Doo Wop - Rhythm & Blues - jcpiazza26@gmail.com

The Edsels

Posted on July 9 2013 by dion1

The Edsels (Campbell, Ohio)
(By Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

George Jones Jr. (Lead)

Harry Green (Baritone)

Larry Green (Tenor)

James Reynolds (Tenor)

Marshall Sewell (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
1958 – Lama Rama Ding Dong (aka Rama Lama Ding Dong) / Bells (Dub 2843)
1959 - Do You Love Me? / Rink-A-Dink-I-Do (Roulette 4151)
1960 - What Brought Us Together? / Don't Know What To Do (Tammy 1010)
1961 - Rama Lama Ding Dong / Bells (Twin 700)
1961 - Three Precious Words / Let's Go (Tammy 1014 / Ember 1078)
1961 - The girl i love / Got to find out about love (Tammy 1023)
1961 - Count the tears / Twenty four hours (Tammy 1027)
1961 - My Jealous One / Bone Shaker Joe (Capitol 4588)
1962 - Could It Be? / My Wisperling Heart (Dot 16311)
1962 - Shake, Shake, Sherry / If Your Pilow Could Talk (Capitol 4675)
1962 - Shaddy Daddy Dip Dip / Don't You Feel? (Capitol 4836)
1968 - Hide And Seek / Another Lonely Night (Tammy 1031)

Unreleased :
N/A - Born In Mexico
N/A - Love Makes The World Go Round
N/A - Hide And Go Seek
N/A - Hide And Seek
N/A - Give Me Love

Biography :

A brief encounter with fame came for the Edsels when they recorded the doo wop masterpiece "Rama Lama Ding Dong." Originally released in 1959, the single became a hit some three years after its initial release, thanks to the efforts of diligent record collectors and disc jockeys.

Edsels with Dick Clark on Bandstand

Taking their name from Ford's legendary failed automobile, the Edsels formed in the tiny mill town of Campbell, OH, in the late '50s. The group consisted of lead vocalist George Jones, Jr., James Reynolds, Marshall Sewell, Harry Greene, and Larry Greene.

The group auditioned for a local Ohio music publisher in 1958. Through the publisher, the group landed a record deal with the small Dub Records. The first pressings on Dub Records were mislabeled "Lama Rama Ding Dong.""Rama Lama Ding Dong" became a local hit, but made no impact nationally. The Edsels' first single was a song Jones had written, "Rama Lama Ding Dong."

In 1961, disc jockeys began playing the song again because it sounded similar to the Marcels' current hit, "Blue Moon." Within a few months, the single was re-released on Twin Records -- this time with the correct song title -- and it quickly scaled the pop charts, peaking at number 21.

Ironically, the group had broken up by the time "Rama Lama Ding Dong" became a hit in 1961.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Cub Koda, All Music Guide
http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/edsels.html
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/george_jones_jr.htm
http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/The-Edsels.html

Songs:


Lama Rama Ding Dong           Bells                          Do You Love Me?


Rink-A-Dink-I-Do              What Brought Us Together?      Don't Know What To Do


Three Precious Words                 Let's Go                     The Girl I Love


Got To Find Out Above Love         Count The Tears             Twenty Four Hours


My Jealous One                   Bone Shaker Joe                   Could It Be?


My Whispering Heart             Shake, Shake, Sherry         If Your Pilow Could Talk


Shaddy Daddy Dip Dip              Don't You Feel?                Born In Mexico


Love Makes The World Go Round    Hide And Go Seek             Give Me Love

Hide And Go Seek (unrel. vers.)

....

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The Kittens (2) aka The Carmelettes

Posted on July 4 2013 by dion1

The Kittens (2) (Jersey City, NJ)
aka The Carmelettes

Personnel :

Angela LaPrete "Angela Murphy"

Vickie Cevetello

Discography :

1960 - Dark, Dark Sunglasses /Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini (Alpine 64)
1960 - A Letter On His Sweater / Broken Dreams (Alpine 67)

Biography :

Trio named after Our Lady of St. Carmel Church composed by Angela LaPrete (Angela Murphy), Vickie Cevetello and Virginia Verga. The Carmelettes were a group of Italian-American teenage girls from Jersey City, NJ -- a working class city just across the Hudson River from Manhattan -- in the late 50's.

The Kittens

Beatrice Verdi was their songwriter, arranger, and mentor, and she is the songwriter credited on Aching for You and Ding Dong. The group was signed to Alpine, a subsidiary of Epic Records, in about 1958 and recorded their own songs as well as background vocals for Neil Sedaka's Oh Carol.

