8 days ago

Music R&B Music zappas earlyinfluences doowopmusic

Frank Zappa often complained by the Eighties that he found it difficult to find musicians who were familiar with the Doo-Wop and R&B records of the Fifties.
So his love of that music could not be featured in his later concerts as much as he would like.
Frank would occasionally mention that he had a sizable collection of 45s from the Fifties.
I now encounter young people who never even heard of this music, not even from their parents.
When I lived in New York City between 1993 and 2008, I would listen to WFUV, broadcasting from Fordham University in the Bronx, almost every Saturday night between midnight and 2am, and record Dan Romanello’s “GROUP HARMONY REVIEW”.
Romanello was one of the most knowledgeable DJs of the music from the Fifties and early Sixties in the world.
We have now made 45 of his shows available – that’s approximately 90 hours of this incredible music!!!
His commentary throughout the shows is exemplary for its scholarship, including interviews with many of the musicians, who performed in those years on the street corners, since so many of them were still living in the New York City area.
This collection may not interest all Zappa enthusiasts but we are making it available to those who already enjoy this music as well as those who have never experienced it before. Frank showed me this collection occasionally and we would often listen to a few records.

Bob Dobbs

0:02:36 – The Flamingos – Hurry Home Baby
0:05:50 – The Wrens – Come Back My Love
0:07:58 – The Cardinals – Come Back My Love
0:13:20 – The Coasters – Smokey Joe’s Cafe
0:20:25 – The Crows – Oh Gee
0:23:24 – The Meadowlarks – Heaven and Paradise
0:29:03 – The Swallows – I Only Have Eyes for You
0:31:42 – Vic Donna & The Parakeets – Teenage Rose
0:33:52 – Don Julian & The Larks – Always and Always
0:40:00 – The Flamingos – I’m in the Mood for Love
0:43:49 – The Crows – Baby Doll
0:45:55 – The Wrens – Eleven Roses
0:50:41 – The Cardinals – You Are My Only Love
0:54:38 – The Cardinals – Under a Blanket of Blue
0:58:24 – The Cardinals – Shouldn’t I Know
1:05:14 – The Velours – Can I Walk You Home
1:10:38 – The Jayos – Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)
1:12:50 – The Five Debonaires – Darlin’
1:14:52 – The Jaguars – Mine All Mine
1:16:50 – The Danleers – Your Love
1:19:02 – Sammy Hagan & the Viscounts – Out of Your Heart
1:24:20 – Lewis Lymon & The Teenchords – Lydia
1:26:42 – The Deltas – Lamplight
1:28:45 – The Pearls – Let’s You and I Go Steady
1:33:52 – The Joy Tones – Gee What a Boy
1:35:42 – The Channels – My Love Will Never Die
1:39:00 – Tony Passalacqua – I Wonder Who
1:41:08 – Kenny Vance – Jeannie
1:43:56 – ?
1:46:32 – Tony Passalacqua – Who Do You Think You Are
1:50:50 – The Platters – Bark, Battle and Ball
1:53:28 – The Del-Vikings – Come Along with Me
1:55:40 – The Moonglows – Ooh Rocking Daddy
1:58:43 – The Platters – She’s Mine (He’s Mine)