V.S.O.P. #133 THE RECORDINGS OF BOB SCHERMAN: SINGLES FROM SKYLARK, TAMPA AND OTHER LABELS

This program represents a second volume of R&B, Rock & Roll, Pop and other recordings produced by Bob Scherman during the 1950’s. This is a follow on volume to V.S.O.P. #88 WEST COAST ROCK & ROLL.

Bob Scherman was a well-known producer, songwriter, and label owner by the time the recordings included here were made. He had recorded Nat King Cole, Frankie Laine, and numerous R&B stars over the years. For a more thorough history of Robert Scherman, you might refer to the liner notes to the above mentioned V.S.O.P. #88 WEST COAST ROCK & ROLL or to our web site, THE TAMPA RECORDS page at “http://magnebit.xeran.com/store/page186.html” . These liner notes and label information offer a good deal of background information on Bob Scherman and his career.

The sequence below does not strictly follow the chronological order of recording date or release, but is designed to maintain listener interest rather than adhere to a rigid chronology.

The program begins with a recording made for Skylark Records in 1954 by drummer George Jenkins, with a vocal group that he calls the Tune Twisters. This side, “Shufflin’ Boogie”, written by Bob Scherman, was first released as Skylark 565, backed with “Drum Boogie” This first session by George Jenkins for Skylark is the September 10, 1954 session that included Bumps Myers on tenor or baritone, Herman Mitchell on guitar, Red Callender on bass, Gerald Wiggins on piano, and a Lewis Jones on tenor. Lewis Jones is a pseudonym, and it is not clear who it is on this number. These would have been the Tune Twisters.  Bob Scherman first released “Shufflin’ Boogie” on his Atlas label in 1946 by Luke Jones with Joe Alexander’s Highlanders. This is a very typical R&B up-tempo number similar to many sides produced and released by Bob Scherman when he ran the Premier and Atlas labels in the mid 1940’s. The other side of this Skylark version was “Drum Boogie”, which is included in the release V.S.O.P. #54 PLAS JOHNSON: DRUM STUFF.

The second and third tracks are also Skylark tracks from SK 553 by Johnny Mann, backed by  tenor sax , guitar, bass, drums, piano and a vocal group. From the release number, this recording was released at some time in 1953. Johnny Mann went on to become the leader, manager and arranger for the Grammy winning Johnny Mann Singers during the late 1960s. At the time the Skylark tracks were recorded, he was starting his career and he was something of a cross-over artist, performing straightforward R&B, with a pretty good backup group (possibly an embryonic version of the “Johnny Mann Singers”) and band. Johnny Mann and the Johnny Mann singers went on to record with several rockabilly artists such as Johnny Burnett, The Crickets and Eddie Cochran. Here they perform “Hollywood Papa” followed by “Hollywood Mama”. Johnny Manne’s later work differs considerably from what is represented here, which is actually fairly authentic white R&B.

The next four tracks are Tampa recordings that were released in January and February of 1955 by a duet called The Dooley Sisters. They recorded four sides for Tampa, released as back to back singles, Tampa 100 and Tampa 101. Tampa 100 consisted of “Heart Throb” and “Ko Ko Mo”. Tampa 101 consisted of “Shtiggy Boom” and “Johnny My Love”. In the January 15, 1955 issue of Billboard, Tampa 100 (there credited as Tampa 2000, the actual matrix number) was reviewed, and included the following comments: “The Dooley Sisters, a new duo, bow on the label with a most attractive reading of a strong piece of material with an r&b beat”. “KoKoMo” was the more popular side and received a “very good” rating in the February 12, 1955 Billboard “Review of New Pop Records”. Nevertheless, there were thirteen other versions of “KoKoMo” on the market at the same time, most of them released during January, 1955, some with better ratings, so this one did not really go anywhere sales-wise. (By March, 1955, there were 17 versions) . The original version was Gene and Eunice’s version on Combo Records which was charting on the R&B charts at the time. It should also be mentioned that Betty and Marion Hutton released their version on Capitol in January, 1955, just ahead of the Tampa release, and their single paired “Ko Ko Mo” and “Heart Throb”, further limiting the market for the Dooley Sisters’ Tampa recording! Bob Scherman had written “Heart Throb”, and must have known of the Capitol release, (possibly cashing in by selling the first use of the song and covering the Capitol Hutton Sisters release with the Dooley Sisters recording), so the release of the Tampa version was a bit of a long shot! The Tampa sides are by and large crossover R&B, a bit like Johnny Mann. The Jac-O-Lacs, a vocal group that recorded for Modern as “The Flairs” and consisted of Cornel Gunter, Obie Jessie, Thomas Fox, Fred Romain and Randy Jones, backed the Dooley Sisters on “Shtiggy Boom” and “Heart Throb”. All four sides had a Dick Taylor led group accompanying the duet. For more about Dick Taylor, you can read the liner notes for V.S.O.P. #131 DICK TAYLOR: PLAYS HOT (http://magnebit.xeran.com/store/page229.html). Dick Taylor often acted as contractor and leader for Skylark and Tampa rock & roll, pop and R&B sessions. This session included Dick Taylor on bass, J D King on tenor sax, Jewel Grant on alto sax, Bill Douglas on drums, and Roger Fleming on piano. The recording date was December 21, 1954 at Radio Recorders, the last one under Skylark Records. The product of this session, that included the two singles by the Dooley Sisters, was released on Tampa Records in January,1955 and February, 1955. Whether the Skylark Dooley Sisters session preceded the Capitol Hutton Sisters session is a question mark at this stage. The Dooley Sisters recorded four more sides for Aardell or R-Dell, in 1956 and 1957. The R-Dell release includes a caption which reads “not really sisters”, so it seems they might not have been sisters, after all.

