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
Theme: Early 1960s
Tracks in episode:
0:02:29 – The Timetones – House Where Lovers Dream
0:05:00 – The Timetones – My Love
0:07:27 – The Timetones – Pretty Pretty Girl
0:10:00 – The Timetones – Here in My Heart
0:13:48 – Red Sovine – Dee I
0:16:25 – The Valiants – Please Wait My Love
0:20:32 – Frankie Ervin & Group – Some Other Guy
! 0:22:57 – The Charts – You’re the Reason
0:27:00 – Darts – A Fool in Love
0:28:45 – The Scarlets – True Love
0:31:40 – The Five Scamps That’s My Desire
0:34:30 – The Five Scamps Chicken Shack Boogie
0:37:36 – Red Prysock – Wiggles
0:41:51 – Donny Marchand – I Don’t Know
0:44:20 – Four Kings – My Head Goes Acting Up
0:48:40 – The Counts – I Need You Always
0:51:48 – The Counts – From This Day On
0:54:12 – The Counts – My Dear, My Darling
1:03:08 – Four Pharoahs – Give Me Your Love
1:05:40 – The Johnny Otis Rhythm & Blues Caravan – Harlem Nocturne
1:08:52 – The Sparrows – Flame In My Heart
1:15:24 – Tempo Tones – Ride Along Baby
1:17:40 – Starlarks – My Dear
1:19:54 – Fi Dells – Come Back To Me
1:22:30 – Rosemary and the Rosebuds – ?
1:24:36 – Ruth Brown – Have a Good Time
1:29:10 – Wini Brown & Her Boyfriends – Be Anything (But Be Mine)
1:32:18 – Gladys Cane – Before You Go
1:35:02 – Savannah Churchill – I Want To Cry
1:37:52 – Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson With Bob Merrill & Cootie Williams Orchestra – Daddy Daddy
1:40:47 – Wynona Carr – Hurt Me
1:44:40 – The Robins – Hurt Me
1:47:20 – The Swans – My True Love
1:49:40 – Twilighters – Little Did I Dream
1:52:40 – The Casual Crescendos – Wish That You Were Here
1:55:40 – The Counts – Darling Dear
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