bronx, the oldest of five foster children, I was told by my grandmother that my father passed when he was 18 years of age. My mother in her youth could not care for us so I became father and brother of the family along with my loving uncle George who is four years my senior and brought up by 'Fat Momma' as we affectionately called her. You would think with a family that large, we could not survive, but she managed to find a way, working as a nurses aide at night and cleaning the church over the weekends, then caring for us during the days. My grandfather to make ends meet, worked in another state for a large drug company only to see us on the weekends and holidays. My mother at this time attended the Juilliard School of music, I guess that's where I got my gift of song. I remember singing in the Catholic Church most of my young life, then in the Baptist faith praising God with music and learning how to control my high voice. As time goes on which it always has, I met in junior high school three extraordinary young gentlemen (who nicknamed me Brother Peabody). Earl Woodard, Randy Armstrong and last but not least, Bobby Singleton. These young men had a dream that changed my life. The group was called 'A taste of perfection'. We sang Motown tunes and Philly sound tunes and everything else played on the radio that was sweet. When we could not work clubs, we put on our own shows in schools, churches, community centers and any place that we could put on a show. All of my junior high school years and into high school, we worked on our craft singing in the project halls and practicing in Bobby's basement or Earl's living room. As long as we were doing music we never got into trouble, we never had the time. I learned music from listening to 45 inch records, singing with my mother and singing in church. I learned how to meet girls with the fellows. My only other influences were my good friend and brother, Louis Merrill, his mother, his crazy sisters and his dad the real 'Mr. T'. They were my other family. You may never know how grateful I am to have known you. When Mr. Cuba Gooding Sr. was singing by Black Bird in Webster's bowling ally talent shows and rap was born around the corner in the Bronx with 'RUN DMC and Curtis Blow and the guys. Who knew I was there, I knew you then? Now the only date I'll give you is 1969, I was in the U.S. Marine Corp. and spent time in Vietnam which makes me fifty plus, that's all you'll get. Upon returning home, I spent ten years in the land of get high, which nearly killed me. God in his wisdom blessed me by allowing me to meet my Lord Jesus the Christ and I never looked back. I returned to the church and began to teach voice and sound control, co-directing with Mr. Robert Singleton, yes the same one I grew up with singing in churches around the tri-state NY area.  With a small group (the fellowship) and being married with three children, it took a toll on my marriage, which ended after 26 years. But I have been blessed with two married daughters, Veonous and Leondra, and a son William Jr. and to date three grandchildren. What's up Will? In 1972 I did go back to school to complete my education in technical engineering in office products. After working with large corporations, I started my own business in NY, then moved to East Orange, NJ. I met the love of my life Lois Walker and married her. I also have two adopted sons, John and Dominick. After opening a copier store on Central Avenue in East Orange, who walks into my store one day? None other than Mr. Reginald Haynes. I joined the singing group you know as 'The Legendary Escorts and worked for the next five years on what you see today. We're still here going on twenty years now with Mr. La'Grant Harris and R.P. Haynes. God has truly blessed us. TOP

La'Grant Harris: When I got out of the Marine Corps after spending 6 years there and four years in the New Jersey National Guard, I worked as a Conrail Police officer, and at various other jobs. So be as it was, I've never stopped loving the sound of good music. So working with these two brothers has been an experience of ups and downs, highs and lows, but through it all Jehovah has helped me to endure. It all started for me back in 1987 when I was working as a security guard for a hospital here in New Jersey named East Orange General. There was an offsite office for the home health aides located in Orange, New Jersey. I was the onsite security officer there. So as I would come to work everyday there would be some of the employees there that said “you should sing professionally”, because I would be patrolling my area singing all the time. It was just in me, it kept me calm. So one day one of the supervisors there named Patricia said to me "do you remember the singing group named the Escorts?" I said "yeah, that they were one of my favorite groups." She said, "I’m going to introduce you to one of the Escorts, his name is Reginald Haynes." He did some catering from time to time and he was coming by the office to drop off some food for her on this day. So I said sure. I was a big fan of the Escorts back then. I remember once I went to one of their shows at a park in Newark, NJ named Branch Brook Park and man did they put on a show. I was so excited, I was screaming just as much as the women in the audience were, maybe even louder. Man that show had me so hyped up, on the way home I was singing, and singing, but back to the story... So he came and Pat told him that I was around there singing and that I had a nice voice. We introduced ourselves and he told me that one day he was getting the group back together. So I gave him my number and I told him that I was going down to Georgia to do some business but that I would be back. So after my trip to Georgia I came back and I got in touch with him and he was still looking for a tenor for the group, so one day I went to his house to do an audition, when I got there was when I met Bill Martin. So they asked me "what are you going to sing?" I told them "Reasons" by 'Earth, Wind and Fire'. So I began to sing and before the song was done, I saw them look at each other and then Reggie told me that I need not go any further, that I was in the group. I went home like WOW!!! I can't believe it, I'm singing with the Escorts. I went home and told my mother about it and she said "that's good make sure you do your best." So our first show was at Abyssinian Baptist Church located in New York City. They were doing some type of affair there, and along with us were Ashford and Simpson, Clifton Davis from "That’s my Momma", a television show that was airing back then. Not mayor yet but, David Dinkins, Mayor Koch, Roz Abrams from Eyewitness News, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, a bunch of gospel groups, Hezekiah Walker and his gospel choir, The Harlem Gospel Choir, Donnie McClurkin, Five Blind Boys, and The Winans. It was packed; there was no place to sit. So we got our chance to go up and sing out first song as a group, which was "Bridge over Troubled Water." Man my knees were shaking, I was nervous. We all had a solo part in the song so I did not want to mess that up in front of all those people. But in any event, it all turned out wonderfully well. When we were changing clothes in the dressing room, Jesse Jackson peeked in and said that we had done a great job and that he was proud of us. And as they say "The rest is history." I've been singing with this group for about 21 years now. So we have sung in venues all over such as Alaska, California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Carnival Cruise Lines. And we are looking forward to singing for another 21 years. TOP