The next item in this program is by the Dave Burgess Trio and Rhythm, from Tampa 105, released in 1955, a somewhat tame offering with a nice guitar intro version of “I Love Paris”. Dave Burgess went on to form and manage the Champs, and contributed the vocals and rhythm guitar to the flip side of their number one hit “Tequila”. He also wrote the song originally intended as the “A” side, “Train to Nowhere”. On “I Love Paris”, Dave Burgess provides the audible guitar licks and sings. There were two other guitarists at the session, Douglas Farmer and Clarence Baker but they are not prominent on this track. In addition to the Champs’ recordings for Challenge, Dave Burgess recorded for Okeh, Oriole, Tops, and as a side man for many other labels, including Capitol Records. The two singles for Tampa were recorded on May 27, 1955 at Radio Recorders and featured Ralph Hansell on vibes and percussion.

Next, are featured the two Jimmy Madden sides for Tampa, released on Tampa 102 in April or May of 1955, “Boogie Boo” and “Let Em Roll”. These were the first recordings that tenor saxophonist Jimmy Madden made under his own name, or rather his stage name, as his birth name was James Nechamkin. Jimmy Madden recorded for many labels, including Dot, Vita, Imperial, American International, and others. At some point he performed A&R duties, as well, at least for American International. His primary claim to fame was his ownership of major nightclubs and venues in Hollywood and Los Angeles, including the Sundown Club later renamed The Summit (where The Terry Gibbs Dream Band performed and were recorded by Wally Heider), the Mardi Gras, the Trojan Room, and others. He also appeared in several films, including “The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow”, and “There’s No Business Like Showbusiness”. According to Jimmy Madden, Benny Carter performs on “Boogie Boo” (along with Red Callender, and Harry “Sweets” Edison), and was credited as the author using the pseudonym “Benny Carson”, although there is nothing audible to confirm this. The label credits Dick Taylor Combo with the support. The only sessions done for Skylark that recently preceded this release date were two sessions under the leadership of Dick Taylor in March of 1955. One session does feature at least one pseudonym, “Abe Lincoln”, so that could support Jimmy Madden’s story. However, Red Callender would not have been playing bass at a Dick Taylor session, unless Dick Taylor were playing trombone, which is not audible in either of the Jimmy Madden sides. In either case, the pianist was Roger Fleming.

The next Tampa single included here is a release by a vocal group called The Belletones, a female vocal group with a lead singer by the name of Phyllis Grey. There was a New York based vocal group called the Beltones, but this is not them, as they were a male group. Released in August or early September of 1956, it was recorded at Radio Recorders probably at the same session that yielded the Tampa 121 release by The Flannels. The style is more pop oriented than most of the previous material. Phillys Grey is a good vocalist, but there is no trace of her recording other material, at least under that name. Both sides of Tampa 120 are pop oriented, “Baby I Miss You” is the up-tempo side and “All My Love” is the ballad. These are nicely recorded performances that could have been played on either pop or R&B stations. These sides seem to have been recorded at Radio Recorders either on June 26, 1956 or on July 31, 1956, with the backing of a band under the leadership of drummer Earl Hyde, and featuring the reed work of either Jewell Grant or Fred Clark. Certainty is not possible at this point. Tampa 119, 120 and 121 all have consecutive matrix numbers. Ravon Darnell recorded at the June 26 session and also co-wrote “All My Love” which was performed by The Belletones on their session. “Baby I Miss You”, the flip side of the same Tampa 120 Belletones release, was written by Benny Ray, who had written “So Shy”, that was recorded by the vocal group  The Flannels, released on Tampa 121 and recorded at the July 31 session. The sound of the tracks suggest that they were recorded at the same session.

