Ponderosa Twins Plus One

Ponderosa Twins Plus One

Company type	Vocal ensemble
Industry	Music
Founded	1970 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Founder	Tony Wilson (manager)
Defunct	1975
Headquarters	Cleveland , United States
Products	Soul music recordings

Ponderosa Twins Plus One was a soul vocal ensemble from the United States, established in 1970 in Cleveland, Ohio. This group featured two pairs of identical twins—Alfred and Alvin Pelham, Keith and Kirk Gardner—alongside Ricky Spicer. Their discography includes a single studio album, 2 + 2 + 1 = Ponderosa Twins Plus One, released in 1971, before they dissolved in 1975.

The group experienced a resurgence of interest when their song "Bound" was sampled by rapper Kanye West in his 2013 track "Bound 2", which led to a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Ricky Spicer. Additionally, "Bound" was sampled by rapper Tyler, the Creator for his 2019 song "A Boy Is a Gun".

History

Originating in 1969 during their time at Patrick Henry Jr. High School in Cleveland, the group came under the management of Tony Wilson, who introduced them to Bobby Massey of the O'Jays. This connection facilitated their signing with Chuck Brown's Astroscope label.

Supported by Massey, they recorded three singles that were distributed through Sylvia Robinson's All Platinum Records. Their initial single, "You Send Me," became their most successful release, reaching number 23 on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart. Following this achievement, they toured alongside artists such as the Moments, the Whatnauts, Linda Jones, and Lonnie Youngblood.

In 1971, their only album, 2 + 2 + 1 = Ponderosa Twins Plus One, was issued. The track "Bound" climbed to number 47 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart. Another album single was a rendition of Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," produced by Calvin Simon of Parliament and Funkadelic.

Due to insufficient royalties and minimal income from live shows, the group disbanded in 1975. Afterward, the Pelham twins passed away, and both Gardner twins faced incarceration.

Since 1980, Kirk Gardner has been serving a sentence ranging from 28 years to life for multiple serious crimes. Keith Gardner received a 25-year sentence in 1977 for murder; after his release in 2007, he was sentenced again in 2011 to nine years for attempted murder and robbery.

Ricky Spicer moved into construction work within the Cleveland area and maintained contact with the Gardner twins.

Lawsuits

In 2013, Ricky Spicer initiated legal action against rapper Kanye West and affiliated labels—including Roc-A-Fella Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Rhino Entertainment, and Universal Music Group—alleging unauthorized use of his sample in West's song "Bound 2" from the album Yeezus. Spicer sought an injunction as well as monetary damages. The dispute was resolved confidentially through a settlement in 2015.

In 2014, Spicer filed suit against Vogue and its publisher Condé Nast after "Bound 2" was featured in a promotional video for Vogue’s April issue cover starring Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

Members

• Alvin Pelham (May 28, 1958 – December 23, 2012)
• Alfred Pelham (May 28, 1958 – July 15, 2009, Lancaster, New York)
• Keith Gardner (born February 18, 1958)
• Kirk Gardner (born February 18, 1958)
• Ricky Spicer (born 1957)

Discography

Studio albums

• 2 + 2 + 1 = Ponderosa Twins Plus One (released in 1971)

Singles

• "You Send Me" (issued in 1971)
• "Bound" (issued in 1971)
• "Why Do Fools Fall in Love/Bitter with the Sweet" (issued in 1971)