The Valadiers

The Valadiers are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who became notable as the first white artists signed to Motown in the early 1960s.

The group was formed in 1959 by Stuart Avig (born 1943, lead vocals), Marty Coleman (lead, bass, baritone), and Art Glasser (second tenor), who had all attended Oak Park High School, and Jerry Light (bass, baritone), from Detroit Mumford High School. After auditioning for Motown, they received a contract and made recordings which went unreleased, before recording a song they had written, "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)." The song was worked up by Motown staffers Robert Bateman, Brian Holland, and Ronnie Dunbar, who received co-writing credits, and was issued on the Miracle label, a Motown subsidiary for which this was its only release. The record reached #89 on the Billboard pop chart in 1961. The song also became a minor hit for the Monitors in 1966. The Valadiers toured widely in packages with R&B stars including Marv Johnson, the Isley Brothers and Wilbert Harrison, and continued to release occasional singles with little success until 1964, when they split up.