When I was out of the group it was this manager uh that uh he wasn’t I he wasn’t too good to me well I was kind of kicked out of the group but uh it was cool because I I I wanted to um go produce anyway the silvers were a famous family music group in the 1970s they had big hits and were loved by many fans but behind the success they faced many struggles their lives were filled with pain loss and tragedy it was but then the album hit on the R&B charts and we didn’t have no more artists so he said uh let’s put that out he he just wanted

a hit some members battled illness money problems and personal troubles their story is not just about music it’s about heartbreaking tough times let’s delve in now my mother heard us and told my father and he uh he taught us he want to see if he could we could learn a Four Freshman type Harmony four four part harm it all started back in the late 1940s a young woman named Shirley May wble was studying music and also training to be a teacher during that period she met a man named Leon Silvers Leon was a musician from Memphis

Tennessee and he had dreams of making it big by 1951 they were married and let me tell you they wasted no time starting a family every time Leon looked at Shirley she ended up pregnant it wasn’t long before their house was full of children we just there more brothers and sisters yeah one more one more who is now having a big family is a blessing but it’s also a lot of work Shirley and Leon love their kids but babies needed food clothes and a roof over their heads Leon had dreamed of being a famous musician but with all these little

mouths to feed those dreams had to be put on hold but then he had a thought maybe his kids could carry on his dream they were a part of him so surely they had Talent too right Leon decided to put them to the test he lined up his oldest children and had them sing the moment they opened their mouths his eyes went wide they had natural Talent their voices Blended perfectly like they were born to sing together right then and there Leon knew what he had to do if he couldn’t be a star then his children would be Leon started training them in

harmonies helping them perfect their sound it was like magic each child knew exactly where their voice fit he taught us he want to see if he could we could learn a Four Freshman type Harmony four four-part Harmony cuz it was four of us there and we did everybody stayed on keys so that was our introduction into the industry they became a little singing group and Leon named them the little angels it didn’t take long for the little angels to start getting noticed they began performing at different events gaining fans along the way before

long they landed a spot on You Bet Your Life with Groucho marks now if you don’t know grouo marks was a huge deal back then so this was big for the family at first only the three oldest children were in the group But as time went on they added more of their siblings by the 196s their little group had turned into something serious they even landed a recording contract with Capital Records everything seemed to be going great but there was a problem even though the Little Angels were popular people started to see them as a novelty act

they were cute kids with great voices but they weren’t taken seriously as real artists and just like that the excitement around them started to fade later on they dropped the little angel’s name and became the silvers this time they were ready to be taken seriously yes the silver cotton candy no they weren’t just a cute family band anymore they were real artists with their fresh new sound they caught the attention of the music industry again and this time they weren’t just playing around they landed Ed a major deal and

soon they were topping the charts songs like Boogie Fever boever hotline became massive hits they were finally getting the success they had always dreamed of they were making real money and for a while it seemed like everything was perfect but as with all Hollywood stories things weren’t as perfect as they seemed behind the scenes the family was dealing with all sorts of issues money problems personal struggles and the pressure of Fame all took a toll on them Leon being the oldest took charge he started writing songs working on music and

making things happen he didn’t just try he actually did it and before long he and his siblings formed a band it turned out to be the right move because between 1971 and 1972 the silvers got a recording contract MGM took them in put them in the studio and helped them work on their music at the time they had some solid songs like Fool’s Paradise and wish that I could talk to you along with a few others I could talk to but they were still struggling to find that one big hit song that would really set them apart the youngest member of

the group at the time was Edmund Silvers he was chosen to lead their next song which was called misdemeanor Leon wrote the song specifically for Edmond believing that his voice would be perfect for it but when Edmond got into the recording booth and started singing something unexpected happened it’s [Music] going as soon as he started singing Leon stopped him something wasn’t right Edmund’s voice had changed he had grown up and his voice was much deeper than before it was no longer the sound Leon had imagined when he first wrote the

song This created a big problem because they needed the right voice to make the song work that’s when Leon turned to his younger brother Foster Silvers Leon told Foster I need you to sing this song You’ve Got the Right voice for It Foster agreed and it turned out to be the perfect decision misdemeanor became a big hit Foster was young talented and had a voice that caught people’s attention not to mention he was very cute which helped make him popular his voice was so good that people who heard the song on the

radio thought it was Michael Jackson singing but soon enough Foster Silvers got the recognition he deserved the song was everywhere you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing misdemeanor because of this success Foster officially became a permanent member of the silvers his voice and presence added something special to the group but despite the success of misdemeanor MGM records wasn’t doing enough to push the group to the next level they needed more and MGM wasn’t giving it to them that’s when Capital Records stepped in Capital

