Born
on February 20th, 1938, in Jackson, Mississippi, Cicero Blake moved to Chicago
with his family in the early 1950s and settled on the west side. Blake
singing career began in a church choir, then the Golden Tones while
still in high school, and he performed in military shows in the Air
Force. Cicero Blake's was the original lead singer of the group, who
evolved into the Kool Gents, the group that sprung Dee Clark After
leaving the group Blake made many solo recordings for small Chicago
labels (Brainstorm, Renee, Success, etc.). When he got the chance to
record for a major label-Brunswick Records in 1967--the two tracks he
cut "You Got Me Walking," and "A Woman Needs To Be Love" were shelved
for 20 years. He recorded his first single, "Don't Do This To Me" for
Success Records in 1962; though he never charted, many of his R&B
singles "Sad Feelings," and "If I Had My Way," found acceptance with
Northern Soul lovers. "Love Is Like A Boomerang" received more attention
then previous efforts. Blake continued working and recording throughout
the 70's, 80's, and 90's while holding down a job working for Cook
County as one of the Maywood Park Districts' commissioners. He recorded
two albums for the California-based Valley Vue Records, followed by a
pair of LPs for Johnny Vincent's Ace imprint. In the 2000s Blake had
only two albums to his name- one for Mardi Gras in 2003 and one for Hep'
Me in 2008. A new album is due in 2010.