The Checkmates is a group of six vocalists who all love to harmonize and sing doowop tunes and malt shop memories. Their motto is “Take a Trip Down Memory Lane With Us”.  Their musical journey starts in the late fifties, continues through the sixties and ends in the early seventies.  The group consists of Joe Younger (falsetto), Jim Meehan (tenor), Charlie Younger (tenor), Greg Karem (baritone), George Breit (bass) and Colleen Younger (contralto). 

The group’s name is derived from the world famous Checks Café, a historic bar in Germantown where Joe, Jim, Colleen and George all used to sing together at Checks’ legendary Thursday night karaoke show.  After numerous requests from patrons that the guys should think about forming a vocal group, The Checkmates were formed in December of 2017 and after numerous practices, started performing in local bars.  Their first concert was on Friday February 16, 2018 at, where else, Checks Café!  Charlie joined the group in May of 2018, Greg was added in March of 2019 and Colleen in August of 2025 to complete the current lineup.

The group’s performance of numerous songs from various groups has attracted a devoted fan base.  This dedicated fan base has grown monthly and now numbers in the thousands.  The “Checkmates Nation”, as they are affectionately called, show up faithfully at every show for their weekly dose of good time oldies.  The Checkmates now perform just about every weekend at different venues around Louisville.  As their song repertoire grew, so did the number of venues that scheduled them to perform.  Their 2024 and 2025 schedule had them playing over 150 separate appearances!

The Checkmates perform a wide variety of songs, from the slow backseat memories of The Duprees to the fast rock & roll jitterbugs of Jerry Lee Lewis and Linda Ronstadt.  From the rising falsetto of Frankie Valli to the beautiful five part harmony of The Temptations to the luscious tenor of The Platters to the rich bass/baritone of The Righteous Brothers, The Checkmates will take you back to revive all your “malt shop memories” and reminisce about when you were young and love was always in the air!