Zappa’s early influences: R&B – Doo-wop Vol. 41

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 Excellents – Coney Island Baby

0:02:53 – The Chimes – Summer Night

0:06:44 – The Capris – There’s A Moon Out Tonight

0:09:21 – The Del-Vikings – A Sunday Kind of Love

0:11:41 – The Harptones – A Sunday Kind of Love

0:16:09 – Donnie & The Dreamers – Count Every Star

0:18:08 – The Rivieras – Count Every Star

0:23:00 – The Earls – Life Is but a Dream

0:24:48 – The Harptones – Life Is but a Dream

0:28:02 – The Robins – White Cliffs of Dover

0:30:15 – Lee Andrews & the Hearts – The White Cliffs of Dover

0:33:14 – Vito & the Salutations – Unchained Melody

0:35:17 – The Five Jades – Unchained Melody

0:42:53 – Little Butch & The Veils – Over The Rainbow

0:45:18 – The Dominoes – Over the Rainbow

0:47:37 – The Channels – The Closer You Are

0:50:30 – The Magnificent Four – The Closer You Are

0:54:40 – The Four Buddies – Heart and Soul

0:57:17 – The Cleftones – Heart and Soul

0:59:42 – The Del-Vikings – Yours

1:02:44 – The Flamingos – Yours

1:08:27 – The Willows – Church Bells May Ring

1:10:50 – The Deltaires – Lullaby of the Bells

1:13:30 – The Sentimentals – Wedding Bells

1:15:49 – Five Willows – Love Bells

1:19:32 – The Admirations – The Bells of Rosa Rita

1:21:39 – The Five Crowns – Lullaby Of The Bells

1:25:50 – The Ravens – The Bells Of San Raquel

1:28:52 – Loungers – Wedding Bells

1:31:10 – The Del-Vikings – The Bells

1:33:44 – The Individuals – Wedding Bells

1:35:35 – The Van Dykes – The Bells Are Ringing

1:41:17 – The Striders – Cool Saturday Night

1:44:21 – Steve Gibson & The Original Red Caps – Boogie Woogie on a Saturday Night

1:46:43 – Junior Ryder – Saturday Night Daddy

1:49:18 – The Four Dots – Saturday Night Function

1:53:54 – Nino and the Ebb Tides – Juke Box Saturday Night