Zappa’s early influences: R&B – Doo-wop Vol.26

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: Black History Month – 1940s Unknown vocal groups

0:02:56 – The Ravens – Midnight Blues
0:05:40 – Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra – Tippin’ In
0:14:22 – Joe Morris Orchestra – Pass The Juice Miss Lucy
0:16:54 – Nappy Brown – Bye Bye Baby
0:27:33 – Delta Rhythm Boys – Deep River
0:29:19 – Deep River Boys – Swanee River
0:34:37 – Ry Cooder – Nobody
0:39:51 – Louis Armstrong – Basin Street Blues
0:50:50 – The Chords – Sh-Boom
0:53:17 – The Penguins – Earth Angel
0:56:10 – Frankie Wyman and the Teenagers – Why Do Fools Fall In Love?
0:58:50 – The Drifters – There Goes My Baby
1:07:42 – The Gingersnaps – These Foolish Things
1:11:40 – The Dreamers – Ezekiel Saw The Wheel
1:14:25 – The Five Tones – Shout Brother Shout
1:18:10 – The Five Crowns – You Could Be My Love
1:21:28 – The Ravens – There’s No Use Pretending
1:24:15 – The Melbas – Ring A Ling My Darling
1:33:39 – The Mills Brothers – Robin Hood
1:36:25 – The Golden Gate Quarter – Kalamazoo
1:38:00 – Delta Rhythm Boys – Paper Doll
1:40:52 – Delta Rhythm Boys – Shoo-Shoo Baby
1:45:54 – Betty Everett – Where Are You?
1:48:13 – Jay McShann – Hootie Blues
1:53:33 – Bing Crosby – If I Had My Way