The Cardinals, an American R&B group from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 1946. The original lineup included Leon Hardy, Meredith Brothers, Donald Johnson, and Ernie Warren. They began performing locally under the name The Mellotones before signing with Atlantic Records in 1951. Their debut single "Shouldn’t I Know" peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Best Seller R&B chart. The group's lineup changed several times, notably with the addition of James Brown and Leander Tarver. Notable releases include "I’ll Always Love You" (1952), "The Door Is Still Open (To My Heart)", which reached the top 10 on the R&B Best Seller and number 7 on the Jukebox for a total of 13 weeks in 1955, and their final single "One Love" released in 1957. The Cardinals remained active into the early 1960s before disbanding. During their time with Atlantic Records, they recorded 36 tracks across nine recording sessions, 24 of which were officially released.
