You can write on book on the hits of The Platters. The group from Los Angeles, California 
included: Tony Williams-lead, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed and Zola Taylor. Their first big hit record is the classic…ONLY YOU (AND YOU ALONE) on Mercury Records (70633). The single record became a #1 R&B hit and a #5 Pop hit.
Any artist or group would be thrilled to have one cross-over hit that became a Top 10 hit…but The Platters were not just any group…they charted 3 hit single records that became not just Top 10 hits, but #1 hits…yes 3 hit singles that became #1 Pop and R&B hits…here they are.
1—THE GREAT PRETENDER…(Mercury 70753) Charting in December of 1955…and selling over 1 million records.
2—MY PRAYER…(Mercury 70819) Charting in July of 1956…it also sold over 1 million copies.
3—TWILIGHT TIME…(Mercury 71289) Charting in April of 1958 and it also became a million-seller.
The Platters were and still remain one of the very best vocal groups from the rock era.
..R&B or Pop…The Platters could do it all…On Mercury Records the original group charted 17 R&B single records and 38 Billboard Pop Hits. The Platters are the #1 vocal group of the 1950′s.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO LISTEN TO “THE PLATTERS”…SING THEIR #1 CROSS-VER HITS…
Till the next time—Joe
The Schoolboys are an R&B / Doo-Wop vocal group from Harlem, New York. Members included Leslie Martin, James Edwards, Roger Hayes, James McKay and Renaldo Gambie.
On February 16, 1957 The Schoolboys charted one side of their double-sided hit on the Billboard Top 100…SHIRLEY, climbed the Top 100 to #91. The single record also charted on the Billboard R&B chart on February 23, 1957 and went to #15. The Schoolboys hit was recorded on the Okeh Records label (7076). Th
e ballad side of the record is…PLEASE SAY YOU WANT 
ME…it charted on March 23, 1957 on the Billboard R&B chart, peaking at #13. The song did not chart on the Top 100. The single record would become the groups only national hit record. Both sides of this classic single record are considered Doo-Wop classics.
The Golden Era Of Rock And Roll is pleased to present both sides of this wonderful record for you to enjoy…the great hits…from the greatest era in pop music…The “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL”.
The Schoolboys – Please Say You Want Me-1957
Till the next time—Joe
One of my favorite tunes from the teen years is this great classic…OH JULIE by The Crescendos on the Nasco Records label (6005). The single record charted on January 6, 1958 and climbed the Billboard Top 100 chart to #5. The record crossed over to the Billboard R&B chart on January 27, 1958 and became a #4 hit record. Record sales topped 1 million and The Crescendos were awarded a gold record.
Members included…George Lanius, James Lanius, Ken Brigham, Tom Fortner and Jim Hall. George Lanius died in 1996 at the age of 56. The female voice on the record is Janice Green. The flip-side of the record is…MY LITTLE GIRL, it did not chart. The Crescendos did not chart any other hit records, but their one big hit…is a classic!!!!
CLICK THE TITLE BELOW…THE CRESCENDOS ARE SINGING…”OH JULIE”…JUST FOR YOU.
Till the next time—Joe
The Pentagons are an R&B/Doo-Wop group from San Bernadion, California. Members included Josephus Jones-lead vocal, half-brother Otis Munson and brothers Ken and Ted Goodloe. Ken Goodloe passed away in 2008 at the age of 60.
The groups biggest pop hit is their 1961 classic…TO BE LOVED (FOREVER) on Donna Records (1337). The record was first released on Fleetwood International (100) in 1960. The single charted on February 20, 1961, climbing the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at #48. The Pentagons hit remained on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks. The flip-side of the single record is DOWN AT THE BEACH, it did not chart.
In October of 1961 the group charted their second single record…I WONDER (IF YOUR LOVE WILL EVER BELONG TO ME) on Jamie Records (1201). The single record charted at #84 on the Hot 100 and stayed on the pop chart for 5 weeks. The flip-side…SHE’S MINE did not c
hart.
The Pentagons did not chart any other hits, they should have, because they were that good. Their classic…TO BE LOVED (FOREVER) is an oldies and doo-wop classic that should have been even bigger in 1960 than it was. Thanks to oldies radio and internet oldies and doo-wop stations, the record has reached a new audience and lives in the ‘GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL”.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW…THE PENTAGONS ARE SINGING THEIR CLASSIC…”TO BE LOVED (FOREVER) JUST FOR YOU.