When Carole King, for whom the song was written, recorded the answer song, Oh Neil, the girls were hired again to recreate the sound of the original song. This began a long collaboration with Carole King, although the girls were no longer called the Carmelettes.

Virginia Verga left the group, and Angela and Vickie became the Kittens. They continued to record with Carole and for Alpine until they fazed themselves out of the business at age 18.

Songs :

Dark, Dark Sunglasses Broken Dreams

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini A Letter On His Sweater

....

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The Tangiers (2) aka The Hollywood Flames.....

Posted on July 3 2013 by dion1

The Tangiers (2) (Watts, Los Angeles)
aka The Hollywood Flames aka …….

Personnel :

Joe Jefferson (Lead)

David Ford (First tenor)

Bobby Byrd (Bass)

Earl Nelson (Second Tenor)

Curtis Williams (Baritone)

Discography :

1958 - Don't Try / School Days Will Be Over (Class 224)

Biography :

In March, the Hollywood Flames were used to back up Joe Jefferson (as the Tangiers) on his Class recordings of "Don't Try" and "School Days Will Be Over." This is not the Decca Group but an evolution of the Flames Satellites.

(paste-up picture) Left to right : Nelson, Ford, Williams, Byrd.

Interestingly, David Ford was with the Decca Group that had previously used the Tangiers name when he recorded the classic "Tabarin" with Gaynel Hodge, Alex Hodge and Jesse Belvin.
http://www.uncamarvy.com/HollywoodFlames/hollywoodflames.html

Songs :

Don't Try School Days Will Be Over

....

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The Classmen (1)

Posted on July 2 2013 by dion1

The Classmen (1) (Shelton, CT.)

Personnel :

George DeJoy (Lead/Bass Guitar)

Eddie Greco (Vocal/Guitar)

Angelo Faccento (Vocal/Drums)

Discography :

1963 - True Love / Silver Medal (Gateway 712)

Biography :

By Daryl DeJoy
Vocal & Instrumental Group from Pittsburgh consisted from left, Eddie Greco (who is still alive and lives in Titusville, Florida), George DeJoy in the center sang lead and played bass guitar and on the right, Angelo Faccento.

They were the original "The Classmen" and the band recorded at Bob Schachner's Gateway Studio in Pittsburgh the songs "True Love" and "Silver Medal". George DeJoy is a multi-instrumentalist in the early '60s .

Unfortunately, He never had the opportunity to take his potential any further. In between gigs he worked at the BF Goodrich plant in Shelton, Connecticut, and one day returned home complaining of a headache. George DeJoy passed away suddenly in 1963 of a cerebral hemorrhage and the band broke up.

They were a rare three man doo wop group, which required one of the singers to sing two different parts during the song. Angie Faccento passed away about five years ago of cancer.

Songs :

True Love Silver Medal

….

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The Sharps (1) aka The Rivingtons aka ...

Posted on July 1 2013 by dion1

The Sharps (1) (Los Angeles)

aka
The Rivingtons
The Four After Fives
The Crenshaws
The Twisters (2)
The Ebbtides (3)
The Friends (3)

Personnel :

Carl White (Lead)

Al Frazier (Tenor)

Sonny Harris (Lead)

Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr (Bass)

Discography :

The Sharps (1)

Singles:
1956 - Six Months, Three Weeks / Cha - Cho Hop (inst.) (Tag 2200/Chess 1690)
1957 - Come On / Sweet Sweetheart (Jamie 1040/Vik 0264)
1957 - Our Love Is Here To Stay / Lock My Heart (Lamp 2007)
1957 - What Will I Gain / Shugglin' (Aladdin 4301)
1958 - All My Love / Look What You've Done To Me (Combo 146/Dot 15806)
1958 - Look At Me / Have Love, Will Travel (Jamie 1108)
1958 - Here's A Heart / Gig - A - Lene (Jamie 1114)

Unreleased :
1958 - Honey Babe (aka Tapun, Tapun) (Combo)
1958 - Hold Me (Combo)
1958 - I’m Such A Lovin’ Man (Combo)

Thurston Harris & The Sharps (1)
1957 - Little Bitty Pretty One / I Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me (Aladdin 3398)

Thurston Harris bb The Sharps (1)
1958 - Do What You Did / I'm Asking Forgiveness (T.Harris) (Aladdin 3399)

Biography :

Thurston Harris recorded with the Lamplighters, one of the many groups on the early R&B scene in South Central Los Angeles, in the early '50s. This group later evolved into the Tenderfoots, then the Sharps, and it was under this last name they were credited to when they backed up Harris on his 1957 solo hit, "Little Bitty Pretty One" (# 2 R&B and # 6 pop) for Aladdin. Harris had one other hit the following year, the excellent "Do What You Did" (# 14 R&B, # 57 pop). But back to the early fifties. In addition to Harris, the Lamplighters' lineup included former Hollywood Flame second tenor Willie Ray Rockwell, Matt Nelson and Al Frazier. They formed in the spring of 1952, shortly after Harris had moved to California, and began recording for Federal in 1953, with Harris singing lead most of the time.

