The Love Notes from Hawaii consisted of Pete Hernandez (Baritone/Producer), Johnny Bock (Bass), John Laporte (Falsetto), John Valentine (Lead Vocal/Music Director), Mike Baker (1st Tenor), Felix Almestica( Lead and Vocal Director) and Pat Miguel (2nd Tenor).
Pete Hernandez is the father of actual pop star Bruno Mars.
In 1986 recorded in Hawaii for Uptown Records a doo wop Ep with the sides_Doo Woppin' In Paradise/Memories Of
Day Gone By/Good Old Acapella.
Group/band from the Camden catholic high school in Philadelphia formed by Joe Giglio,Bobby Palese,Cookie Delbueno,Chubby Salvatore and Chuckles Gigs, first know as the Cookie & The Swing Kings.
They contracted Frank Vito as their manager and recorded two original songs in Emil Cousin’s Reco-art complex in Center City_Scratch My Back/Little Green Men. Released in 1958 on the Swan label under the group name of THE ECHOES.the A Side have a big Dj’s acceptacion but failed in the national charts.
Their new work in the Swan label were also in 1958 as instrumental band to Frankie Grier Quartet sides_Lonesome For You/Oh Gloria.
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For the next four years the group singing and play in many shows in the US and Canada and new members were involved with the group;Eddie Vickery,George Vampisi,Joe Rodano,Jimmy McQuade,Dino Borgi.... in this time the group were know as THE ECHOS (no “E”).
In 1962 with the popularity of the Twist sound Joe write_Italian Twist. with the B Side_Zoom(borrowed from the Cadillac’s tune).
These two tunes were released in the Southern Sound label under the group name of THE UNIQUE ECHOS. Without succes the group disbanded during 1965.in 1969 joe Giglio joined The Four Aces.
The group have another recording in the late 60's_Booga-Ka-Do/Bongo Talk. on the Swan label under the group name of Jimmy McQuade & The Unique Echos. not present in the doo wop guides.
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Below two rare pictures of the group on American Bandstand.
-Schoolhouse Rock/A Way To Tell Her. End Records-1958.
In The Complete Book Of Doo Wop this recording is listed as by THE NOBLES(see in this blog) but actually the Matteo's back up group on End Records is unknow.
The Empires consisted of a black lead singer,Eddie Friend from Richmond,VA with three hispanic guys from Puerto Rico, Frank Nieves(2nd Tenor,Writer and Pianist),Miguel Ayala(1st Tenor) and Victor Rios(Bass and Baritone).
Eddie have a vocal group in Richmond,The Pelicans who have a demo record_Red Hot Mama/Johnnie-Mae. written by Eddie. When the group broke up Eddie moved to New York and with Frankie,Miguel and Victor Formed The Empires.
They signed writer-producer-arranger Phil Medley as their manager who send the group to Milt Scnap owner of a small recording studio where they recorded two Eddie-Frank original compòsitions_Tears In My Eyes/Single And Free.
Medley present the demo to Colpix Records who liked the songs and released in late 1959 as a 45 rpm single under the group name of EDDIE FRIEND & THE EMPIRES.
Without success the group work with a second original release_It Must Be Love/There’s No One In The World As Lovely As You. But the they broke up before the sides were released.
Additional Note...
Frank Nieves written tunes as_Lydia. By The Sunsets. _Night After Night. By The Young Lads. or_It’s Better To Cry. By The Appreciations and recorded his own records on the Speed label.
From The Complete Book Of Doo Wop but without a doo wop sound...
PAT & THE SATELLITES.
(Otis Antonelli,Wayne Lips and Pat Piccirillo)
-Jupiter C/Oh! Oh! Darlin'. Atco Records-1959.( A Side is instrumental. B Side is by a solo singer)
(Atco brought in King Curtis to overdub saxophone on the recording).
Joel Katz grew up in Saddle Brook, NJ where he began in the mid 60's to singing in high school with groups as Joel & The Conchords,The Belvederes,The Butanes or The Autumns(see in this blog).
In the 70's Joel formed The Connotations and finally THE PLATINUMS consisted of Eddie Decker, Bob Roman, Joel Katz, Earl Richardson and Billy Ford.
This group is present in the doo wop guides wirth...
-Life Is A But A Dream/My True Story. J & M Records-1979.
-One Summer Night/Teardrops Follow Me. J & M Records-1979.
-Blanche/Walking In The Rain. J & M Records-1980.
-The Things I Love/Boy With The B-bop Glasses. Coral Records-1956.
Group originally formed in Buffalo,NY by Jack Blanchard and Don Fronczak with two chorus girls. During 1954-55 singing in many locals in the New York area and Detroit.
