LISTEN TO THIS 60 SECOND SHOW OPEN TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH JOE NIAGARA'S VOICE:
Hello, this is Joe Niagara, and I've got a stack
of Knocked-out Niagara Nifties of the Past.
If you're ready... this Rockin' Bird will fly!
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
(COLD SHOW OPEN)
"Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)" - The Impalas
(May 1959, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
#14 R&B, perf. on Dick Clark's Sat. Night Beechnut Show)
We're off and running with "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home),"
a top 3 platter from 1959 by The Impalas, a doo-wop quartet
from Brooklyn, New York, with three white members and
black lead singer Joe "Speedo" Frazier, no relation to
Joe Frazier the boxing champ. That record soared like
a bird to the #2 spot on the pop chart and stayed there,
held back by two #1 charting hits - "The Happy Organ"
held back by two #1 charting hits - "The Happy Organ"
by Dave "Baby" Cortez and "Kansas City,"
the smash by Wilbert Harrison.
Hello again, I'm Joe Niagara -"The Rockin' Bird" - veteran radio
Hello again, I'm Joe Niagara -"The Rockin' Bird" - veteran radio
personality from Wibbage - WIBG Philadelphia, now coming
to you on S-P-M-M... the station that's #1 for music and fun.
You're listening to the debut of my new show Joe Niagara's
Knocked Out Nifties of the Past featuring the great sounds
of doo-wop, rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues and classic soul
from the 1950s and 60s, the kind of tuneage you enjoy
hearing me play on Wibbage. I put down a wailin'
pound of sound... so without further
delay, on with the show!
Stay out on the floor.
You'll be beggin' for
more when you hear
this next Niagara Nifty.
This little cat takes a
toe hold, cuts from
the heels and POW!
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
It's Roy Tyson, only 12 years old
when he waxed this ton of a tune--
"Oh What a Night For Love!"
"Oh What a Night For Love" - Roy Tyson
(Dec. 1963, highest chart pos. #106 Bubbling Under)
Bubbling Under the Hot 100 at
Christmas time 1963, that was
young R&B artist Roy Tyson
with a rousing up tempo record,
a song written by Lloyd Price--
"Oh What a Night For Love."
The Rockin' Bird knockin' you out
with my Nifties of the Past, and here,
from the vaults of Atlantic Records,
is a doo-wop relic that missed the
chart but went straight to the heart.
Listen now to the terrific sound of
the mixed race, New York-based
group Tex And The Chex as they
sing-- "I Do Love You."
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
"I Do Love You" - Tex And The Chex
(Aug. 1961, uncharted)
The stuff that dreams are made of..."I Do Love You," a lost
musical treasure by no-hit-wonders Tex and the Chex... an
act that evolved into a pop/rock group called The Magicians.
If you're just tuning in, you're listening
to Joe Niagara, The Rockin' Bird from
Wibbage, W-I-B-G in Philadelphia...
moonlighting as a new member of
The Shady Bunch DJ team here
on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
We're right smack dab in the middle
of a 7-song non-stop block party
and there ain't no stoppin' us now!
I told you so... on this one. I said it
would be a hit and it is. Eddie Floyd
on Where The Action Is doing his
chart-topper-- "Knock On Wood!"
"Knock On Wood" - Eddie Floyd
(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos.
#1 R&B/#28 Hot 100/#41 Cash Box, perf.
on Nov. 1, 1966, ep. of Where The Action Is)
Doing his signature song "Knock On Wood" on Dick Clark's
Where The Action Is, that was Stax R&B great Eddie Floyd.
Hard to believe Eddie's record barely cracked the Billboard
Top 30 and missed the Cash Box top 40 entirely, but it shot
to number one on the Black Singles chart in October 1966.
The song returned to the chart in 1979 as a chart-topping
disco hit for Amii Stewart. Niagara says the original is
still the greatest... Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood."
Up next The Kodaks of Newark, NJ.
Formed in the mid 50s as an all boy
group, The Kodaks didn't click until
they added a female lead singer.
Her name was Pearl McKinnon,
a young lady with a powerful
voice who sounded a lot like
boy star Frankie Lymon. With
their new lineup, The Kodaks
hoped to become as big as
Frankie and his group
The Teenagers.
The Kodaks were popular in Jersey, New York and along
the East Coast, but failed to catch on nationally, possibly
due to confusion over their name. Some of their records
were released as by The Kodaks while others were
were credited to The Kodoks to avoid a lawsuit
from Eastman Kodak. Niagara says they're
the real deal. Listen as Pearl McKinnon
and her group The Kodoks sing--
"Little Boy And Girl!"