Records had been watching the silvas for a while they had seen the group grow and develop and now they were ready to offer them a deal as MGM didn’t they were more of a pop company so they put Pride records strictly for the the silvers probably didn’t realize it at the time but this was about to change their lives in a big way it was but then the album hit on the R&B charts and we didn’t have no more artists so he said uh let’s put that out he he just wanted a hit the success of Boogie Fever was followed by

more hits including hotline hotline the silvers were on top of the world they were young famous and making music that people loved but as with many music groups success brought its own set of problems there was talk that after becoming famous some members of the group started developing big OS success had changed them and it wasn’t all in a good way after their biggest hits the silvers wanted to move in a New Direction some of them were getting older and didn’t want to sing about high school dances anymore they wanted to

make music that would appeal to a more mature audience to do that they had to make a big decision they decided to part ways with Freddy parin and let their older brother Leon take full control of their music Leon was in charge of writing and producing their songs he had led them before and now he was leading them again things been going haven’t heard from you in a long time yeah we’ve been uh busy you know turning everything over getting new choreographers and mhm making the whole thing look better but things didn’t go

as smoothly as they hoped even though Leon was talented the music wasn’t connecting the way it used to the hits weren’t coming like before and the group started struggling some of the other members became nervous they weren’t sure if they were heading in the right direction they wanted to get back on top and they didn’t know if Leon’s leadership was going to take them there that’s when a new manager Al Ross came into the picture Al Ross told them he could help them get back to the top he promised he could make them the biggest

group again but to do that they had to follow his vision and his vision didn’t include Leon being in charge when Leon heard this he wasn’t happy he had been leading the group for years and now someone was trying to take that away from him this is Leon he’s a he’s he’s the oldest yeah well the oldest boy he told Al Ross to back off but some of the other members weren’t so sure when I was out of the group was this manager uh that uh he wasn’t I he wasn’t too it said that at some point the group was given an ultimatum they

had to choose between Leon or Al Ross in the end they chose Al Ross but it wasn’t just about the music there were other reasons why they made that choice some members felt that Leon had become too controlling he wanted everything to go his way and he wasn’t listening to their ideas he acted like the group belonged to him and only him it was cool because I didn’t there was not a um too much of a family thing it was like I I I wanted to um go produce anyway once they picked out Ross he couldn’t give them what he promised

people just weren’t buying it anymore if someone calls a hotline and Hears A grown person singing a song meant for young kids they hanging up the phone that’s what started happening to them and again that’s exactly what Leon was trying to prevent the worst part the silvers signed a contract with Al Ross that gave him 50% of their earnings that just ain’t right well looking back they regretted not sticking with Leon they realized they made a bad move now let’s talk about another rumor this one about Olympia Silvers oh uh Olympia she’s uh usually

kind of mellow now she thinks she’s psychic sometimes are you are you really Olympia well I’m not going to say back in the 1970s when the silvers were just getting big there was a shocking story about Olympia people said she was kidnapped while walking down the street The Story Goes that three men in a car grabbed her threw her inside and did horrible things to her they stabbed her assaulted her and even injected her with Heroin it was a truly awful and tragic event that’s the version that was told to the public but the word on the street

adds another twist it said that Olympia wasn’t just randomly taken off the street instead she had been hanging out with the wrong crowd like many teenagers she started spending time with people who weren’t the best influence gossip says the people who hurt her were actually people she knew and trusted whoever did this to her must have really hated her after attacking her they injected her with Heroin then while she was still in the backseat of the car they started talking about what they were going to do next they said we’ll

take care of her after we drop the little boy off that sounds like pure hatred they had already stabbed and drugged her and now they were planning to kill her but Olympia wasn’t about to let them in her life even though she was hurt and drugged she got her senses together real quick before they knew what was happening she jumped out of the car and ran for her life by the time they realized she was gone she was already far away Olympia wasn’t going to let them finish what they started now what happened to Olympia really changed

her she became very nervous and jumpy she started seeing danger everywhere whether it was real or just in her mind her mental health suffered a lot she just couldn’t handle what had happened to her and because of all the pain and fear she turned to drugs she thought she could self-medicate and make herself feel better but it only made things worse Olympia’s life spiraled downward she struggled terribly with drug addiction she even ended up homeless at one point and as if she hadn’t already been through enough she was attacked

more times after that her family tried to help her but she wouldn’t accept accept their help she thought she could handle things on her own but it only led to more suffering okay this is edin he’s the dancer of the group The Dancer are you responsible for all of this do you have help well we we all get together in it but some of them me and Leon mostly do most of them now let’s move on to Leon Silvers we already talked about how Leon had a strong personality but what we haven’t talked about is how he was known

for being a Ladies Man word on the street was that he had plenty of girlfriends he wasn’t as wild as his brother Edmund but he was still out there after leaving the silvers Leon started working with Don Cornelius and another music executive named dick griffy Cornelius wanted Leon to help with a new group called shalomar Leon Silvers is doing very well some even say he is doing better than anyone else from the group Leon became a very successful producer and his career took off after the silvers he worked with many artists

