[1] The group, discovered by Nancy Wilson, was named such because the group included both black and white members, and their various skin tones evoked a chessboard;[1] their one major hit was 1969's "Black Pearl", produced by Phil Spector.
[1] They performed on the same billing as Frank Sinatra and Herb Alpert, and sang the national anthem for the Thrilla in Manila in 1975.
[4] Lead singer Sonny Charles later had a moderately successful career as a solo artist.
Charles and Marvin ("Sweet Louie") Smith later reunited and toured the U.S. into the 2000s.
Smith died on December 15, 2007, of a heart attack, while on a cruise ship in the Caribbean where he and Sonny Charles were scheduled to perform.