The next two sides are by one of the most successful artists that recorded for Tampa, Dickey Lee. Dickey Lee first gained fame in 1962 for his recording of “Patches”, the teen suicide anthem which was a national top ten hit that year. His actual success preceded this, but as a songwriter, rather than a performer, under his real name, Dick Lipscomb (he did not write “Patches”) with “She Still Thinks I Care” for George Jones. In addition to Tampa, he recorded for Sun Records, Smash, RCA, Mercury and other labels. His first recordings were for Tampa and Sun Records. Here, Tampa 131, released in June, 1957, offers a teenage love ballad and a country rockabilly number: “Dream Boy”, the ballad with whistling intro and out choruses (not performed by Dickey Lee) and “Stay True Baby”, the rockabilly. It is no surprise that Dickey Lee became successful. In the July 1, 1957 issue of Billboard, this single is reviewed, and confirms Dickey Lee’s likely success: “Lee’s vocal has the true sound: emotion packed and rhythmic.”

Bart Mattson was at the peak of his career as a movie actor, at the time that this recording was made. He had appeared, according to the March 3, 1958 issue of Billboard, in “Lafayette Escadrille”, “Tea and Sympathy” and “The Story of Mankind”. The two sides that he recorded for Tampa, released as Tampa 137 are “Love Slave” and “Teen Angel”. The printed picture sleeve of the single has been used for the cover of this program. Both songs are directed at the teenage market and are quasi-novelty material. Bart Mattson is not an experienced singer, and various gimmicks are used to mask this, including Bart Mattson’s stuttering staccato during the bridge and volume pumping of the female chorus throughout “Teen Angel”, the strange accenting and enunciation by the female backup singer in “Love Slave” and the female backup singer voice doubled through some prehistoric flanging/doubling tape machine technique in both songs. The musical support is provided by Jimmy Mac Donald, a pianist who had previously recorded for Skylark in 1952, but was now leading and arranging studio sessions.  Jimmy Mac Donald is best remembered for being the accompanist to Eartha Kitt and Billy Daniels, and for composing the jingles for Hawaiian Punch.

The next single in this program, Tampa 158 is by a vocal group called “The Young Lions”, and was released in the latter part of 1958, probably in September or October (Mike Metzger and Gary Jonke copyrighted the song “Oh Daddy” in September, 1958, Hylton Socher and Ronald Miller copyrighted “How Wrong You Are” in July, 1958.). The Young Lions recorded the following year for United Artists Records, and then later for Dot. Tampa 158 offers a doowop ballad, “How Wrong You Are”, paired with drag racing themed up-tempo number, “Oh Daddy”. The group was not well known, and judging by the putative date of the recording suggested by the release number, was probably named after the recent Marlin Brando-Montgomery Clift movie of the same name.. The Young Lions did perform at Dick Clark’s first Caravan of Stars Tour at the Hollywood Bowl on August 30, 1959 that featured Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Jan and Dean, and others, and also several other Caravan of Stars dates during September, 1959. Not much else is known about the Tampa release session. The group may have had some connection to TV and movie music composer and arranger Herschel Burke Gilbert who published both “Oh, Daddy” and “How Wrong You Are” in his John Paul Music publishing imprint.

The next sides included here were recorded back in 1956 and feature The Jac-O-Lacs backing Mari Jones, on Tampa 122 with “Teenage Quarrel” and “Riba Daba Doo” on the flip side. Mari Jones, had previously recorded with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers for Aladdin and Modern in 1952 and 1953, and for Recorded in Hollywood as Mauri Jones in 1953 . She was pretty much an R&B singer, but Bob Scherman tried to break her into rock & roll. For her session, he employed Earl Hyde, with Jewell Grant and several others to record at Radio Recorders on June 26, 1956. “Riba Daba Doo”, an up-tempo number that includes the Jac-O-Lacs, was released twice on Tampa, paired with Ravon Darnell’s “Chicken Little” on Tampa 117, and then paired with the ballad “Teenage Quarrel” on Tampa 122. The Tampa 122 sides were also released as Jet 102, some time later. While Mari Jones had a very successful career in R&B with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, her Tampa recordings made less of an impression.

Next are two sides recorded by a vocal group, The Seniors , probably late in 1958 or early in 1959, and released as Tampa 163 in 1959. The Seniors were an inter-racial vocal group formed in Europe by three Air Force Service men: Doc Chambers and Harry Dencault from Boston, MA and Bill Seighman from Uniontown, PA. They recorded four sides, but only the two included here were released, first on the Tampa Records label as Tampa 163, and then on Tampa’s sister label, Interlude, as Interlude 163, (the unreleased sides appear to be called “All I Have to Do Is Dream and Wonder” and “Shotgun Packin’ Baby”). The two selections that were released by Tampa are “Who’s Gonna Know”, and “It’s Been A Long Time”, both composed by the group members. Both selections’ arrangements are credited to “Eddie Madden”, who turns out to be the prolific Boston based big band orchestrator and music educator and who in an earlier incarnation recorded “Carmen’s Rock” and “Mozart’s Cha Cha” for Tampa in early 1959. At the time of the recording, The Seniors were based in Boston, and touring on the East Coast. While not much is known regarding this group, one member, Bill Seighman, had the good fortune to co-write “Conversation Love”, which was on the flip side of Roberta Flack’s hit “Killing Me Softly” in 1973. Both sides are well performed and professionally done. These are not the same Seniors group that recorded for Tetra, Kent or Ball Records.