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
"Little Boy And Girl"
The Kodoks (The Kodaks)
featuring Pearl McKinnon
(Sept. 1957, uncharted)
The Kodaks aka The Kodoks,
featuring the lead vocals of
Frankie Lymon sound-alike
Pearl McKinnon, singing
"Little Boy And Girl," the
up tempo fab flip of their
first single... the ballad
"Teenager's Dream."
Hey, give me the title,
then sing your song!
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
THE VIDEO NOW!
"Long Lonely Nights" - Lee Andrews
And The Hearts (Aug. 1957, highest chart
pos. #11 R&B/#33 Cash Box/#45 Hot 100)
Born in Carolina, raised right here in Philly, that was Lee Andrews
with his vocal group The Hearts brushing the top 10 on the R&B
chart with their breakthrough hit "Long Lonely Nights." By the
way, the original release of that 45 on the green colored
Philadelphia label Main Line is now worth hundreds
of dollars to record collectors.
That does it for my first show.
I hope you dug my spun gold
because I'll be back before you
know it with another stack of
Knocked Out Niagara Nifties
of the Past here on S-P-M-M,
your number one station for a
rock & roll nation. How about
one last song for the road?
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
You're listening to the exciting
sound of The Mar-Keys, the
house band at the legendary
Stax/Volt studio in Memphis,
playing us off with "Last
Night," their top 3 charting
instrumental from 1961.
Stick around. Coming up on the flip side of news, it's the
premiere of another new Shady Bunch show, Beth Boland's
Adrenaline Rush. This is Joe Niagara - The Rockin' Bird -
saying thanks for joining me and so long for now!
"Last Night" - The Mar-Keys
(July/Aug. 1961, highest chart pos.
#2 R&B/#3 Hot 100 & Cash Box)
#2 R&B/#3 Hot 100 & Cash Box)
Roy was only twelve? Now that is really impressive.
ReplyDeleteHi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for beating it over to Shady's to claim the Early Bird title, good buddy. I'm glad to see you!
That's right, Alex. Roy Tyson was only 12 when he waxed "Oh What A Night For Love," not to be confused with "Oh What A Nite," the hit song by The Dells. As you recall, in recent weeks I have posted recordings by two other very young recording artists, 12-year-old Trudy Williams of The Six Teens singing "Arrow Of Love," and Brenda Lee, who was age 12 when she waxed "Rock The Bop."
Thanks again for coming by, good buddy Alex!
Hey there Shady, nice group of songs. I knew half of them, although I didn't recognize Last Night until I heard it. Songs about love are fitting for me today as the Mr. and I celebrate 37 years of wedded bliss (most of the time - LOL). Welcome to Joe Niagra. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteJanet’s Smiles
Hi, Janet!
DeleteSorry I'm so late replying, dear friend. I was tied up all day. Thanks for finishing second place in the race to my space! You win ten books of S&H Green Stamps! :)
Happy 37 year wedding anniversary to you and your hubby! I'm happy to know that you regard as fitting the doo-wop love ballads played by Joe Niagara. I'm also pleased that you recognized half the songs on the Wibbage radio legend's first official SPMM blogcast, including the instrumental showender "Last Night."
Once again happy anniversary to you and your husband and thanks again for joining the fun. Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Janet!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteI'm only familiar with one of these songs - Knock on Wood! I loved listening to this song growing up.
So, I've been listening to the first two hours of WRTI. Joe, Gregg's replacement, is okay but I miss the sunset reports after Star Date. Anyway, you had me dancing and tapping along as I worked on an analysis today.
Happy Thankful Thursday, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for coming over and happy Thankful Thursday to you, dear friend!
"Knock On Wood" is the most recent recording played by Joe Niagara, The Rockin' Bird of WIBG Radio in Philadelphia, in his volume 1 debut. Therefore it doesn't surprise me that it is the only song you remember. I think even your dad would have a hard time remembering some of these 50s sounds. The Philly style radio shows of Joe Niagara, Jerry Blavat and Hy Lit on SPMM Retrosonic Radio will all feature a high percentage of obscure relics, records that were only popular locally or regionally but not nationally. I deliberately load their play lists with these lost treasures in order to keep their shows authentic. The platters by Roy Tyson, Tex And The Chex and The Kodaks/Kodoks are examples of the rarities you will hear in future volumes of Joe's, Jerry's and Hy's shows.
I'm happy that you are giving WRTI another chance. As a listener you have every right to phone or write in and explain to management the elements you enjoyed in the past and now miss. Perhaps they will respond to your request.
