Early Life and Career
Ames was born in Malden, Massachusetts to Jewish parents Sarah (Zaslavskaya) and David Urick (Eurich), who had immigrated from Ukraine. He was the youngest of nine children, including five boys and four girls.
Ames grew up in a poor household. He attended the Boston Latin School and was educated in Classical and Opera music, as well as literature.
While still in high school, the brothers formed a quartet and often won competitions around the Boston area. Three of the brothers later formed the Amory Brothers quartet and went to New York, where they were hired by bandleader Art Mooney. Playwright Abe Burrows helped the brothers along the way, suggesting the siblings change their group's name to the Ames Brothers.
The Ames Brothers were first signed on with Decca Records in 1948, but because of the Musician Union's ban, their records from Decca were never released. They signed on with another label, Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca. They had their first major hit in the 1950s with the double-sided "Rag Mop" and "Sentimental Me". The Brothers joined RCA Victor records and continued to have success throughout the 1950s with many hits like "It Only Hurts For a Little While", "You, You, You", and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane". The brothers made appearances regularly on variety shows, and for a short period of time had their own 15 minute variety show in 1955.
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