and made a name for himself in the music industry next we have Charmaine Silvers from what I have seen Charmaine has always been focused on her career and family there has never been any gossip or scandals about her she has kept her personal life private and away from drama she chose to live a peaceful life without making headlines some people just want to focus on what matters to them and Charmaine seems to be one of those people then there is James Silvers he is another one who stayed away from scandals if there was ever anything bad

about him it was not big enough to make the news from what I have seen he has a steady job takes care of his family and lives a quiet life Some people prefer to stay out of the spotlight and just go about their business James seems to be that kind of person now let’s talk about Edmund Silvers unlike some of his siblings Edmund’s life was filled with ups and downs when the Silver’s popularity faded Edmund thought his solo career would take off just like Michael Jackson’s did he felt that he was the lead voice behind many of the silvers

hits so he believed he could be just as successful as Michael he followed the same formula but his career didn’t take off the way he wanted after years of struggling he became frustrated when things didn’t go his way people say he started taking his frustration out on women but there are stories that he treated women poorly in other ways there are stories that Edmund had between 11 to 15 children with different women at some point Edmund had a big falling out with his family he left California and moved to Virginia

there are different stories about why he left some say he argued with his family over money others believe he thought he was better than them whatever the reason he cut off contact with them and started a new life far away from 1989 to 2004 Edmund moved many times he never stayed in one place for long some say it was because he was struggling financially there were times when he couldn’t even pay his rent he was living in low-income housing and getting government assistance his dreams of being a superstar were long gone by 2004 he had

a regular Factory job he was no longer in the music industry he was just trying to survive that same year he was diagnosed with lung cancer he passed away at the age of 47 sadly it seems that when he died there wasn’t much left for his family either he had no money or he had had completely cut ties with everyone to this day he does not have a headstone on his grave now let’s talk about Ricky Silvers this is Ricky and he’s our health nut the health nut why what what do you do are you an exercise freak and all of that exercise and watch what I

eat it is said that when the silvers stopped being popular Ricky took it hard he had been performing since he was a child and he thought he would be famous forever when that dream was taken away he didn’t know what to do he ended up turning to drugs and as many people know drugs usually lead to three places death poverty or jail for Ricky it was jail but as of now it seems like he is out and doing much better next we have Angie Silvers the main thing about Angie is that she struggled with alcohol addiction for many years she started

drinking heavily as a teenager and continued into adulthood but the good news is that she eventually got help and now she is said to be sober now let’s talk about Pat Silvers there isn’t much to say about her in terms of Scandal but one thing is for sure she is absolutely gorgeous all of the silver sisters were beautiful but Pat stood out I have seen pictures of her and she was stunning as for any drama or trouble I couldn’t find anything about her moving on let’s talk about Foster [Music] Silvers there is definitely some Scandal

surrounding him when the silvers fell off Foster just like Edmund wanted to go solo he thought his solo career would take off but it didn’t happen he struggled and like Ricky got into drugs the drugs ruined his life and he lost everything at one point people say he was home h less and had nothing to eat then things got even worse there are serious accusations against Foster in 2007 he was charged with sexually assaulting a minor according to reports Foster entered a room where a child was sleeping and either performed oral on

the child or forced the child to do it to him either way it was a terrible crime and he ended up serving time in prison for it some rumors say the victim was actually related to Foster but that hasn’t been confirmed things got even worse for foster when he was in prison it is said that when other inmates found out he was a child molester they made sure he suffered the rumor is that they assaulted him so many times that he had to be taken to the prison infirmary after everything Foster eventually got out of prison but his

reputation was ruined are there more brothers and sisters yeah one more one more who is the youngest child in the family was actually Christopher Silvers unlike his siblings Christopher didn’t perform with the group not much is known about his life but there were some whispers about how he passed away people say he died from hepatitis but there are also rumors that the real cause was AIDS some even claim he was found dead in a foam Booth but there’s no proof of that that what is confirmed is that he died in 1985 when

he was just 18 years old there is also some gossip about Christopher’s father some people believe that Shirley Silvers the family matriarch had Christopher with Producer Dick griffy The Story Goes that she had an affair with griffy while working with the producer Leon silver 3 the timeline of Christopher’s birth doesn’t match up with when Leon silver senior was still around leading to speculation that Christopher was not his son Leon silver senior didn’t have much of a relationship with his children it seems like he was absent from their

lives he passed away in 2005 at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer yes the silver cotton candy now the silvers were a family music group that became very popular in the 1970s they had a Unique Style blending R and B soul and disco their songs were full of energy and their voices Blended beautifully people loved their music because it made them feel happy and Alive the silvers became famous for their catchy songs and smooth performances making them one of the most memorable groups of their time their

music influenced many artists who came after them even today their songs are still played and enjoyed by fans around the world the silvers were more than just singers they were performers who knew how to put on a great show their dance moves stage presence and talent made them Stand Out many musicians look up to them as Pioneers in music like many artists the silvers faced struggles in their career but they never gave up their dedication and passion for music help them keep going their legacy lives on through their

music which Contin used to inspire people the silvers prove that music has the power to bring joy and connect people their songs will always be remembered as part of music history