In spite of the high quality of many of their recordings, the Lamplighters/Tenderfoots never had a national hit. In 1957 - and now signed as a solo artist to Aladdin - Harris recorded a cover version of Bobby Day's "Little Bitty Pretty One," a classic novelty number, with a solid band featuring the ubiquitous Earl Palmer on drums, Plas Johnson on tenor sax and his friends the Sharps doing background vocals. The single propelled Harris immediately to the front-ranks of the R&B scene, touring with the top names from the era.

Meanwhile, after Harris moved on, the Sharps - now Carl White, Al Frazier, John "Sonny" Harris, and Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr. and added Darryl White in 1960 - continued to perform into the early '60s. The name game continued; as the Sharps, they recorded the great "Lock My Heart" and for a spate of labels calling themselves the Rebels, the Four After Fives, and the Crenshaws (sometimes with Harris, but usually without).

Thurston Harris Duane Eddy

Back again as the Sharps they provided sound effects, handclaps, and vocal choral treatments on some of Duane Eddy's big hits. Unfortunately, they had more success with their live appearances in the greater Southern California area than they did with any of their releases. In 1962, the Sharps joined up with producers Kim Fowley and Gary Paxton, who helped reconfigure the group as a black surf novelty act, now calling themselves the Rivingtons. Under this moniker, they scored a big hit (# 48) with the immortal "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" for Liberty (1962).

Songs :

The Sharps (1)


Six Months, Three Weeks / Cha - Cho Hop    Come On / Sweet Sweethear    Our Love Is Here To Stay / Lock My Heart


What Will I Gain / Shugglin'         All My Love / Look What You've Done To Me            Look At Me / Have Love, Will Travel


Here's A Heart / Gig - A - Lene                  Honey Babe (aka Tapun, Tapun)         Hold Me


I’m Such A Lovin’ Man                Do What You Did

Thurston Harris & The Sharps (1)


Little Bitty Pretty One             I Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me

.....

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The G-Notes aka The Gino Sisters aka Jeff & The Gino's

Posted on June 28 2013 by dion1

The G-Notes (Thousand Oaks, Ca)
aka The Gino Sisters aka Jeff & The Gino's

Personnel:

Linda Gino

Nancy Gino

Colleen Gino

Discography :

The G-Notes
1958 - I Would / Ronnie (My Teenage Dream) (Tender 510/Jackpot 48000)
1959 - Broken Down Merry-Go-Round / Johnny, Johnny, Johnny (Guyden 2012)
1959 - If They Only Knew / Say You're Mine (Form 102)

The Gino Sisters
1958 - Be My Special Valentine (with Carol Kurman) / Valentine Rock (inst) (Hart 1691-51)
1958 - Gone You're Gone (?)

Jeff & The Gino's
1963 - Let me out / One Summer In a Million (Mercury 72138)

Frankie Ervin (bb The G-Notes & Ricky Page)
1959 - Believe Me/Why Don't You Go? (Guyden 2010)

Biography :

The G-Notes was a female band comprised of the Gino Sisters: Linda (12 yrs) , Nancy (10 yrs) and the youngest Colleen (3 yrs). They are from California where their father Sam Gino had built a recording studio in Thousand Oaks.

The G.Notes with Dick Clark

"I Would " /" Ronnie" Original Issue on Tender 510 from mid 1958 Both sides credited to George Motola and Ricky Page and Eddie Cochran on guitar, recorded at Goldstar studio (Hollywood). "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny " on their second single is again credited to Motola-Page and again With Eddie Cochran on guitar. Cochran liked the song so much he cut it himself re-titled "Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie".

The Trio made many television appearances. In February 1959, a Frankie Ervin record appeared on Philadelphia's Guyden label, owned by Harry Finfer .

