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| Rewind the Fifties Record Shop |
In the 40's, 50's and part of the 60's, some record shops had a booth in the back where you could play and "preview" records before you bought them. If you lived in a small town this was the only way you could find out about the hot "teen" tunes. The local radio station and townfolk were more interested in the big bands, sports, farm reports, and the weather. There was no MTV or VH1. |
NOTE: In order to listen to these records in streaming format you will need Real Player 3.0 or Greater. If you don't have it, get it. It only takes a few minutes to download and install and it's free. It's worth having to hear these records. The streaming version should start up in about 10 - 15 sec. or less. If the Internet is very busy there may be delays (drop-outs) in the streaming mode.This is completely at the mercy of Geocities Servers which are overworked. If you experience a lot of dropouts it would probably be best to try some other time. Sorry folks, that's until I can find a better service provider at a price I can afford.
| This is my version of the Record Shop. You won't find a lot of records here, but I'll be bringing in some from time to time. Rather then load this page up with a lot of song titles, I thought I would provide a little background with the Records, something to read while you listen to the tunes. This can also provide a point of reference, where were you in 1954 when The Crewcuts sang Sa-Boom? Also I will not likely be putting up many songs that you still hear everyday on the "oldies" stations. Take a listen to some of the Doo Wop recordings on this page. Play "CRACKIN' UP" a rarely heard song by Bo Diddley. These are the ROOTS of Rock 'n Roll. |
| THE CREW CUTS Members: Pat Barrett (tenor), John Perkins (lead), Rudi Maugeri (baritone), Ray Perkins (bass) |
The Crew Cuts had more than a dozen hits between 1954 and
1956, their biggest was Sh-Boom. It was
number one for seven weeks in 1954.
Play "Sh-Boom" (1954)
(streaming)
|
SINGLES All I Wanna Do/The Barking Dog 1954 Crazy 'Bout You Baby 1954 Sh-Boom 1954 Oop-Shoop 1954 Dance Mr. Snowman Dance 1954 The Whippenpoof Song 1955 Ko Ko Mo 1955 Earth Angel 1955 Chop Chop Boom 1955 A Story Untold 1955 Gum Drop 1955 Slam Bam 1955 Angels In The Sky 1955 Mostly Martha 1955 Unchained Melody 1955 Seven Days 1956 Tell Me Why 1956 Bei Mir Bist Du Schon 1956 Love In A Home 1956 Halls Of Ivy 1956 Young Love 1957 Whatever, Whenever, Whoever 1957 Susie Q 1957 I Sit In My Window 1957 Be My Only Love 1957 Over The Mountain 1959 Legend Of Gunga Din 1959ALBUMS The Crew Cuts On The Campus 1954, The Crew Cuts Sing 1959, The Crew Cuts Have A Ball 1959.
| THE DIAMONDS The following members sang all the MERCURY RECORDS Hits. Dave Somerville (Lead Vocals) Ted Kowalski/Evan Fisher (Tenor Vocals) Bill Reed/John Felton (Bass Vocals) Phil Levitt/Mike Douglas (Baritone Vocals) |
Since their beginnings The Diamonds have released countless
records with many of them getting to the top of the charts.
Some of these include Walking Along, Silhouettes, High Sign,
The Stroll, and the biggest song of the entire rock era,
Little Darlin' (1957). Their first record still maintains its honor as the theme song of the bike gangs and one of the first rock hits ever ... "Black Denim Trousers and Motor Cycle Boots". Play "Little Darlin' " (1957) (streaming)
"Little Darlin' ... Oh Little Darlin'.... |
SINGLES Black Denim Trousers & Motorcycle Boots 1955 Smooch Me 1955 Why Do Fools Fall In Love 1956 Church Bells May Ring 1956 Love, Love, Love 1956 Ka-Ding-Dong 1956 Soft Summer Breeze 1956 My Judge And Jury 1956 A Thousand Miles Away 1956 Little Darlin' 1957 Words Of Love 1957 Zip Zip 1957 Silhouettes 1957 The Stroll 1958 High Sign 1958 Kathy O 1958 Walking Along 1958 She Say (Oom Dooby Doom) 1959 Gretchen 1959 Sneaky Alligator 1959 Young In Years 1959 Walkin' The Stroll/Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula 1959-60 Tell The Truth 1960 Slave Girl 1960 You'd Be Mine 1960 Woomai-Ling 1960 One Summer Night 1961ALBUMS Diamonds 1959
| THE DELL VIKINGS written by bass singer Clarence Quick. |
One of the first integrated acts, the Dell-Vikings
recorded the classic, "Come Go with Me." in 1956. The quintet was
formed at Pittsburgh's Air Force Serviceman's Club in 1955.
Play "Come go with me" (1958) (streaming)
|
| THE CHORDETTES Members: Janet Ertel, Carol Bushman, Lynn Evans, Margie Needham, Nancy Overton |
The Chordettes were a barbershop-style quartet of female singers. From
1954 to 1961, they placed thirteen songs in the top one hundred.
Their first hit on the Cadence label was Mr. Sandman, a song which topped the
charts for several weeks in 1954. In 1958 the song Lollypop just missed the top spot.
Play "Lollypop" (1958) (streaming)
|
A Taste of Doo Wop
The doo-wop style of music is group harmony with a shoobee-doowop-doo-wah style. Typical examples are "Blue Moon" by The Marcels, in 1961, and "Get a Job" by The Silhouettes, in 1957. This style of group harmony began with The Ink Spots during World War II, and became better known in the late 1940s and early 1950s by doowop pioneer groups such as The Ravens and The Orioles. Later came The Moonglows and The Flamingoes. By 1954, the doowop style was in place and fast became a hit on national radio. By 1956, most of the hits were doowop music, with groups such as Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, The Cleftones and many others.This is the music your mother warned you about. If she knew you were listening to "that" music, she would grab you by the collar and knock you upside the head. This music could lead to TROUBLE. These were the kind of groups who might have stuck up a gas station on the way to the studio.
| Sonny Til's Orioles Vee Jay 228 |
Play
"For All We Know" (streaming) "for all we know, we may never meet again." |
| Falcons Falcon 1006 |
Play
"Now That's It's Over" (streaming) "oh, oh, oh...now that's it's over, I still need you, need you, need you." |
| El Cincos Previously unissued prior to 1993 on Vee Jay MVD2-709 | Play
"Kiss Me" (streaming) "kiss me,... well now... tell me that you'll miss me |
| Bo Diddley | Play
"Crackin' Up" (streaming) "you alway's howlerin' bout where I've been... |
| Prodigals Falcon 1011 | Play
"Marsha" (streaming) "marsha was my teenage love... |
| Orchids Parrot 819 | Play
"You Said You Loved Me" (streaming) "you said you loved me... now you're gone... |
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