Joe Niagara's Knocked Out Nifties of the Past - Vol. 2: Two Lovers Come To Paradise!

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!

"Come To Paradise" - The Fascinators

(Jan. 1959, B side of "Who Do You Think You Are")

Kicking-off Niagara Nifties show number two, doo-wop at its finest

from The Fascinators, a group from Brooklyn led by Tony Passalaqua.

You heard them do "Come To Paradise," the flip side of their second

single released early in 1959. Niagara says that fab slab should have

taken flight like this Rockin' Bird, but instead it went nowhere.

The Fascinators released two other singles for Capitol but

again and again saw no chart action. Finally the group

was dropped from the label's roster. How and why

The Fascinators slipped through the cracks

remains one of music history's

great mysteries. 

Welcome in! Joe Niagara here, The Rockin' Bird, veteran radio personality
from Wibbage - WIBG Philadelphia - now coming to you on S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio. I'm glad to see your face in the place. Your dial

is set to Joe Niagara's Knocked Out Nifties of the Past featuring

the great sounds of doo-wop, rock 'n' roll, and classic soul from

the 50s and 60s, the kind of tuneage you enjoy listening to on

Wibbage. I put down a wailin' pound of sound... so without

further delay - on with the show!

Now hear this, a seldom heard nugget by

Smokey Robinson and his mighty Miracles,

an act that gave us so many great Motown

memories. At the start of 1961, the group

made a splash with their top 5 charting

 single "Shop Around," but it took two

years for them to return to the top 10

with "You Really Got A Hold On Me."

Even though The Miracles didn't

exactly burn up the charts during

those lean months between hits,

they made some great records,

and I've got one spinning on

my turntable right now.

In the late summer of '62, The Miracles' "Way Over There" died on the vine

at #94 on Billboard's pop chart and failed to register on the R&B survey. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The Rockin' Bird's Pick to Click is the uncharted B side which sounds

a little like "Raindrops," the Dee Clark hit from the previous summer.

Here now are Smokey and the Miracles with a genuine killer bee,

the greatest sound you never heard-- "If Your Mother Only Knew."

"If Your Mother Only Knew" - The Miracles

(September 1962, uncharted B side of "Way Over There")

From the Motown vaults straight to

your ears on S-P-M-M Retro Radio...

you just heard a song that shoulda

been, coulda been and woulda been

a hit... if only it had been released as

the A side of that poor selling single. 

 

Stay out on the floor. You'll be

beggin' for more when you hear

this next Niagara Nifty.

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

This cat takes a toe hold,

cuts from the heels and - POW!

It's Thurston Harris and his

claim to fame- "Little Bitty

 Pretty One!"

"Little Bitty Pretty One" - Thurston Harris

(Nov./Dec. 1957, highest chart pos. #2 R&B/#6 Hot 100/#9 Cash Box)

Up there where the air is rare, that was Thurston Harris reaching the top 3

R&B with his signature song and biggest hit "Little Bitty Pretty One."

Singing background on that record were The Sharps, a group that

later called themselves The Rivingtons. 

 

If you're just tuning in, I'm Joe Niagara, The Rockin' Bird, one of the

Good Guys from Wibbage, WIBG Philadelphia, moonlighting as

a member of The Shady Bunch DJ team here on S-P-M-M...

the station with personality. We're right in the middle

of a 7-in a row, non-stop, commercial free cruise -

one solid gold Niagara Nifty after another. 

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

I told you so - on this one.

Weeks ago on the air, I said

it would be a hit... and now

it is. Bob Kuban And The

In-Men tell us about--

"The Cheater!" 

"The Cheater" - Bob Kuban And The In-Men

(Feb./Mar. 1966, highest chart pos. #12 Hot 100/#15 Cash Box)

From Saint Louie... you just heard a great one - "The Cheater," by drummer

Bob Kuban and his band The In-Men featuring Walter Scott on lead vocals.

Their only major hit, "The Cheater" brushed the top 10 in March 1966. 

You're listening to The Rockin' Bird

of Wibbage, knockin' you out with my

Nifties of the Past. Time now for more

dreamy doo-wop from Brooklyn, NY.