Frankie Ervin Ricky Page

George Motola told him they had some hot tunes and gave him $25 a side. The two songs, recorded in Los Angeles, were "Believe Me" and "Why Don't You Go?". The backup was provided by Ricky Page and the G-Notes .

Colleen and Ricky Nelson

In 1963, The two older sisters Linda and Nancy cut a single for Mercury with a young boy as "Jeff & The Gino's". Linda and Nancy were later members of a singing group called The Youngfolk which was comprised of 7 members (5 male and 2 female) between the age of 18 and 20 years old. They performed in coffee houses in and around Hollywood, CA and appeared on several television variety shows.

The Youngfolk
Colleen Gino, the youngest of the G Notes later sang with Kenny Cetera (younger brother of Peter Cetera from the popular band Chicago). In 1982 the two recorded the song “Are you ready for me” which was produced by Colleen’s father Sam Gino and appears on the B side of Colleen’s single titled “Don’t stop now” on the Vistone Records label. Among Colleen’s collection of records are the two singles “Soft Café” and “New York Rebel” which were recorded in Rome, Italy and appeared on the JDC record label located in San Pedro, CA.
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/ricki_page.htm
http://www.uncamarvy.com/FrankieErvin/frankieervin.html

Songs :

The G-Notes


Ronnie                                        I Would                      Say You're Mine

Johnny Johnny Johnny" / "Broken Down Merry Go Round     If They Only Knew

The Gino Sisters

Gone You're Gone

Frankie Ervin (bb The G-Notes & Rickie Page)

Believe Me Why Don't You Go?

....

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The Velvetones (2)

Posted on June 28 2013 by dion1

The Velvetones (2) (Los Angeles)
aka The Velvitones

Personnel :

Eddie Lewis (Tenor/Lead)

Bryant Whitfield

Vernon Garrett

Tommy Williams

Discography :

The Velvitones
1959 - A Prayer at Gettysburg / Little Girl I Love You So (Milmart 113)

The Velvetones (2)
1957 - Glory Of Love / I Love Her So (Aladdin 3372)
1957 - I Found My Love / Melody Of Love (Aladdin 3391)
1960 - My Every Thought / Little Girl I Love You So (Aladdin 3463)

Biography :

Early in 1957, Eddie Mesner of Eddie and Leo Mesner's Aladdin Record Company, decided to cut a vocal group rendition of "The glory of love," a re-worked song dating back to Andy Kirk, made popular in 1949 by Larry Darnell in its original form then entitled "I'll get along somehow." For the session Mesner rounded up Bryant Whitfield and four other L.A. singers creating a kind of "thrown together" crew, a practice common in those days.

Three of the other four singers are Vernon Garrett (the same as had a hit with "Without you" on Ventura in 1969) , Eddie Lewis who sang lead and took care of narration and Tommy Williams. All other Aladdin titles are by a Velvetones group comprised of other singers. However the group released a single on the Milmart label in 1958. The name of the group is spelled differently due to a typo on the Milmart pressing. They are the Velvitones with "Little Girl I Love You So" (from the aladdin 3372) and "A Prayer at Gettysburg" with Eddie Lewis at the narration.

Songs :

The Velvetones (2)


Glory Of Love                  I Love Her So                      I Found My Love


Melody Of Love                 My Every Thought                Little Girl I Love You So

The Velvitones

A Prayer at Gettysburg

.....

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The Cables

Posted on June 27 2013 by dion1

(L to R) : Don McCarthy, Chris Kendall, Larry Dolgin & Jim Britt

The Cables (San Francisco)

Personnel :

Don McCarthy (Lead Tenor)

Larry Dolgin (Second Tenor)

Jim Britt (Baritone)

Chris Kendall (Bass)

Discography :

1961 - Choo Choo / Moonlight And Roses (Bring Mem'ries Of You) (RCA 47-7839)

Biography :

Vocal & instrumental group from San Francisco, the Cables were formed by leader of the group, Don McCarthy (tenor), bass is Chris Kendall, while Jim Britt and Larry Dolgin are Baritone & second Tenor. The Cables recorded two sides for RCA Victor in Los Angeles. Their "Moonlight And Roses" made the charts in the Southwest . The reverse was a satire on rock and roll mumbling and gets a big play on teen-age dance shows (guitar solo on Choo-Choo by Howard Roberts).

The Cables

The Cables appeared at Fack's No. 2 in San francisco in 1959, subsequent bookings at the best rooms in the Northwest included Seattle's Magic In, the early Bird of Spokane, Vancouver's Frontier Room and the Glengarry Club in Edmonton. A Seven Week booking in the big show room at the New Frontier in Las Vegas, was followed by an outstanding succes at the Chi-Chi in Palm Spings.

