Top Hit Club of America Inc. Old York/Shady Dell Chapter Vol. 5: Ron & Tom Celebrate "V" Day!

Hi, I'm Debbie the Dellette...

...a teenager of the 1950s 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 songs

that my fellow Dell rats play at today's meeting...

...you'll wish you had been a teenager in York,

Pennsylvania, in the 50s and 60s and a regular

at the 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."

In case you lost track of the calendar, today is

February 14 - Valentine's Day.  What better time

than V-Day for you to meet the newest members

of the Shady Bunch, the cute vector art women of

 THE V-TEAM 

...sister series to

  Black & White World 

and

Call Girls

  Vesta (V-Girl) 

You'll see pictures of the V-Team

V-Girls scattered throughout the post.

 Viviane (V-Girl) 

 Learn all of their names because

there will be a quiz at the end. 

 Vectoria (V-Girl) 

Just kidding. There'll be no quiz today,

 Velvet (V-Girl) 

but you might have fun learning their names.

Okay, let's begin the musical part of our show.

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!

A review of the minutes of our last

meeting shows that, in volume 4,

original Dell rat Jerre Slaybaugh

joined Dell rat Tom Anderson,

and the veteran vermin took

turns playing Dell classics.

Today our good friend Dell rat

Ron Shearer returns to play

dueling banjos turntables

with Tom. Tommy Boy,

the floor is yours! 

 THE VALIANTS  (ALABAMA) 

Thanks, Debbie! Hey...

I like your outfits, just sayin'. 

So, this being Valentine's Day,

 Ron and I put our heads together

and came up with a special "V-Day"

presentation. We've got love songs

aplenty... and the "V" in today's

musical meeting also refers to

the first letter in the names

of all our featured artists.

Six of the songs are by The Valiants,

but they are two different groups.

In fact, there were at least 20

Valiants groups scattered

across the country. 

My first play by an act called The Valiants is a long lost relic from 1959 recorded

by a little known doo-wop group from the deep south, a single released on the

 label of the Speck Record Company located in Mobile, Alabama. The melody

of the song reminds me of the Jive Five's biggest hit "My True Story" which  

 topped the R&B chart two years later in 1961. The Jive Five is my good

 buddy Dell Rat Jerre Slaybaugh's favorite group. If Jerre is monitoring

today's club meet, I hope he'll report in and let me know if he hears a

 similarity. Here are the southern Valiants doing-- "Wedding Bells!"

"Wedding Bells' - The Valiants

(1959)

 Vanetta (V-Girl) 

 THE VALIANTS (LA) 

Sup, Tom & Debbie? The first record

I'm playing is by a different Valiants act,

a Los Angeles based R&B vocal group

fronted by Billy Storm. I remember

Shady introducing Billy and two

of his solo recordings in the 2022

Mother's Day post. I dug Billy's

sound so much that I decided to

dig deeper for Billy Storm gold.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio,

Billy Storm was a soulful R&B

singer who sounded a lot like

Clyde McPhatter, lead vocalist

for The Drifters on some of their

best records.  Billy had a string

of solo hits in addition to laying

down great sound as leader of

the LA group that went by

several other names before

settling on The Valiants.

From 1957 to 1960, Billy and his group waxed half a dozen singles on the Keen,

Shar-Dee and Ensign labels. Around Halloween, 1958, they released "Please

Wait My Love." I'd like you to hear the rare, long unreleased alternate take

issued for the first time in 1995 on the New York-based Early Bird label

and credited to Billy Storm and The Valiants.

"Please Wait My Love" - The Valiants

(Oct. 1958 alternate take) 

 Vernis (V-Girl) 

Ron, like you I'm flipping over the sound

Billy Storm and The Valiants put down.

Check this one out. It's the killer B on

the back of their March, 1958, single

"Lover, Lover." This is the craziest

and coolest sound I've heard since

Screamin' Jay Hawkins went into

the studio drunk as a skunk and

waxed "I Put A Spell On You."

It would be six years before

Roy Orbison had a hit singing

"Pretty Woman (walking down

the street)." In '58 The Valiants

had their sights set on another

-- "Walkin' Girl." 

"Walkin' Girl" - The Valiants

(Mar. 1958, B side of "Lover, Lover") 

 Vonnie (V-Girl) 

Wow, Tommy, that one's a far cry from

The O'Kaysions' "(I'm a) Girl Watcher"

or Andy Williams crooning "Music To

Watch Girls By." Okay, now that we're

on a Valiants roll, it's time to hear the

group's first single released in the fall

of 1957. It's their only charting record.

The song is "This Is The Nite " and,

as usual, Billy Storm is on lead vocals.

The backing band you'll hear is led by

Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, the man 

who orchestrated and produced the

early recordings of Little Richard, 

Ray Charles, Lloyd Price, Larry

Williams, Sam Cooke and other

rock & roll and R&B legends.

"This Is The Nite" reached #69

on the pop chart early in 1958.

Strangely, it didn't appear on

the R&B chart... nor did any

of the group's other singles!

