The value of this dynamic lead singer can neither be undervalued nor forgotten, with songs such as "I'm the One Love Forgot" and others that first established the group's popularity.

First they attempted to woo The Cymbals' lead, Lee Williams, but he was unwilling to leave his current group.

Then their biggest song was their March 1976 release "Kiss and Say Goodbye",[4] written by Blue Lovett and arranged/co-produced with the group by the Philadelphia-based record producer Bobby Martin, a former member of the MFSB band of session musicians.

That year, Alston left to record as a solo artist, scoring with several major R&B hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s for Motown.

Roger Harris was recruited as the new lead singer for the group, which moved to the new label, Valley Vue, when their Columbia recording contract expired.

He recruited new members Charles Hardy and Harsey Hemphill, who in October 1990 had auditioned for Bivins but didn't come aboard until after Lovett and Kelly left at the end of 1990.

One version featured original founding member Bivins, plus Hardy, Hemphill, Pazant and Williams.

In June 2013, the group released a single called "Just for Tonite" written by Bivins and Pazant and produced and arranged by Leroy Burgess.

The other version of The Manhattans featured original member Blue Lovett, plus Gerald Alston, the lead singer on the group's biggest hits.

This version of the group was featured in two PBS specials and performed at casinos and theaters across the United States.

[10] Winfred "Blue" Lovett, the group's original bass singer and songwriter, died on December 9, 2014, at the age of 78.

[6] His bass voice was heard on many Manhattans hits, including the spoken word intro to "Kiss and Say Goodbye".

David Tyson, a member of The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston died of an illness on February 17, 2022, at the age of 62.

On September 23, 2024, The National R&B Music Society inducted The Manhattans into The Atlantic City Walk of Fame.

Gerald Alston, Edward "Sonny" Bivins, Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Kenneth Kelly, Richard Taylor and George Smith were the indutees.