Hot Dog Dooly Wah, The Pyramids (1959) Not to be confused with the surf band from CA, or the reggae group from the UK, or the R&B group from Detroit, or others, these Pyramids appear to be songwriter Vince Catalano (who also disguised himself as The Acorns).
Zoom Zoom Zoom, The Collegians (1958) A hit for the Collegians, the intro to this song was adopted by the Marcels in 1961 for their classic version of Blue Moon.
It Ain’t Nothin’ But Rock And Roll, The Matadors (1963) Puerto Rican street corner vocal group The Epsilons formed in Brooklyn NY, changed the name to the The Matadors and recorded four songs in 1963. There was another group with the same name, and rather than give up their matching bullfighter garb, they became The Toreadors.
Do The Zombie, M.R. Baseman & The Symbols (1963) This song was the B-side of a 45rpm recorded on the Graphic Arts label, the A-side being a cover of the Devotions’ Rip Van Winkel, recorded by “Marty & The Symbols.” Very little is known about this group except they may have been from Astoria, Queens, NY. No relation to the 1960s UK pop band The Symbols.
Nite Owl, Tony Allen and The Champs (1955) Anthony Penia Allon, aka Tony Allen, was born in New Orleans of mixed creole, Indian and black parents. He grew up a few houses down from Fats Domino who inspired him; his musical resume is solid. This original version (by Tony Allen and The Chimes – Specialty Records got the group’s name wrong) was also released as Night Owl.
Night Owl, Bobby Paris (1966) Roberto Pares, aka Bobby Paris, was a blue-eyed soul singer (with brown eyes due to his Puerto Rican heritage). In 1956 Paris sang with The Golden Keys, a neighborhood R&B group, began his recording career in 1960 and eventually became a producer for Capitol Records. His first and biggest hit came in 1966 with his cover of Tony Allen’s Nite Owl, rearranged and mashed up with Tom Jones’ 1965 hit It’s Not Unusual.
30 foot waves are expected at south facing beaches in So. California due to the leftovers of Hurricane Hilary. Live surf cams here and here. San Clemente has a decent one.
[Top image: Screened patio, Orange County North Carolina (ca. 2014) found somewhere on Twitter/X.]
Running Around, Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs (1961) Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs were best known for their classic 1960 hit Stay, the shortest recorded number one hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (US).
[Top image was posted by somewhere on Twitter, misplaced the linky. It appears to be a pissed-off Short-eared Owl making a big scary face with its wings.]
Leave Me Alone, Nathaniel Mayer & The Fabulous Twilights (1962)Nathaniel “Nate Dog” Mayer was 18 when he recorded his first (and biggest) hit, Village of Love, in 1962. The members of The Fabulous Twlights are unknown. After a six year stint with Fortune Records, he disappeared into the East Detroit ghettos, only to resurface years later. Apparently he’d had a rough time, too – in 2009 he recorded The Puddle.
Scone Cash Players is a Miami based funk jazz group led by Adam Scone on the Hammond B3. Scone is an Ohio native, and the accompanying video may (or may not) be a hat tip to the steel industry surrounding Youngstown.
Past week so hot I was forced to dig out my official Steve Irwin Crikey Shorts, hose myself down and sit for hours in front of the Vornado. Thankfully, tropical storm Kay showed up and blew out the heat. I’d forgotten how nice it is just to stand in the rain – and listen.
Have a great weekend. Tomorrow we’ll mess with stuff.
The Stars, The Ocapello’s (1966 & 1972)A rare recording – a 45rpm in mint condition might fetch you $100. Little can be found about the group with the stray apostrophe except that they came from East Orange, New Jersey, and evolved from two other local groups (The Crowns and The Cameos), and that the lead singer may or may not have been Bobby Kline who may or may not have been black.
Tacky Raccoons 