Kip Tyler (May 31, 1929 – September 23, 1996) was an American singer and bongo player.

Early life

Elwood Westertson Smith was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Career

Lead singer of Sleepwalkers during his time at Union High School and later teamed up with rival musicians from Fairfax High School to form the early version of

Kip Tyler and the Flips Kip Tyler and the Flips were an American rock and roll band best known for recording "Jungle Hop." Beginnings The group started in Los Angeles, California in 1957, right after Kip Tyler was no longer needed for the band, 'Jimmy Daley and The Ding-A ...

. In early 1957, Kip caught the attention of arranger Joseph Gershenson who hired him to work on a project connected to the movie "

Rock, Pretty Baby ''Rock, Pretty Baby'' is a 1956 American comedy musical film directed by Richard Bartlett and starring Sal Mineo, John Saxon and Luana Patten. Plot Young musician Jimmy Daley (Saxon) needs to come up with $300 to purchase the electric guitar he ...

". Stemming from the success of movie, Tyler took on the name of Jimmy Daley (the main character of the movie who he provided a voice over for) and formed the band Jimmy Daley And The Ding-A-Lings. He recorded his first album at

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. Songs such as "Red Lips and Green Eyes", "Bongo Rock" and "Hole in the Wall" were produced at Decca Records. Unfortunately for Tyler, the sequel to "Rock, Pretty Baby", " Summer Love" was a flop and so was the career of his surname, Jimmy Daley. In late 1957, he formed a new group,

Kip Tyler And The Flips Kip Tyler and the Flips were an American rock and roll band best known for recording "Jungle Hop." Beginnings The group started in Los Angeles, California in 1957, right after Kip Tyler was no longer needed for the band, 'Jimmy Daley and The Ding-A ...

, responsible for the hits "Let's Monkey Around", "Jungle Hop" and "She's My Witch". When the band split in 1959, Tyler attempted a solo career, but with limited success. In 1964 he recorded for the label Gyro Disk, and his success briefly peaked after recording a number of songs. Tyler's last single was made in 1965.

Music

(1) Jimmy Daley & The Ding-A-Lings (Feat. Kip Tyler) (2) Kip Tyler & The Flips (3) The Kipsters (4) Kipper & The Exciters (5) Kip Tyler & The White Fronts (6) Kip Tyler & The Break-Outs

Death

He died on September 23, 1996

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

from natural causes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Kip 1929 births 1996 deaths American rockabilly musicians Bongo players 20th-century American singers