Happy TT, dear friend JM, and thanks again for dropping by!
Hi Shady,
DeleteSo I listened to WRTI all day on Friday and for bits and pieces yesterday (had some phone calls to make for work) and Josh Jackson has grown on me. While no one can replace Gregg, he's coming a bit close. He welcomes e-mails and responds... just like Gregg. He's fun like Gregg too. He's also much younger and is from New Orleans.
I'm dogsitting this week, so maybe next week I'll let dad listen to this blog and see if he can recognize any other songs. He might not. One of his old co-workers used to be a DJ on the side and would play most of Jerry Blavat's collection.
Happy Tuesday, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteI'm happy to hear that you are warming to the new DJ on your favorite radio station (other than SPMM, that is). If Josh welcomes emails and responds to them, that sounds like a winning combo to me and he deserves a chance to prove himself.
Happy dogsitting! Yessum, I appreciate knowing which of the oldies played on SPMM are known and liked by your dad. I'm happy to hear about that DJ friend of his that was into Geator Gold.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
I only recognized one of these songs, "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd. I like that song and remember hearing it when I was a kid. I hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mary!
DeleteIt's great to see you, dear friend! Thanks for tuning in to Joe Niagara's first radio show here on SPMM Retro Radio.
Since you are a full 20 years younger than Shady, and Joe Niagara was 22 years older than Shady, it is easy to understand why you don't know these dusty discs from the 50s and early 60s on Joe's authentic play list. Another reason is because some of them are obscure and/or uncharted. Makes sense that you know the most recent recording, "Knock On Wood," a 1966 chart-topper on the R&B survey. I'm glad you like it. How about that performance by Eddie on Where The Action Is? I'll bet you also remember the discofied 1979 cover OF "K.O.W." by Amii Stewart.
Thanks again for your visit and comment, dear friend Mary. I wish you a safe and happy weekend as well!
I enjoyed listening to all of these even though I only knew Knock on Wood and The last song which is fun to dance to. Funny, When I read "Knock on Wood" my mind went to that song sung by Sam in Casablanca. The Announcer sounds like from a time gone by and I pictured him as Canadian since it is Niagara and I am in the Niagara Region. :) I wonder what the artists, The Impalas, dealt with when they were travelling since the States were so segregated? It must have been rough all the way around. That 12 yr old kid has a great set of pipes!
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteIt's great to see you, dear friend!
Thanks for coming all the way down from Niagara, Canada, to listen to Niagara, Joe, on SPMM Retrosonic Radio. Joe's birth name was Joseph Nigro, Jr. I read the following on the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia website: << Joe took the last name Niagara from Niagara Falls because it was recognizable and non-ethnic sounding. >> Indeed Joe was an old school DJ, who had a genuine love of the music he played and a respect for his audience. Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Joe Niagara is credited with bringing Rock & Roll to WIBG in 1956. Joe was one of my heroes and I am proud to keep memories of him alive through this blog series.
Additional tidbits that should be of interest to you are found on that same Broadcast Pioneers site: << Joe Niagara had a small bit role in “Blue Hawaii,” the Elvis Presley smash motion picture. He also did a voice-over for the movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” >>
I'm glad you appreciated two of the familiar hits in the post - "Knock On Wood" and "Last Night." As you can see from the stats beneath the first video "Sorry" by The Impalas, it was a major hit, the biggest pop hit in this post. It vaulted to #2 on Billboard and on Cash Box in May of 1959. It was a biggie on radio in my neck of the woods when I was age 9. Sadly, lead singer Joe "Speedo" Frazier died on April 1, 2014, at the age of 70. I'm sure you're correct that the racially integrated doo-wop group got hassled as they toured the country at the end of the 50s. Glad you appreciate the powerful pipes of no-hit-wonder Roy Tyson.
Thanks again for finishing your week with a visit and kind comments, dear friend BB. Have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Shady! And it's nice to meet Joe Niagara! Sorry I am so late, but actually I have been here a few times, just got interrupted before I could say hello!
ReplyDeleteYour "knocked out nifties of the past" are pretty cool! That 12 year old Roy Tyson sure belted out "Oh What a Night For Love" with some pretty good passion. I don't know the song, but this kid had a great sound for his age.
Tex and The Chex have some good vocal chords too! This group blends their soft sounds splendidly. "I Do Love You" is a good, slow dance song for love.
I can't believe "I Ran All The Way Home" goes back to 1959! I was going on 11 years old, and I could sing my heart out on this one! Guess I was practicing for the future, haha! This song was popular, and I'm glad it did well on the charts.
