The Essex was an
American R&B vocal group formed in 1962. They are best known for their 1963
chart-topper and million selling track, "
Easier Said Than Done".
Career
Founding members Walter Vickers (
guitar) and Rodney Taylor (
drums) were
U.S. Marines stationed in
Okinawa,
Japan.
After being transferred to
Camp LeJeune in
North Carolina, they enlisted fellow Marines Billy Hill and Rudolph Johnson as group members.
Next they added a female lead singer, Anita Humes, another Marine.
In 1963, a
demo earned them a
recording contract with
Roulette Records. They
recorded "
Easier Said Than Done" in twenty minutes. The
song was
written by Larry Huff and William Linton,
who said that the beat was inspired by the sound of multiple teletype machines, noisy mechanical beasts pounding out copy in the base's communications room. Released as their first
single, the song reached the
top of the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The track sold over one million
records and received a
gold disc award from the
R.I.A.A.