In the early 1956 The Dawn Breakerws are a complete male group.From Left to Right in the above picture; Buddy Baker(High Tenor), Jim Warne(Lead), Don Fronczak(Bass), and Jack Blanchard(Baritone) who recorded several demos written by Jack_Dream/Big Town Blues/Blind Love...
Finally they recorded one single for Coral Records with the sides_The Things I Love/Boy With The B-bop Glasses.
The Latin Souls from the hispanic section of Harlem in New York formed by four Puerto Ricans;Douglas Rodriguez,Frank Ruiz,Anthony Flores and Sammy Marrero.
From Left to Right,Sammy Marrero,Frank Ruiz,Douglas Rodriguez and Anthony Flores.
Present in the Jeff Kreiter Vocal Group Record Guide with...
In 1968 recorded one Lp for Kapp Records with the Jarmel's classic doo wop side_The Way You Look Tonight.
LISTEN...
Additional Note...
In 1964 DOUGLAS RODRIGUEZ with Hector Ruiz, Fred Campos, Francisco Zubillaca, and Patrick Gaul recorded as THE RIALTOS for CB Records_Let Me In/It Hurts.(Recorded in Musimakers Studios W. 57th St. NY, King Curtis's Band with his great Sax backed up the Group).
Lou Mastor on Lead, Dick Fagan,Tom Sheeder and Frank Pullano from the Fredonia Teachers College in Chautauqua County, NY formed in 1954 the vocal group THE FOUR DUKES.singing in local and TV shows but never recorded.(Later Lou was a member of The Hill-Topers).
In 1959 the group were know as THE PROFESSORS and were present in the Kreiter's guide with the sides_Look At Her/Our Teenage Love.
White vocal group from Oakland,CA formed by Darlene O'Connor,Gary, Dave, Jodie And Don popular in the TV shows of the mid 50's as the Hal Peary's Waltz Varities show.
They were present in The Complete Book Of Doo Wop with...
-I Hear A Melody/Roses Never Fade. Empire Records-1956.(B Side used a backing track originally featured on the Mell Williams version).
-I Can't Forget/Red Dog. MGM-1958.(A Side featuring Darlene O'Connor/B Side featuring Frankie Leas).
In late 1961 Gus Mellace, Ronny “Pro” Provenzano, John Bersami and Ronald Santora formed a vocal group in their Nearby South Philadelphia high school but without a determined Lead Singer. In the same time Jack Lodato with the Bruni Sisters(Future Records),John DePalma(later in the Premiers on Mink,see in this blog),Junior Gigliotti and Bobby Cramatola(Later in the Fantasys on Guyden,see in this blog) were know as The Velchords. When they broke up, Jack joined the Nearby hig school guys and The Del-Airs were born; Jack Lodato(Lead),John Bersami(1st Tenor),Gus Mellace(2nd Tenor),Ronal Provenzano(Bass) and Ronald Santora(Baritone).with the fabulous lead voice of Jack the group practice with songs as “Two People In The World”,”Tears On My Pillow”,”Long Lonely Nights” and signed Bruce Reed as their manager who send the group to participe on many shows.
Without made a record with Bruce the guys signed Gu’s older brother Joe Rocco(Mellace) of The Day Brothers as their new manager,this send the group to Morris Ballen owner-operator of M.B.S. Records who contracted the group and send this to the recorded publication laboratory in Camden where recorded the 1958 Fabulaire’s tune_While Walkin. And the original tunes_Lost My Job/Mystic Melody/The Night Before Christmas.
In 1962 the label released the two first tunes and these have a big acceptacion on the radio shows(WIBG;WCAM...) the group toured the Philadelphia and New York area and appear in TV on Atlantic City
In 1964 the group back to the recording studio at Sound Plus in Northeast Philly and recorded_It Took A Long Time. A redux of 1957 Malcom Dodds & The Tunedrops tune, with the original song_Ma Ma Marie.
Finally released in the Delsey label in the summer of 1964 but with the british invasion the disc dead soon.the group recorded a nember of tunes on the A.M.S studio but disbanded without made another recording.
-Sherrie's In Love/My Baby Loves To Sing Opera. Monogram Records-1975.
Actually this recording is a joke 45 with an unreleased accappella side from the early 60's of The Timetones(see in this blog) present in the Kreiter's guide and released in the 70's by the Philadelphian label Monogram Records dedicated to reissuing old material and pressing unreleased material.
the music files presented are posted for purposes of musical enlightenment only.The intention is to raise awareness of underappreciated artists/songs. If you like what you hear, seek these artists out on CD or get out there and find some of this old vinyl for yourself... If you are the copyright holder and wish any files to be removed, I will do so immediately upon request.
