R&B/Doo-Wop Musician. Also known as 'Solly.' A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, he was a member of the musical group, 'The Flamingos.' The group formed in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, and also included different members including Nate Nelson (who replaced McElroy as lead singer), cousins Jake Carey, and Zeke Carey, Tommy Hunt, Paul David Wilson, Johnny Carter, Terry Johnson, and Earl Lewis. The group came together after the Carey Cousins relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1950, from Baltimore, Maryland. After they arrived in Chicago, Illinois, they joined the choir of the Jewish Church of God and Saints of Christ Congregation, where they soon met Paul Wilson and Johnny Carter. The group began to perform as a quartet and soon added there friend Earl Lewis as lead. The group first called themselves 'The Swallows,' the 'el Flamingos,' 'The Five Flamingos,' and then just 'The Flamingos.' In 1952, while attending a picnic the group met a man named Fletcher Witherspoon Jr. who got them a gig at the Martin's Corner Club. They were soon discovered while playing at the club by Ralph Leon (who also became there manager), head of the King Booking Agency. In 1952 they replaced Earl Lewis with Sollie McElroy as lead singer due to his unreliability. Lewis later signed with 'The Five Echoes.' Also that same year they cut there first demo for United Records, located in Chicago, Illinois. That label didn't like there style, so the group signed with the Chance Imprint Label. They released there first single, 'Someday, Someway,' in March 1953, and then soon followed it with there number two and three releases, 'That's My Desire,' and 'Lonely Teardrops.' The group continued there new found success with touring, and opening at concerts for the likes of Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington, and appearing at the famed Harlem's Apollo Theatre. The group later left the Quintet Label after the release of there song, 'Blues In A Letter.' In 1954 they joined DJ Al Benson's Parrott Label and released the hit, 'Dream Of A Lifetime.' The following year Sollie McElroy left the group to become a member of 'The Moroccos,' and to pursue other interests. He was replaced as lead singer by Nate Nelson. McElroy was a member of the 'Moroccos,' from 1955 until the group disbanded in 1961. With that group he released such recordings as, 'Chicken,' 'Over The Rainbow,' 'Easy Baby,' and 'When Was My Baby Born.' In 1982 McElroy formed a new 'Moroccos,' group with Larry Johnson, Fred Martin, and Richard Nickens, but no record deal came, just very bad paying gigs. Also a member of the group, 'The Chaunteurs,' McElroy continued to work up until his death in Chicago, Illinois, in January 1995, at the age of 61. The 'Flamingos' were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.