Category Archives: Doo Wop

THIS LOVE WAS REAL-LA VOCAL GROUPS 1959-1964.

This Love Was Real-LA Vocal Groups 1959-1964. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. During the forties and fifties, doo wop groups were formed in towns and cities across America. From Baltimore to Chicago and Detroit to New York new groups were founded. This was also the case in Los Angeles during the golden age of doo …

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SLY AND THE VISCAYNES-YELLOW MOON: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS 1961-1962.

Sly and The Viscaynes-Yellow Moon: The Complete Recordings 1961-1962. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. By 1960, there were only two high schools in the city of Vallejo which is situated in the northeastern corner of San Francisco Bay. St Vincent’s and the Vallejo High School which was where the members of The Viscaynes would matriculate. …

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BIRTH OF SOUL-LOS ANGELES SPECIAL.

Birth Of Soul-Los Angeles Special. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. Nowadays, the compilation market is hugely competitive and it’s unlikely that many new series will still be going strong after twenty-five years. Sadly, most new compilation series are short-lived affairs and run out of steam after a few volumes.However, Kent Soul’s Birth Of Soul compilation …

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SHA NA NA-FROM THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, HOT SOX AND SHA NA NOW.

Sha Na Na-From The Streets Of New York, Hot Sox and Sha Na Now. Label: BGO Records. By 1973, Sha Na Na had been together fourteen years, released four albums and played at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair on Sunday, August the ‘17th’ 1969. That night, Sha Na Na played a barnstorming thirty-minute set in front …

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SECOND HELPINGS-SEQUELS TO THE SONGS THAT LEFT ‘EM HUNGRY FOR MORE.

SECOND HELPINGS-SEQUELS TO THE SONGS THAT LEFT ‘EM HUNGRY FOR MORE. Nowadays, people take for granted sequels in the film industry. Most movie goers will remember the sequels to Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. However, who remembers the sequels to Carrie, …

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MUSIC CITY VOCAL GROUPS-ROCK ’N’ ROLL IT, MAMBO, STROLL IT.

MUSIC CITY VOCAL GROUPS-ROCK ’N’ ROLL IT, MAMBO, STROLL IT. Earlier this year, Ace Records released Music City Vocal Groups-Greasy Love Songs Of Teenage Romance, Regret, Hope and Despair in June 2014. It featured fifty tracks from the Music City Vaults. Released to critical acclaim, Music City Vocal Groups-Greasy Love Songs Of Teenage Romance, Regret, …

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MUSIC CITY VOCAL GROUPS-GREASY LOVE SONGS OF TEENAGE ROMANCE, REGRET, HOPE AND DESPAIR.

MUSIC CITY VOCAL GROUPS-GREASY LOVE SONGS OF TEENAGE ROMANCE, REGRET, HOPE AND  DESPAIR. Described as containing “fifty slices of tear-stained wax,” Music City Vocal Groups-Greasy Love Songs Of Teenage Romance, Regret, Hope and Despair is Ace Records latest retrospective of Ray Dobard’s Music City label. Its origins can be traced back to 1950. That’s when …

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ROCKY SHARPE AND THE REPLAYS-IF YOU WANNA BE HAPPY-THE POLYDOR AND RAK MASTERS AND MORE.

ROCKY SHARPE AND THE REPLAYS-IF YOU WANNA BE HAPPY-THE POLYDOR AND RAK MASTERS AND MORE. December 1978 found Rocky Sharpe and The Replays enjoying an unexpected hit single. They’d covered The Astors’ Rama Lama Ding Dong, which reached number seventeen in the UK.  This was the first of series of hit singles Rocky Sharpe and …

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THE INNOCENTS-CLASSIC INNOCENTS-THE REPRISE, DECCA, WARNER BROS AND A&M RECORDINGS…PLUS MORE.

THE INNOCENTS-CLASSIC INNOCENTS-THE REPRISE, DECCA, WARNER BROS AND A&M RECORDINGS…PLUS MORE. Just like so many groups, the story of The Innocents began in high school. In their case, it was Sun Valley Junior High School, Los Angeles. This was the first step in a story documented on The Innocents-Classic Innocents-The Reprise, Decca, Warner Bros and …

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BAKER, HARRIS, YOUNG-B-H-Y.

BAKER, HARRIS, YOUNG-B-H-Y. By 1979 Ron Baker, Norman Harris and Earl Young were still the hardest working and most in-demand rhythm section in music. They were currently part of The Salsoul Orchestra and accompanying artists like the undisputed Queen of Disco, Loleatta Holloway, First Choice and Double Exposure. They’d done everything, from writing, arranging and …

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BLOODSTONE-WE GO A LONG WAY BACK.

BLOODSTONE-WE GO A LONG WAY BACK. Eclectic. That’s the best way to describe Bloodstone’s music. Their music gradually evolved over the band’s lifetime. Bloodstone’s music has incorporated everything from doo-wop, soul, funk, R&B, rock, gospel and Latin music. It seems Bloodstone have constantly reinvented themselves musically. That’s no bad thing. Any group that stands still, …

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WILD ONE-THE CAMEO-PARKWAY STORY.

WILD ONE-THE CAMEO-PARKWAY STORY. Way before Philly Soul provided the soundtrack to much of the seventies, many of the architects of Philly Soul cut their musical teeth at Cameo Parkway Records. This included songwriters and producers Gamble and Huff, vibes virtuoso, songwriter and producer Vince Montana Jr. and many members of Philadelphia International Records’ legendary …

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THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU.

THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU. Like so many other groups, success took time to come The Manhattans’ way.  Indeed, The Manhattans released seven albums before making a commercial breakthrough with 1976s The Manhattans. It was certified gold, and 1977s It Feels So Good and 1980s After Midnight repeated the feat. However, before their 1976 …

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LAURA NYRO-GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE.

LAURA NYRO-GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE. Recently, I’ve been reviewing albums which although not strictly Philly Soul, feature many of the musicians, songwriters, arrangers and producers who were architects of the Philly Sound. This include Ecstasy, Passion and Pain’s Ecstasy, Passion and Pain, Joe Simon’s Drowning In A Sea of Love, Dusty Springfield’s A Brand New …

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BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU.

  BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU. Back in the spring of 1974, Philadelphia International Records had a busy schedule of releases. They’d three albums scheduled for release. The first of this trio was M.F.S.B’s seminal Love Is The Message and the third was The O’Jays’ classic Ship Ahoy. In between these two …

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