Another, soulful dance song is "Knock on Wood". I like the video, and the dancers. I have to say, I think the guy dancers are better than the girls. Great song, Joe!
I have to agree with you, Joe about the Kodoks! I mean, Kodaks to Kodoks, was probably a smart move, but a corny name. Pearl's voice is very simmilar to Frankie Lymon's, and, this song was well done.
"Last Night" is a fabulous song! I'm here to tell you, if you can't be moved to move to this one, it's time to go home! I have always liked this song, and it's my favorite from this post. It is one of the coolest, dance songs, and just an all around "good feel" song!
This was good, Joe. You gave us some familiar, and some, not-so-familiar songs. It's all good and fun.
Shady, have a good weekend. I tried to swoosh some rain your way, hope you got some of it. We are still under the clouds, off and on. Take care, dear friend!
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteThanks for coming over on your weekend, dear friend! I'm happy that you tuned in to volume 1 of Joe Niagara's Knocked-Out Nifties here on SPMM Radio.
Looks like you found a lot to like on The Rockin' Bird's play list. You actually met Joe a year ago when he brought you a sneak preview of his show featuring the best of singer Patti Drew and her group The Drew-Vels:
https://tctgyb.blogspot.com/2020/05/workin-on-drew-vy-thing-with-joe-niagara.html
I'm glad you liked 12 year old zinger Roy Tyson. He and young Pearl McKinnon, lead zinger of The Kodaks aka The Kodoks, were examples of pre-teen artists who tried to capitalize on the success of Frankie Lymon by making records similar to his. Unfortunately both acts fell well short of Frankie's fame and success. How about the "boxing theme" in today's post? You have Roy Tyson, same last name as boxing champ Mike Tyson, and Joe Frazier, leader of The Impalas, with the same name as the boxer who faced Muhammad Ali in those famous bouts.
That record by Tex and The Chex was a wonderful find. Their sound was right in the pocket in the late 50s and early 60s when so many doo-wop vocal groups were popular. Unfortunately Tex and The Chex didn't fare as well as The Belmonts, Crests and other top groups of the period, and they went on to change their tune and become a garage rock band.
I'm glad you have fun memories triggered by The Impalas' sig song "Sorry." As you noticed, I found another great sync edit video on YouTube. It boasts remastered stereo sound married to the cleaned-up video of the group performing on Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show aka The Dick Clark Show while the kids in the audience chewed their cud.
I was also thrilled to find that nicely restored clip of Eddie Floyd lip syncing his big hit "Knock On Wood" on Where The Action Is. My favorite Action Kids dancer, Jeri Lyn Stapleton, is on the bridge directly to the right of Eddie. Above her is blonde Roberta Tennes, who unfortunately died in 2015. Both of those Action Kids dancing girls are honored with photos in my sidebar. Down the slope from Eddie is blonde Jill Gordon and below her is brunette Lesley Evans who went on to acting parts in the TV series M.A.S.H. and on The Lucy Show.
Yessum, Kodoks is a terribly nondescript name for a recording act, and might be one of the main reasons why they didn't catch on. I'm glad you liked their Frankie Lymonish sound.
I'm thrilled that the showender instrumental "Last Night" resonated with you to such an extent. i agree it's irresistible!
No, Suzanne, we didn't receive any of your rain yet, and we're bone dry over here. Please help us! :) I hope you and Scootie are well and in good spirits. Thanks a bunch for coming by and tuning in. Please make a note to join me here next Wednesday if you can when it will be time once again to remember and honor a Shady Dell V.I.P. Until then enjoy the rest of your weekend and the week ahead, dear friend!
Another great collection of songs I haven't heard before, songs that sound vaguely familiar, and at least one that I know well. At least I thought I knew it well. Yes, I was in high school when Amii Stewart's version was released, but Eddie Floyd's original "Knock on Wood" was only a hit on the black charts? Seems like I've heard it quite a bit over the years on golden oldie stations and the like.
ReplyDeleteInterracial groups like The Impalas and Tex and the Chex would have been exceedingly rare in late '50s and early '60s. In fact, they're not all that common NOW. There must be some interesting stories about those groups. I'm going to have to read up on them when I get a chance.
Roy Tyson is a real find. Too bad he's not more well-known. I wonder if he was overshadowed by another prepubescent pop singer from around the same time, Little Stevie Wonder.
Finally, when I clicked on this blog, the corner of my eye caught the graffiti greeting card at the top of the sidebar to the right. Is that new? I don't recall seeing it before.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for setting your dial and tuning in the Joe Niagara show here on SPMM Retrosonic Radio, good buddy!
