The Channels

The Channels formed in New York City in 1955. Originally a quintet, they eventually added two more members before beginning a recording career. Their biggest hit was 1956's romantic ballad (written by group member Earl Michael Lewis) "The Closer You Are". It was remade in the 1960s as a hard-driving R&B number by The Magnificent Four, which was a regional (East Coast) but not a national hit, and by Frank Zappa in 1984. The group continued to record for a number of different labels over the ensuing years, and went through many personnel changes, but never managed to chart another national hit.