Songs :

Choo Choo

.....

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The Teenangels (2)

Posted on June 26 2013 by dion1

The Teenangels (2) (Mobile, Alabama)

Personnel :

Patricia Patrick

Terry Everett

Bonnie Daugherty

Discography :

1963 - Tell Me My Love / Ain't Gonna Let You (Sun 388)

Biography :

Jimmie Otto Rogers ( son of Bluebird country star Jesse Rogers and cousin of yodelin' Jimmie Rogers) came to Sun with Luke McDaniel. In 1958, Rogers went back to Mobile, Alabama to work as a songwriter and independent producer. He sold masters to Top Rank, Roulette, Dot, and other labels, and in April 1963 he sold two acts to Sun, the Teenangels and the Quintones. The Teenangels consisted of Patricia Patrick, Terry Everett, and Bonnie Daugherty, and they recorded two songs in March 1961 at Roger's Melotone Studio. The record wasn't officially released.

Sun pressed promo copies, but Rogers was dissatisfied the promotional effort Sun was putting into it and grabbed the masters back. The Teenagels were clearly fashioned after The Fleetwood's, a best-selling act in 1961. In fact, the Teenangels even look like the Fleetwoods. By late 1963, when the disc would have appeared, the Fleetwoods sound was well past its prime and Sun's promotional efforts were best described as minimal.
http://www.706unionavenue.nl/80658542

Songs :

Tell Me My Love Ain't Gonna Let You

....

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The Holidays (2)

Posted on June 25 2013 by dion1

The Holidays (2) (Oakland, Ca.)

Personnel :

Ken Pleasents (Lead/Tenor)

John Foster (Lead/Tenor)

Elton Stevens (Tenor)

Stan Harris (Second Tenor)

Isaah Brown (Baritone)

Discography :

Singles :
1958 - Never Go To Mexico / [Johnny George - Music City Hop (instrumental)] (Music City 818)
1961 - Got My Letter / The New Trucking (Lyons 107)
1963 - Send Back My Love / Deacon Brown Vs. The Devil (Galaxy714)

Unreleased :
1958 - I'm Going (Music City)
1958 - Station L.O.V.E. (Music City)
1958 - Hoochie Coochie Man (Music City)
1958 - Angel iIn My Heart (Music City)
1958 - Church Bells Will Ring (Music City)
1958 - PS My Darling (Music City)
1958 - Wouldn't Believe (Music City)

Biography :

The Holidays were formed in 1955 by Kenneth Pleasents at Oakland High. In 1957, The Holidays were composed of Ken Pleasents, Tenor and lead; Elton Stevens, Tenor; John Foster, Lead Tenor; Stan Harris, Second Tenor and Isaah Brown , Baritone. The group went to Ray Dobard at Music City. They stood in Dobard's makeshift back room studio with its rag-covered walls and recorded five songs, "I'm going,""Station L.O.V.E.,""Hoochie Coochie Man," the ballad "Angel" , and a novelty which sounded like an answer record to the Coasters' waxing of "Down in Mexico" without the Latin beat entitled "Never go to Mexico."

Elton Stevens, Ken Pleasents, John Foster, Stan Harris & Isaah Brown

Some weeks later when the record came out, the group rushed down to the pressing plant on East 14th Street in Oakland, expecting to pick up a 45 rpm record with two of their own numbers on it, only to find a novelty song on one side ("Never go to Mexico") and an instrumental, "Music City Hop" . By 1961, the group was being managed by Fat Daddy Lyons, founder and proprietor of the Lyons label on which blues soloist Eddie Foster is best remembered. Fat Daddy recorded the Holidays with Wylie Trass who also waxed for Lyons as a single.

The group's one Lyons record, "Got my letter," was a pretty ballad marred only by the cheap pressing and poor fidelity. Anguished lead vocals and wailing harmonies prevailed. "The new trucking," the jump tune chosen for the reverse, was a conscious effort to climb on the prevailing dance-craze bandwagon and is significant because good close-harmony singing is certainly better demonstrated here than on other more melodic Holidays recordings. In 1963, the Holidays cut their third and final record for Galaxy entitled "Send Back My Love."

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

Never Go To Mexico                   Got My Letter                 Send Back My Love


Deacon Brown Vs. The Devil        Station L.O.V.E                Hoochie Coochie Man

Angel In My Heart Church Bells Will Ring PS My Darling

Wouldn't Believe

_

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