I suspected you'd appreciate this collection of dusty discs played by The Rockin' Bird of Wibbage. In order for me to make the SPMM radio shows of Joe Niagara, Jerry Blavat and Hy Lit as authentic as possible, I make sure they include old gold and, in particular, obscure, little known, seldom heard Philly area hits, regional East Coast hits, minor hits and complete misses - "uncharted" records. "Shady's Law" states that peak chart position has absolutely nothing to do with a record's greatness. It is often the poorest selling, lowest charting singles and neglected B sides aka "forgotten flips" that contain the really good stuff. Dell rats knew this and discovered gold on both sides of platters in the dance hall jukebox. DJ legends like the guys I named above knew cool oldies when they heard them. They played songs from the heart, not from the chart, and fans loved them for it. Radio personalities like Joe Niagara and the others grew in stature and credibility by mixing new untested sounds with familiar million selling hits. I'm glad you appreciate what I'm doing here in memory of these pioneering broadcast legends.
Over the years the recordings that came out of the Memphis-based Stax/Volt studio have grown in stature. The southern R&B styled Stax sound was blacker and grittier than Motown and therefore not as widely accepted by white listeners and record buyers. That helps explains the chart segregation that was still visible in 1966 when Eddie's 8th single, "Knock On Wood," was released, destined to become a classic in the decades that followed.
I don't have any data to show you, but it seems safe to say that mixed race vocal groups were not very common in the 50s. Even with the backing of famed disc jockey Alan Freed, The Impalas went into the music history books as one-hit-wonders, unable to match the success of their signature song "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)." Their follow-up single "Oh, What A Fool," peaked at #86 on the pop chart and did not even register on the R&B chart. Five subsequent singles "'Bye Everybody," "All Alone," "There Is Nothing Like A Dame," "I Can't See Me Without You" and "My Hero," all flopped and remained uncharted.
I'm thinking Roy Tyson's "Oh What A Night For Love" never climbed out of the Bubbline Under dungeon due to the JFK assassination. Like many other great records that struggled through that dark period of American history, Roy's single was released in October 1963 and just getting rolling on the chart when the president was slain and the nation fell into a depression, in no mood for record shopping. Im March, 1964, Roy released his follow-up single entitled "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend," but by then he was battling the Beatles invasion. Therefore Roy remained a no-hit-wonder.
For the last two months I have proudly displayed that customized Shady Dell graffiti greeting card created for me by my dear friend Birgit aka BB, host of the blog BB Creations. Back in late winter, Birgit surprised me with the card in one of her posts saying she was inspired to produce it by the Dell saga and the graffiti on its walls. Soon after, she mailed the card to me. I scanned it and gave the image a permanent home in my sidebar. It is a unique gift, a Shady Dell collectible that I will treasure always. Here is Birgit's later post showing the items Mrs. Shady made and shipped to Canada to thank BB for her kindness:
http://createdbybb.blogspot.com/2021/03/elves-gone-amok.html
Thank you again, Birgit, and thank you, good buddy Kirk, for taking an interest in what I'm up to here at Shady's Place. Have a good Sunday and a wonderful week ahead!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteJoe Niagara's "Knocked Out Nifties of the Past' really knocked me off my chair! A song I remember is "Knock On Wood" but I'm not sure if it's Eddie's original or a knock off. "Long Lonely Nights" came out four years before I was born and "Last Night" released the year of my birth but both songs ring a certain familiarity so I'm sure I heard them some where in my past. Thanks for sharing these nifty tunes from yesterday! Have a songsational week, my friend.
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for visiting, dear friend! Joe Niagara was here with a sneak preview of his show a year ago, and now he's back to officially kick-off his series on SPMM Retro Radio. I'm happy to learn that his stack of Knocked-Out Nifties of the Past rocked your world.
I figured "Knock On Wood" would ring a bell for you. Eddie Floyd had the original, but the song has been covered by many artists including David Bowie, Amii Stewart, Wilson Pickett, Otis & Carla, The American Breed, Eric Clapton and Michael Bolton.
Yessum, most songs on Joe Niagara's play list will reach way back to the 1950s before you were born. Songs by Lee Andrews And The Hearts are found on many various artists doo-wop oldies collections, and "Last Night" gets a good deal of exposure to this day. I'm pleased to introduce you to the major hit "Sorry" as well as the obscure, poor selling but great records Joe played in volume 1.
Thanks again for dropping in, dear friend Cathy, and enjoy the week ahead!