Zappa’s early influences: R&B – Doo-wop Vol. 43

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

0:00:00 – The Ravens – That Old Gang Of Mine
0:02:43 – The Clovers – Don’t You Know I Love You
0:08:54 – The Royales – Too Much of a Little Bit
0:11:22 – The Cardinals – I’ll Always Love You
0:14:27 – The Five Keys – The Glory of Love
0:21:35 – The Dominoes – Sixty Minute Man
0:24:02 – The Dominoes – I Am with You
0:28:52 – Esther Phillips – Heart to Heart
0:35:41 – Jackie Brenston – Rocket 88
0:38:27 – The Falcons – How Blind Can You Be
0:41:06 – Blenders – The Masquerade Is Over
0:48:07 – The Cabineers – Each Time
0:50:44 – The Swallows – Dearest
0:53:42 – The Larks – My Reverie
0:58:02 – The Mello-Moods – Where Are You?
1:01:27 – The Heartbreakers – Heartbreaker
1:04:10 – The Four Dots – My Dear
1:10:39 – The Hollywood Flames – Tabarin
1:13:27 – The Sultans – You Captured My Heart
1:16:33 – The Royales – Give Me One More Chance
1:19:15 – Bobby Nunn – That’s What The Good Book Says
1:23:34 – The Four Buddies – ?
1:26:18 – The Four Buddies – Heart and Soul
1:28:56 – The Four Buddies – Simply Say Goodbye
1:31:21 – The Four Buddies – It’s No Sin
1:35:24 – The Billy Williams Quartet – It’s No Sin
1:38:14 – Savannah Churchill – I Don’t Believe in Tomorrow
1:40:37 – The Larks – I Don’t Believe in Tomorrow
1:44:20 – The Larks – I Don’t Believe in Tomorrow
1:46:57 – The Orioles – Hold Me! Squeeze Me!
1:49:02 – The Cardinals – Shouldn’t I Know
1:52:12 – The Swallows – Eternally
1:56:24 – The Ravens – You’re Always in My Dreams