The next two selections were produced and recorded by Bob Scherman for a new label, Jet Records, in 1960. They are by Lucia del Campo and Johnny Wills, as Lucia and Johnny, “Marriage Talk” and “No More, No More”, and were released as Jet 165 in June of 1960. Lucia del Campo recorded several times for Bob Scherman, and some of her other recordings are included on V.S.O.P. #88 WEST COAST ROCK & ROLL. She also recorded for Bob Scherman’s Libra label, and for RCA-Victor and as Lucia Darnell for Bedford Records and as Lucia Martin for King Records.

Another late 1958 release, Tampa 160, features two instrumental sides recorded in late 1958 and released as by The Beat-Niks, “Two Tacos Please” and “Foolish Fool”. “The Beat-Niks” name appears to have been a name used for a studio group. Both selections are novelty instrumental numbers. The only words sung or spoken are “Two More Tacos, Please” in an exaggerated voice during the song of the same name, supported by a wordless vocal chorus in the background. The record was reviewed in the December 1, 1958 issue of Billboard, and “Two Tacos Please”earned a very decent three star review. Looking at the songwriters, it becomes more obvious that this is by a studio created recording group.   Joe Saraceno who claims co-authorship to “Two Tacos Please” was a producer and artist, at this time, who recorded and wrote songs with his friend Tony Savonne.   They are both the producers and artists responsible for this recording.  When this was recorded, Joe Saraceno still played sax, and could be the  tenor man on "Foolish Fool".  Shortly after this recording, he gave up playing and stuck to producing, and in the mid to late 1960's he scored a hit for Liberty Records, with "Whatever Shape Your Stomach is In", aka The Alka-Seltzer song. The tunes do not really resemble each other. “Two Tacos Please” uses an arranging style that is quite different from what was usually being recorded for Tampa in 1958, although it has a nice Plas Johnson sounding sax break (which could actually have been performed by Plas Johnson). “Foolish Fool” also differs from Tampa recordings of this period, sounding like something that might be heard at dance halls in Tijuana, both in its arrangement and performance. This departure from the recognizable styles in evidence on other Tampa recordings in 1958  is further supported by the fact that Bob Scherman’s name does not appear on the record label, although he undoubtedly supervised and approved the release, as he was quite active with Tampa releases at the time.

To complete the program, a release that was not actually produced by Bob Scherman but was released on his Interlude label in 1960 is a single by an artist whose stage name for the recording is ‘Little Margo”. The actual producer of this material is the songwriter and arranger Fred Darian, notable for co-writing Frankie Laine’s “Jezabel”, Dobie Gray’s “The In Crowd”, and many other hits. Fred Darian is probably also among the background singers on both sides as he was always very committed to performing as a vocalist, in addition to his duties as songwriter and producer. The artist Little Margo is most probably Margo Spicer, who had a small part in “Hawaiian Eye” shortly after this single was released. This is obviously a novelty song, with Little Margo’s cutesy voice drawing attention to the material. Because of her voice, both songs can be regarded as novelty, although “Love Me Charlie Brown” is more obviously so than “Joey’s Friend”. The arrangement of “Love Me Charlie Brown” is R&B’ish, in the H.B. Barnum vein. “Joey’s Friend” is a well produced pop ballad with the background “Pum, Pum” vocal probably contributed by Fred Dorian himself.  This single was released on Bob Scherman's Interlude label, a label that he formed to re-release recordings originally recorded for the Mode Records label.  Interlude Records also released other recordings, including a mid-1980's reissue of Bob Scherman's early 1940s recordings of Nat King Cole.  Like the Beat-Niks single, Bob was not the producer of the session, although he undoubtedly supervised and approved the production and release of the Interlude single.

This is a fitting closer to this collection of Skylark, Tampa, Jet and Interlude singles that were all released or produced by or for Bob Scherman.  They encompass a number of sessions that were known, but whose output had not been previously identified.  They are interesting because the offer a glimpse into the pop, rock & roll and R&B scene in Hollywood of the mid-1950s to 1960.  None of these recordings charted in a noticeable way, but they were for the most part quite professionally produced and had all the qualities needed to attract attention and achieve some success.  Some fairly important artists and musicians participated in them.  In the end, they are quite worthwhile, and as enjoyable as any hits for an audience that is not relying on nostalgia to determine its tastes.   

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