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Doo Wop 50
Doo Wop 50 was a PBS pledge drive special created and produced for PBS member station WQED-TV by TJ Lubinsky, grandson of Herman Lubinsky (founder of Savoy Records). The special was inspired by a 1994 CD box-set of doo wop music produced and sold by Rhino Records, which was also a development and production partner in the special. It aired on December 5, 1999. Doo Wop 50 was videotaped live at The Benedum Center For The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 11 & 12, 1999. It showcased many doo-wop groups that had existed since the 1950s, and was hosted by former Impressions lead and soul soloist Jerry Butler. It was followed by Doo Wop 51 and the American Soundtrack series. Doo Wop 50 became the highest-producing pledge drive special in the history of PBS at that time, garnering more than $20 million for its member stations. The American Soundtrack series has become a mainstay for PBS and WQED. Groups on the program Part One Herb Reed's Platters *" Only You" *" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing shows such as ''Frontline'', '' Nova'', '' PBS NewsHour'', ''Sesame Street'', and ''This Old House''. PBS is funded by a combination of member station dues, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, pledge drives, and donations from both private foundations and individual citizens. All proposed funding for programming is subject to a set of standards to ensure the program is free of influence from the funding source. PBS has over 350 member television stations, many owned by educational institutions, nonprofit groups both independent or affiliated with one particular local public school district or collegiate educational institution, or entities owned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Great Pretender
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single in November 1955. The words and music were written by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and management. The song reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Top 100, and No. 5 on the UK charts. The song has been covered by a number of singers, most notably by Freddie Mercury, whose version reached No. 4 on the UK charts. Sam Cooke's cover of the song is believed to have inspired Chrissie Hynde to name her band The Pretenders. Platters' original Buck Ram, the manager of The Platters said that he wrote the song in about 20 minutes in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in order to have a follow up to the success of "Only You (And You Alone)". Ram had boasted to Bob Shad that he had an even better song than "Only You", and when pressed by Shad on the name of the song, and Ram quickly replied "The G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Lonely Nights
"Long Lonely Nights" is a song that was originally released by Lee Andrews & the Hearts in 1957. Hit versions were also released by Clyde McPhatter, later in 1957, and Bobby Vinton in 1965. The song was written by Lee Andrews, though Larry Brown (as Abbott), Doug Henderson, and Mimi Uniman were given songwriter credit as well, in a practice that was common at the time.Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today', Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 102. Retrieved March 25, 2018. 1957 versions Lee Andrews & the Hearts' version was released as a single in 1957.This Week's R&B Best Buys , '' Billboard'', July 29, 1957. p. 60. Retrieved March 24, 2018 It was originall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Andrews & The Hearts
Lee Andrews & the Hearts were an American doo-wop quintet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formed in 1953. They recorded on the Gotham, Rainbow, Mainline, Chess, United Artists, Grand and Gowen labels. Managed by Kae Williams, in 1957 and 1958 they had their three biggest hits, "Tear Drops", "Long Lonely Nights" and "Try the Impossible". Members The group consisted of Lee Andrews (lead), Roy Calhoun (first tenor), Thomas "Butch" Curry (second tenor), Ted Weems (baritone) and Wendell Calhoun (bass). Lee Andrews was born Arthur Lee Andrews Thompson on June 2, 1936, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He was the father of Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and singer songwriter Donn T. He was the son of a singer, Beachy Thompson of the gospel music group The Dixie Hummingbirds. Andrews died on March 16, 2016 at the age of 79. Discography Albums * ''Dean Tyler Presents Lee Andrews and the Hearts - Live on Stage'' (1965) Lost Nite Records Singles * "Maybe You'll Be There" (195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Worst That Could Happen
"Worst That Could Happen" is a song with lyrics and music written by singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by The 5th Dimension on their 1967 album of nearly all-Jimmy Webb songs, ''The Magic Garden'', "Worst That Could Happen" was later recorded by The Brooklyn Bridge and reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's top 40, at #38 on January 4, 1969, peaking at #3 on February 1-8, 1969. The song tells about a man wishing well to a woman with whom he is still in love, but because the man was unwilling to settle down, she left him and is about to marry someone else who is more stable; the singer accepts the marriage but still feels that it is "the worst (thing) that could happen to (him)". It has been stated that, along with "MacArthur Park" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Worst That Could Happen" is about a relationship that Webb had with a woman named Susan. The song is noted for the quoting of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" from the incidental music to '' A Midsummer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge (also known as The Bridge and as Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge since the 1980s) is an American musical group, best known for their million-selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's " Worst That Could Happen" (1968). History New York City-born Johnny Maestro (born John Peter Mastrangelo a.k.a. Johnny Mastro, Johnny Masters; May 7, 1939 – March 24, 2010) began his career in 1957 as the original lead singer of The Crests, one of the first interracial groups of the recording industry. Patricia Van Dross, older sister of the R&B singer Luther Vandross, sang with Johnny Maestro while The Crests were signed to the Joyce Record label. Before The Crests signed with Coed Records, Van Dross left the group because her mother did not want her 15-year-old daughter touring with the older guys. After a regional hit with "My Juanita"/"Sweetest One" on the Joyce label, he had three years of chart success with The Crests on Coed Records with "16 Candles", "Six Nights A Wee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duke Of Earl