It's a dusty, rusty relic that missed the

chart but went straight to the heart.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

See if you agree, this one starts out

like "The Great Pretender." Here are

Malcolm Dodds And The Tunedrops

singing-- "It Took A Long Time!" 

"It Took A Long Time" - Malcolm Dodds And The Tunedrops

(July 1957, uncharted)

The stuff that dreams are made of... from

the summer of '57, the sound in your ear

was that of the fabulous Malcolm Dodds

And The Tunedrops singing "It Took A

Long Time." The group released three

singles that year on George Goldner's

End Records but they all fell short of

the chart. The End label was home to

much more successful acts including

The Flamingos, The Chantels and

Little Anthony & The Imperials. 

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

This lady had beaucoup RBIs - the "R" for

"Records Batted In." Here's one of her best.

Motown's Mary Wells is seeing double...

torn between-- "Two Lovers!" 

"Two Lovers" - Mary Wells

(Dec. 1962/Jan. 1963, highest chart pos.

#1 R&B/#7 Hot 100/#10 Cash Box)

Flying high... like a Rockin' Bird in the sky... from the early weeks

of 1963, that was sultry soul songstress Mary Wells with "Two Lovers,"

her second number one hit right behind "You Beat Me To The Punch."

Time's up and Niagara must leave

you now. I had a ball with this blast

from the past and I hope you did too.

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

Stay tuned. Coming up on the flip side of

news, Bud's Budding Blossoms, Christine,

Denise, Sharon, Janice and Melissa, the

teen queens from Bud's Drive-in, will be

here to refresh your musical memory with

This Bud's for You... and I'll be back soon

with another stack of Knocked-out Nifties

on S-P-M-M Retro Radio. To play us off,

here is Ron Holden along with his group

The Thunderbirds and a sizzler from '60 -

their top 5 record "Love You So." Now

this is Joe Niagara, The Rockin' Bird,

saying so long, be good and take care!

"Love You So" - Ron Holden With The Tunderbirds

(June 1960, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#7 Hot 100/#11 R&B)

Top Hit Club of America Inc. - Old York/Shady Dell Chapter Volume 2: The Run For the Rosies!

Hi, I'm Debbie the Dellette...

a teenager of the 1950s

dancing at the Shady 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.

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!

In vol. 1 of this series, original

Dell rat Ron Shearer joined

Dell rat Tom Anderson.

The veteran vermin

took turns playing

classic Dell songs

and reminiscing.

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 in a list of the most 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 FIESTAS 

Jerre would like us to hear a song by The Fiestas,
the R&B group from Newark, New Jersey, led by
Tommy Bullock. The Fiestas are best known for
"So Fine," a single that brushed the top 10 in the
spring of 1959. On the back of "So Fine," Jerre
and other members of the rat pack found this
gold nugget, a sweet ballad entitled--
"Last Night I Dreamed."

"Last Night I Dreamed" - The Fiestas

(Apr./May 1959, B side of "So Fine")

 THE RIVINGTONS 

Here's more proof that Dell rats had a knack for
discovering hidden treasures on the flip sides
of jukebox singles. In 1962 The Rivingtons,
an R&B group from Los Angeles led by

Carl White, had a top 50 minor hit with
the up tempo novelty number "Papa-
Oom-Mow-Mow." Jerre and his
fellow Dell rats took the plunge,
flipped the record and dove into
 the fine B ballad-- "Deep Water."

"Deep Water" - The Rivingtons

(Sept. 1962, B side of "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow")

Hooray for the Rodentia Intelligentsia, Jerre! We already
knew that Dell rats had radar for cool, and you offered
even more evidence of the phenomenon with these
two obscure B sides that turned into slow dance
classics at the Dell.

Alright, Jerre, now it's time for you to take a break
so that we can find out what Dell Rat Tom brought
to the turntable. Tom told me he picked these
tunes with you in mind. Looks like he's set
to spin, so take it away, Tommy boy!

