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
0:02:38 – Bob-Chords – Castle in the Sky
0:04:59 – The Drifters – Whatcha Gonna Do
0:07:44 – Deltas – Lamplight
0:14:51 – The Flamingos – If I Can’t Have You
0:17:44 – The Swallows – Since You’ve Been Away
0:25:15 – Mellows – My Darling
0:28:07 – The Chanters – My, My, Darling
0:34:25 – The Solitaires – I Don’t Stand A Ghost of a Chance
0:37:30 – The Jets – Heaven Above Me
0:43:22 – Sequins – Why Can’t You Treat Me Right
0:46:05 – The Charmers – Church on the Hill
0:48:55 – The Charmers – Tony My Darling
0:53:25 – The Colts – Adorable
0:56:24 – The Castelles – Over a Cup of Coffee
1:03:35 – The Flamingos – You Ain’t Ready
1:06:07 – The Harptones – I’ll Never Tell
1:11:57 – Tony Passalacqua – Who Do You Think You Are
1:14:09 – Travelers Vocal Group – Lenora
1:16:35 – The Four Buddies – Simply Say Goodbye
1:29:11 – The Mello-Moods – I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night
1:31:54 Crows – Baby Doll
1:39:18 – The Bell-Tones – Promise Love
1:43:14 – The Orioles – I Miss You So
1:46:20 – The Prisonaires – Just Walkin’ in the Rain
1:51:38 – The Larks – I Live True to You
1:55:24 – The Five Keys – Teardrops in Your Eyes
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