"This Is The Nite" - The Valiants

(Jan./Feb. 1958, highest chart pos. #69 Hot 100)

 

 Vanna (V-Girl) 

 THE VELVELETTES 

Ron, in today's "V" Day special, "V" also

stands for Velvelettes, a fine, underrated

Motown girl group that failed to achieve

anywhere near the success of Diana Ross

and The Supremes and other female acts

on the company's roster. The song you are

about to hear was written by Harvey Fuqua,

the famed R&B singer, scribe and producer

who led the popular group The Moonglows

in the 50s. The Velvelettes recorded this one

in 1964, but it remained in the Motown vault

unreleased, even though it's better than a lot

of the material released by more popular acts.

Listen now to the great yet underappreciated

Velvelettes as they make a demand of their

lover man, "Stop Beating Around The Bush!"

"Stop Beating Around The Bush" - The Velvelettes

(1964, unreleased)

 Victoria (V-Girl) 

 THE VALIANTS (LA) 

Tommy, a while ago, you played

"Walkin' Girl," the wild and crazy

song on the B side of The Valiants'

March 1958 single "Lover, Lover."

It's about time we listen to that

A side song. Once again, you're

gonna swear the voice you're

hearing on lead is that of

Clyde McPhatter... but it's

the fabulous Billy Storm!

"Lover, Lover" - The Valiants

(March 1958)

 Vonita (V-Girl) 

To complete our tribute to 

Billy Storm and his LA- based

group The Valiants, I've cued-

up the A side of their second

single released early in 1958,

the follow-up to "This Is The

Nite." Listen again for the

Clyde McPhatterish vocal

on this mid tempo R&B love

song that boasts an irresistibly

bouncy back beat.  Here are

Billy and his Valiants letting

that special girl know that -

"(You're the) Temptation

Of My Heart." 

"Temptation Of My Heart"-

The Valiants (Feb. 1958)

 

 Vectory (V-Girl) 

 THE VIBRATIONS 

Tom and Deb, no V-name band salute

would be complete without a tune by

my favorite "V" vocal group of all -

The Vibrations. For my last spin of

the meeting, I bring you a dreamy

ballad The Vibes waxed in 1961.

If the song had been released as

a single, it could have been a hit.

Unfortunately, it remained un-

released for decades, locked in

the vault at Checker Records.

I can picture Dell rats swaying

to this one all night long, but

it was not meant to be. Here

now are The Vibrations

and-- "You're Mine."

"You're Mine" - The Vibrations

(1961, unreleased)

 Vanity (V-Girl) 

 THE VELS - THE VELLS 

 THE VANDELLAS 

Okay, Ronny, here comes my last play

of the day. "V" is for Vels, Vells and

Vandellas... the group that became

famous as Martha & The Vandellas.

The group formed in the late 1950s

as The Del-Phis with Gloria Williams

singing lead. Martha Reeves was not

yet part of the act. Renamed The Vels,

the group waxed "There He Is (At My

Door)" and released it October 1, 1962,

on the B side of the single "You'll Never

Cherish A Love So True ('Til You Lose It)."

Both sides of the record were written

and produced by Berry Gordy.

It's interesting that the groups's name was spelled "Vels," but a misspelling

on the label caused the single to be released as by "The Vells." Although

released as the B side, "There He Is (At My Door)" received more air-

play than the A side song with it's long, cumbersome and hard to

remember title, but neither side charted. Around that time, the

original lead singer, Gloria Williams, left the group, replaced

by Martha Reeves, and they were renamed Martha And The

Vandellas. According to original member Rosalind Ashford,

Berry Gordy came up with the name "Vandellas," but no one

seems to know the reason why. "There He Is (At My Door)"

was re-recorded using the original instrumental and vocal

backing tracks but with Martha singing lead. The updated 

version was released on the group's 1963 debut album

Come and Get These Memories, as the B-side of their

1964 hit single and signature song "Dancing In The

Street" and on their 1965 album Dance Party. 

"There He Is (At My Door)" - Martha And The Vandellas

(Sept./Oct. 1964, B side of "Dancing In The Street") 

 Venice (V-Girl) 

 RITCHIE VALENS 

Hey, guys, we have time for one more

song, so if you don't mind, I'd like to

play a performance that will bring this

meeting of the THC to an exciting end.

It's by Ritchie Valens, the Chicano rock

& roll pioneer who died tragically at age

17 in the February, 1959, plane crash

that also took the lives of rock & roll

legend Buddy Holly and J.P. Richard-

son, better known as The Big Bopper.

In June of 1959, four months after that fateful

"Day the Music Died," Ritchie appeared in

the Alan Freed - Jimmy Clanton rock & roll

movie Go, Johnny, Go and performed the

Little Richard-inspired song “Ooh! My Head.”

The merry Mr. Chuck Berry does the intro.   

"Ooh! My Head" - Ritchie Valens

(scene from June 1959 film Go, Johnny, Go) 

 Verica & Verna 

 (V-Girl Twins) 

Many thanks to Dell rats Ron Shearer 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 Ron, Tom and Jerre Slaybaugh coming up in future

volumes.  This is Debbie the Dellette. See you next time!

 Debbie the Dellette aka "DD" 

 Veronica (V-Girl) 

I'm V-Girl Veronica. I hope you enjoyed meeting us V-Girls.

 Valerie & Velorie 

 (V-Girl Twins) 

Hugs and smooches until we see you again in Vol. 1 of

 THE V-TEAM 

 Valentine (V-Girl) 

Happy Valentine's Day!

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!