                THE LAVENDERS 

Thanks, Debbie! The first record I'd like to play for you,

Jerre and the other club members was waxed in 1961
by The Lavenders, a doo-wop group from Camden,
New Jersey, right across the Delaware River from
Philadelphia. The Lavenders included lead singer
Brent Edwards, formerly with Dale and the
Cashmeres, and Leon Huff on piano. Huff,
as you know, went on to fame in the 70s
as one of the architects of The Sound of
Philadelphia through his partnership
with Kenny Gamble. As the story goes
The Lavenders were playing at a club
in West Philly when they were dis-
covered by John Madara of the East
Coast producing team Madara & White.

 With another Philly music legend, Jerry Ross, producing them, The Lavenders

released the up tempo dance craze single "Slide" backed with this dreamy ballad

on the B side.  Here's young Leon Huff playing with The Lavenders on-- "Angel."

"Angel" - The Lavenders

(Oct./Nov. 1961, B side of "Slide")

 THE FASCINATORS 

Like many other doo-wop groups of the 1950s,
The Fascinators emerged from a group of guys
who enjoyed singing harmonies on the street
corners of Brooklyn. With Tony Passalaqua on
lead vocals The Fascinators landed a contract
with Capitol but recorded only three singles
before being dropped by the label. I'm going
to play their third and final release. From the
summer of 1959, backed by Jesse Stone and

his Orchestra, The Fascinators continue my
"Run for the Rosies" with-- "Oh Rose Marie."

"Oh Rose Marie" - The Fascinators

(July/Aug. 1959)

 JIVE FIVE WITH 

 EUGENE PITT 

Thanks, Tommy! Great stuff there, and now you have me curious about the other

songs that go along with your "Run for the Rosies" theme. Before we find out,
let's listen to another platter recommended by Dell Rat Jerre Slaybaugh.

Jerre loves The Jive Five, the Brooklyn based doo-wop group that featured the lead vocals of the late Eugene Pitt. I'm sad

to report that Eugene died in the summer of 2018. In 1961,

The Jive Five struck gold with their first single "My True

Story" which topped the R&B chart and went top 3 pop.

The group followed with a string of excellent doo-wop

records that kept Dell couples locked in warm embrace

night after night, year after year. Strange as it seems,

several of these great sounds missed the R&B chart,

the pop chart, or both. One such mysterious miss is the

1962 release "What Time Is It?"... a modest hit on the

pop side that never showed up on the black chart. Dell

rats paid no attention to the charts. They made their own

hits and left no record unturned - always checking out the

flip sides in search of gems. They found this one on the

back of "What Time Is It?" Listen to this killer B, a song

that might remind you of "My True Story." Credited as

Jive Five With Eugene Pitt, here's "Beggin' You Please!"

"Beggin' You Please" - Jive Five With Eugene Pitt

(September 1962, B side of "What Time Is It?")

That's classic doo-wop, Jerre.

Thank you! Okay, now sit

back, relax and listen as

Dell Rat Tom completes

his highly touted

"Run For the Rosies!"

 ROSIE 

Debbie, I'm sure you and Jerre can tell where I'm
going with this. I already played a song called
"Angel" and another called "Oh Rose Marie."
Now here's Rose "Rosie" Hamlin, lead singer
of Rosie And The Originals, the group best
known for their hit "Angel Baby." In 1961
Rosie released the solo album Lonely Blue
Nights. One of the songs on the LP is the
bluesy number "Maybe I'm Dreamin'."

"Maybe I'm Dreamin'" - Rosie

(from 1961 album Lonely Blue Nights)

 THE 

 MELLO-TONES 

To complete my "Run For the Rosies," here
are the Mello-Tones, a vocal group formed
by a group of boyhood friends from the

same Manhattan neighborhood. Their
influences included the vintage R&B
groups The Orioles, The Cadillacs and
the Five Keys. With tenor Ray Hulbert
on lead vocals and backed by the
Hank Ivory Orchestra, The Mello-
Tones recorded "Rosie Lee," an
up tempo single that cracked the 
top 30 in the spring of 1957.

"Rosie Lee" - The Mello-Tones

(May/June 1957, highest chart pos. #24 Hot 100/#27 Cash Box)

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
today's meeting of the
Old York - Shady Dell

Chapter of the Top Hit

Club of America. Stay

tuned for more doo-

wop classics of the

50s and 60s spun by

original Dell rats Jerre,

Ron and Tom coming

your way soon!