The Pentagons – To Be Loved (Forever)
Till the next time—Joe
The Moonglows are one of the most famous R&B and Doo-Wop groups of all-time. They formed in Cleveland, Ohio. Lead singers were Bobby Lester, who died in 1980 (age 50) and Harvey Fuqua, died in 2010 (age 80), with Alexander “Pete” Graves, died in 2006 (age 76), Prentiss Barnes, also died in 2006 (age 81) and Billy Johnson, who played guitar…he died in 1987 (age 58).
The Moonglows recorded classic hits such as…SINCERELY a #1 R&B hit in 1955…MOST OF ALL…#5 in 1955…WE GO TOGETHER…#9 in1956 and…SEE SAW…a #6 hit also in 1956. In 1957 The Moonglows recorded the #5 R&B hit record…PLEASE SEND ME SOMEONE TO LOVE.
One of the groups biggest hits charted in October of 1958…TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE on Chess Records, where all of the above mentioned hits were recorded. The single record was credited as “Harvey and The Moonglows” (Harvey Fuqua on lead) as was…SEE SAW and PLEASE SEND ME SOMEONE TO LOVE. The single charted at #9 on the Billboard R&B chart and at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE is a classic from the GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL and is still played today on oldies radio…great music takes on a life of its own…and lives on…CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW AND LISTEN TO…HARVEY AND THE MOONGLOWS…AS THEY SING…”TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE”.
Prentis Barnes is the brother of James “Pookie” Hudson of The Spaniels. The Moonglows were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Harvey & The Moonglows – Ten Commandments Of Love
Till the next time—Joe
Fred Milano of The Belmonts and Dion and The Belmonts died on January 4, 2012 of lung 
cancer. He lived in Massapequa, on New York’s Long Island. He and his friends Angelo D’Aleo and Carlo Mastrangelo from the Bronx, formed The Belmonts in the mid 1950′s.
They became Dion and The Belmonts after Dion DiMucci joined the group in 1958. Dion and The Belmonts charted one classic hit after another, including…I WONDER WHY… in 1958…A TEENAGER IN LOVE…1959…WHERE OR WHEN…1959…NO ONE KNOWS…1958 and other classic hit single records. In 1960 Dion left the group to go solo. The Belmonts charted a string of hits in 1961 with…TELL ME WHY and COME ON LITTLE ANGEL in 1962. They charted 7 Billboard Hot 100 hit single records between 1961 and 1981.
Fred Milano was born in the Bronx on August 26, 1939. He became a legal coordinator at New York’s Rikers Island jail complex, helping inmates research their cases…his place in rock history is secured through the legacy of his outstanding music with Dion and The Belmonts and The Belmonts…he lives in the “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL”.
Till the next time—Joe
13-LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED 
THING–FOUR ACES DECCA 
RECORDS 1955-6 WEEKS AT #1
14-ROCK AND ROLL WALTZ–KAY STARR RCA VICTOR RECORDS 1956-6 WEEKS AT #1
15-THE POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS–LES BAXTER ORCHESTRA CAPITOL RECORDS 1956-6 WEEKS AT #1
16-THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS–MITCH MILLER COLUMBIA RECORDS 1955-6 WEEKS AT #1
17-MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS–DEAN MARTIN CAPITOL RECORDS 1956-6 WEEKS AT #1
18-APRIL LOVE–PAT BOONE DOT RECORDS 1957-6 WEEKS AT #1
19-THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS–JOHNNY HORTON COLUMBIA RECORDS 1959-6 WEEKS AT #1
20-YOUNG LOVE–TAB HUNTER DOT RECORDS 1957-6 WEEKS AT #1
21-IT’S ALL IN THE GAME–TOMMY EDWARDS MGM RECORDS 1958-6 WEEKS AT #1
22-THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER–SHEB WOOLEY MGM RECORDS 1958-6 WEEKS AT #1
23-TAMMY–DEBBIE REYNOLDS CORAL RECORDS 1957-5 WEEKS AT #1
24-LOVE ME TENDER–ELVIS PRESLEY RCA VICTOR RECORDS 1956-5 WEEKS AT #1
25-MY PRAYER–THE PLATTERS MERCURY RECORDS 1956-5 WEEKS AT #1
THE RECORDS IN VOL. 1 AND VOL. 2 ARE THE BIGGEST #1 HITS OF THE EARLY YEARS OF ROCK AND ROLL-1955-1959. THERE ARE SO MANY MORE GREAT SONGS FROM THOSE EARLY DAYS…BUT THESE ARE THE BIGGEST.
THANKS TO JOEL WHITBURN FOR HIS CHART INFORMATION…CHECK OUT HIS WEB SITE FOR ALL THE GREATEST CHART BOOKS: www.recordresearch.com
TILL THE NEXT TIME—JOE
