Zappa’s early influences: R&B – Doo-wop Vol. 40

Frank Zappa often complained by the Eighties that he found it difficult to find musicians who were familiar with the Doo-Wop and R&B records of the Fifties.

So his love of that music could not be featured in his later concerts as much as he would like.

Frank would occasionally mention that he had a sizable collection of 45s from the Fifties.

I now encounter young people who never even heard of this music, not even from their parents.

When I lived in New York City between 1993 and 2008, I would listen to WFUV, broadcasting from Fordham University in the Bronx, almost every Saturday night between midnight and 2am, and record Dan Romanello’s “GROUP HARMONY REVIEW”.

Romanello was one of the most knowledgeable DJs of the music from the Fifties and early Sixties in the world.

https://wfuv.org/content/thank-you-dan

https://wfuv.org/users/dan-romanello

We have now made 45 of his shows available – that’s approximately 90 hours of this incredible music!!!

His commentary throughout the shows is exemplary for its scholarship, including interviews with many of the musicians, who performed in those years on the street corners, since so many of them were still living in the New York City area.

This collection may not interest all Zappa enthusiasts but we are making it available to those who already enjoy this music as well as those who have never experienced it before. Frank showed me this collection occasionally and we would often listen to a few records.

Bob Dobbs

0:01:57 – Sonny Knight – Confidential
0:04:28 – Rene And Ray – Queen of My Heart
0:06:40 – Frankie And Johnny – My First Love
0:09:02 – The Jaguars – Thinking Of You
0:12:56 – Enchanters – I Lied to My Heart
0:15:34 – The Treble Chords – Teresa
0:18:07 – The Elgins – Here in Your Arms
0:23:01 – The Five Owls – Pleading To You
0:25:43 – Jiving Juniors – Beautiful Doll
0:28:27 – The Accents – I Give My Heart to You
0:30:32 – Delta Rhythm Boys – Dancin’ With Someone
0:35:13 – Majors – At Last
0:38:04 – Gems – Waiting
0:40:22 – Beverley And Her Boyfriends – I’m Gonna Let You Cry
0:45:06 – The Plurals – Donna
0:47:45 – The Plurals – Miss Annie
0:52:22 – The Do Ray Mi Trio – Wrapped Up In A Dream
0:55:34 – The Monitors – Closer to Heaven
0:57:37 – The Five Jades – Are You Sorry
1:03:30 – Alice Jean and the Mondellos – Come Back Home
1:06:31 – The Five Owls – A Little Bit of Moonshine
1:09:20 – The Universals – Dreaming
1:11:45 – The Bel-Airs – My Yearbook
1:16:00 – The Champs – Tony Allen Nite Owl
1:18:47 – Gene Chandler – Nite Owl
1:22:26 – The Dukays – Festival Of Love
1:26:17 – Lil Greenwood – Never Again
1:29:12 – The Del-Vikings – White Cliffs of Dover
1:31:20 – Blue Sonnets – Never Too Late
1:33:58 – Four Dots – Strange As It Seems
1:37:03 – Lil Greenwood – Come Back Baby
1:41:00 – The Intentions – Summertime Angel
1:42:46 – The Four Tunes – Just In Case You Change Your Mind
1:45:45 – The Chancellors – There Goes My Girl
1:48:11 – The Cordials – Once In A Lifetime
1:50:15 – Nolan Strong & The Diablos- Old Fashioned Girl
1:52:44 – Quintones – In The Doorway Crying
1:57:43 – Jesse Belvin – Goodnight My Love