"Duke of Earl" is a 1962 US number-one song, originally recorded by Gene Chandler. It is the best known of Chandler's songs, and he subsequently dubbed himself "The Duke of Earl". The song was penned by Chandler, Bernice Williams, and Earl Edwards. This song was a 2002 inductee into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It has also been selected by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Original version by Gene Chandler The song originated from warm-up exercises by the Dukays, a vocal group that included Chandler (under his original name, Eugene Dixon) and Earl Edwards and that had already had some success on the R&B chart. The group would regularly warm up by singing "Do do do do..." in different keys. On one occasion, Dixon changed the syllables he was singing to include Earl's name, and the chant gradually became the nonsense words "Du..du..du..Duke of Earl". The pair worked on the song with regular songwriter and mentor Bernice Williams, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene Chandler
Gene Chandler (born Eugene Drake Dixon; July 6, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed "the Duke of Earl" or, simply, "the Duke." He is best known for his most successful songs, " Duke of Earl" and " Groovy Situation", and his association with the Dukays, the Impressions, and Curtis Mayfield. Chandler is a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee and a recipient of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. He is one of the few singers to achieve chart success spanning the doo-wop, rhythm and blues, soul and disco musical eras, with some top-40 pop and R&B chart hits between 1961 and 1986. Chandler was inducted as a performer into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame on August 24, 2014. In 2016, he became a double inductee in the R&B Music Hall of Fame with his induction as an R&B music pioneer. Early years Chandler was born Eugene Drake Dixon in Chicago on July 6, 1937. He attended Englewood High School on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earth Angel
"Earth Angel", occasionally referred to as "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their debut single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins had formed the year prior and recorded the song as a demo in a garage in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles. The song's origins lie in multiple different sources, among them songs by Jesse Belvin, Patti Page, and the Hollywood Flames. Its authorship was the subject of a bitter legal dispute with Williams in the years following its release. Although the song was going to be overdubbed with additional instrumentation, the original demo version became an unexpected hit, quickly outstripping its A-side. The song grew out of Southern California and spread across the United States over the winter of 1954–55. "Earth Angel" became the first independent label release to appear on ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' national pop charts, whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Penguins
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun '' thee'') when followed by a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Since I Don't Have You
"Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Country music singer Ronnie Milsap had a hit with the song in 1991. American hard rock band Guns N' Roses also had some success in 1994 with their version of the song which reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The Skyliners version Background Taken from their self-titled album and released in late 1958, the single reached number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number 7 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100. It was also a top five hit on the 1959 R&B chart. Charts Don McLean version Don McLean's 1981 rendition reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, it peaked at number two on its AC chart. Charts Ronnie Milsap version Background ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Skyliners
The Skyliners are an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh. The original lineup was: Jimmy Beaumont (lead), Janet Vogel (soprano), Wally Lester (tenor), Jackie Taylor (bass voice, guitarist), Joe Verscharen (baritone). The Skyliners were best known for their 1959 hit, "Since I Don't Have You". History The Skyliners also hit the top 40 with "This I Swear" and " Pennies from Heaven". Other classics include "It Happened Today" (1959), " Close Your Eyes" (1961), and "Comes Love" (1962). The original group dissolved in 1963, but re-united eleven years later (without Jackie Taylor), for what would become their last charted record, "Where Have They Gone?" In 1965, Jimmy Beaumont recorded two notable singles for the Bang label: the first record, "Tell Me"/"I Feel Like I'm Falling in Love", had medium-tempo soul-styled tracks. For his second Bang 45, "I Never Loved Her Anyway"/"You Got Too Much Going for You", Beaumont transformed into an impressive soul singer, sounding nothing li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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