Top Hit Club of America Inc. - Old York/Shady DellChapter, Vol. 4: In the Wee Wee Hours (Of the Nite) Whisper (Softly) You're Mine, Oh Baby Doll

Hi, I'm Debbie the Dellette...

a teenager of the 50s dancing at the Dell.

I am also president of the Old York - Shady Dell

chapter of the Top Hit Club of America!

 Today my friends and I will make  

 you regret the day you were born! 

What do I mean by that? When you hear the records my fellow Dell rats

play at today's meeting, you will wish you had been a teenager in York, PA,
in the 1950s and 60s and a regular at Shady Dell during those golden years.

Spoiler alert! Seven songs will be played at today's meeting.

They are all gems of the genre and were local or regional hits.

Yet, incredibly, only one of these songs made the national

chart... and that includes the Bubbling Under chart!

Remember, as these original rats spin their songs:

"Don't just listen with your ears - listen with your heart."

The rats are restless and eager to get started, and I second that emotion.
The meeting of the Old York - Shady Dell chapter of the
Top Hit Club of America will hereby come to order!

As I review the minutes of our last meeting,
I am reminded that in volume 3, original

Dell rat Ron Shearer teamed up with  
Dell rat Tom Anderson, and the
veteran vermin took turns
playing Dell classics.

Today it's our good friend Jerre Slaybaugh's
turn to play dueling turntables with Tom.

Jerre was sworn in as a Dell rat in 1959

and ran with the pack through the mid 60s.
Jerre sent us a list of the memorable tunes
played in the Dell dance hall during the years
he hung out there, and I am proud to play
them for Jerre's entertainment and yours.

 THE LAFAYETTES 

Jerre's first play of the day is a mid-Atlantic

regional biggie, a sizzler from the summer

of 1962, and the only song you'll hear at

 today's meeting that registered on the

national chart. It's a neat doo-wop sound

by The Lafayettes, a pop rock 'n' roll band

from Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of

D.C. As you listen to the record, take note

of the clave rhythm that seems inspired by

The Gladiolas'/Diamonds' hit "Little Darlin'

and vocals that might remind you of the early

60s lineup of The Drifters" with Rudy Lewis

on lead replacing Ben E. King. Here are

The Layafettes with their best known

song-- "Life's Too Short!"

 "Life's Too Short" - The Lafayettes 

 (July/Aug. 1962, highest chart pos.

 #78 Cash Box/#87 Hot 100) 

 JAMES BROWN AND 

 THE FAMOUS FLAMES 

Jerre digs the sound James Brown was puttin' down

early in his career, and he wants you to hear a song

from JB's important but vastly underrated album

James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the

U.S.A. Released on the first day of January in

1962. the long-play was the first by Brown to

place a significant amount of emphasis on

heavy rhythm and uptempo numbers, giving

listeners a preview of what would become his

trademark style in the decades that followed.

Listen now to James Brown And The Famous

Flames-- "In the Wee Wee Hours (Of the Nite)."

 "In the Wee Wee Hours (Of the Nite)" 

 - James Brown And The Famous Flames 

 (from Jan.1962 album James Brown and 

 His Famous Flames Tour the U.S.A.) 

 THE CHANTELS 

The Harlem-based Bobbettes were the first

black girl group to have nationwide success.

The Bronx-based Chantels were the second.

With Arlene Smith on lead, The Chantels

enjoyed a string of crossover R&B - pop

hits from the late 50s through early 60s.

The sensational ballad you are about to

hear, released at the start of summer in

1959, was not one of them. Incredibly,

it didn't make the pop chart, didn't

make the R&B chart, didn't even

Bubble Under. Here now are

The Chantels to sing-

"Goodbye To Love."

 "Goodbye To Love" - The Chantels 

 (June 1959) 

 THE AVONS 

Jerre's last play of the day is another glorious

ballad, this one by The Avons, a five member

doo-wop group from Englewood, New Jersey.

They originally called themselves The Robins,

but needed to change their name to avoid being

confused with a Robins group in Los Angeles.

Two members of that LA-based Robins group

later signed with Atlantic Records and formed

the highly successful novelty rock & roll act

The Coasters. The Jersey Robins changed

their name to The Avons and released

singles on New York's Hull label.

Taking us back to the fall of 1961,

here now are The Avons and--

"Whisper (Softly)." 

 "Whisper (Softly)" - The Avons 

 (fall 1961) 

Thanks for the music

and memories, Jerre!

Now I'm gonna hand the

mic to Dell Rat Tom who

 brought a few of his own

favorites to the meeting.

Take it away, Tommy boy!

 THE SENTIMENTALS 

Thanks, Debbie. It's always a pleasure to

get together with you and the guys here at

our Top Hit Club tree house headquarters.

 By the way, I love it when you call me

"Tommy boy." 😍😍😍

It's a well known fact that Dell Rat Jerre

likes doo-wop group ballads of the 1950s

 and early 60s. By and large,  I prefer

beats over ballads, and I can't wait to

play the three up tempo killers that

I brought to the turntable.

 Like The Robins mentioned in the intro to Jerre's last song, there were

at least three different groups recording in the late 50s and early 60s

using the name The Sentimentals. The group that I'm featuring was

from Coney Island, New York, and featured Sylvester Jackson

on lead vocals. This record was released in April 1962 on the

B side of  "Danny Boy." I say it should have been pushed

as the A side because it's a knock out. Here now are

The Sentimentals on New York's Mint label

rocking the block with "You're Mine!"

 "You're Mine" - The Sentimentals 

 (rec. 1958, rel. Apr. 1962, B side of "Danny Boy") 

 THE DANLEERS 

My second spin is by The Danleers, the Brooklyn,

New York, doo-wop R&B group best remembered

for their 1958 top 10/top 5 (pop chart/R&B chart)

hit single "One Summer Night." I found a terrific

song of theirs released around Christmas that

same year that should have been another hit

for the act. Instead, it came and went on the

B side of a poor selling single. Here are

The Danleers with-- "A Picture Of You!"

 "A Picture of You" - The Danleers 

 (Dec. 1958, B side of "Prelude To Love") 

 BOB AND EARL 

To finish my set, I've got one of the coolest

sounds around. It's a record by the soul duo

Bob And Earl released during the Christmas

season in 1962. "Bob" was Bobby Byrd, who

went by the name Bobby Day on the 1958

hit "Rockin' Robin." "Earl" was Earl Nelson,

who used the name Jackie Lee to record

"The Duck" and other R&B hits of the 60s.

Both talented men had been members of

the popular Los Angeles-based doo-wop

group The Hollywood Flames.

 

As Bob And Earl, the talented men are best remembered for their

early 1964 hit "Harlem Shuffle." This one made waves a year earlier

at the start of '63. Here are Bob And Earl with-- "Oh Baby Doll!"

 "Oh Baby Doll" - Bob And Earl 

 (Dec. 1962) 

Many thanks to Dell rats Jerry Slaybaugh and Tom Anderson

for sharing their Shady Dell music and memories with us.

I hope you had a good time eavesdropping on this meeting of the

Old York - Shady Dell Chapter of the Top Hit Club of America. 

Stay tuned for more golden greats of the 50s and 60s spun by

Dell rats Jerre Slaybaugh, Ron Shearer and Tom Anderson

 coming up in future volumes. This is Debbie the Dellette

saying bye-bye for now and see you next time!