In MKE Music Rewind we revisit notable Milwaukee music that was released before Milwaukee Record became a thing in April 2014. In this installment: The Esquires’ 1967 album Get On Up And Get Away.
In the opening minutes of the 2008 documentary Song Sung Blue (the basis for the 2025 Hollywood biopic of the same name), we spend some time with Milwaukee R&B legends The Esquires. It turns out that Song Sung Blue co-subject Mike Sardina briefly played with the group before forming his Neil Diamond tribute act Lighting & Thunder. “He fit right on in!” the all-Black Esquires laugh about the all-white Sardina.
Song Sung Blue is a fantastic documentary, and an equally fantastic documentary could be made about The Esquires. “The Esquires are the great Milwaukee rhythm and blues band from the ’60s,” Milwaukee music historian Mark Shurilla says in the doc. He’s not kidding.
The Esquires formed in 1957 as a family band. The earliest iteration of the group featured siblings Gilbert, Alvis, and Betty Moorer. Milwaukee success came quickly, and The Esquires became staples at places like Watts’ Bar and Devine’s Million Dollar Club (now The Rave). Lineup changes became staples, too. Members came and went over the next decade, but the group always revolved around the Moorers and Milwaukee.
Until Chicago and national success came calling. In 1967, The Esquires drove down to the Windy City to cut a proper studio version of a song Gilbert had penned, “Get On Up.” Eventually released on Bunky Records, the song peaked at No. 11 on the pop charts, and hit No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart. Shows at the Regal Theater in Chicago and the Apollo Theatre in New York City followed. The Esquires blew up. They were officially the great Milwaukee rhythm and blues band from the ’60s.
Listening to “Get On Up” today, it’s remarkable how foundational it feels. It’s not just an R&B song, it’s the R&B song. And it’s straight out of Milwaukee.
Dig deeper into The Esquires’ R&B foundation and you’ll find the group’s sole full-length album, Get On Up And Get Away. As the title suggests, the record is built around the success of “Get On Up,” and adds a companion song, literally called “And Get Away.” That latter track kicks off side 1 of the LP, while the original hit leads off side 2.
The rest of the album is a stellar mix of mostly original tunes, plus a cover or two. (The Esquires’ version of The Young Rascals’ “Groovin'” is as terrific as you’d expect.) The back-cover liner notes provide a fascinating glimpse of where Milwaukee—and the country—was in 1967:
THE ESQUIRES from Milwaukee—four young men aged 20 to 25—have to their credit “GET ON UP”…the hippiest record of the year. Milwaukee, known for its demonstrations led by Father Groppi who got on up and did something, gets credit as the home of THE ESQUIRES. Stalwarts in the music industry are still scratching their heads in amazement wondering where and how this group got their “sound”
[…]
Many thought the only way to get a hit record was to produce psychedelic records. Well, I have news for you, The Esquires get it over. They gave “Dee-whops” a transfusion. You can believe it, they are on their way.
The Esquires disbanded in the mid-’70s, but their foundational sound continues today. Any Milwaukee summer festival worth its salt wouldn’t be complete without a set from none other than The Esquires II. (The original group was inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame in 2021.)
Do The Esquires II still play “Get On Up”? Yes they do. Do The Esquires II still feature members of the Moorer family? Yes they do. And it goes without saying that The Esquires II are still straight out of Milwaukee.
Want more Milwaukee Record? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and/or support us on Patreon.