Singer-songwriter Richard Ziegler (aka Ritchie Adams) passed away on March 6, 2017 after a brief illness. Although Ziegler achieved most of his commercial success as the writer of the music for Bobby Lewis‘ 1961 smash “Tossin’ & Turnin’” and Englebert Humperdinck‘s signature song “After the Lovin’”, doo wopp fans revered him as the original lead
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Robert Bateman, legendary Motown writer, has passed away at 80
by A. Scott, special to Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp Motown legend and R&B Hall of Fame member Robert Bateman has passed away, aged 80. Born in Illinois with one arm shorter than the other, he was easily recognized by his distinctive gait. Many people believed it was an affected walk, and began to copy
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The Flamingos & The Mystics share a unique claim to fame
Stories of artists passing on songs which would go on to be mega-hits for other artists abound in the music business. However both The Mystics and The Flamingos share the distinction of having compositions that were written expressly for them swiped at the last minute by artists whose stars were shining just a little bit
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Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp welcomes The Lettermen
The Lettermen will make their debut appearances as part of the Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp Live! series this fall with two 2017 concerts in Florida. One is as-yet-unannounced but the other, in Clermont, will be on sale soon. Read on… Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp Live! returns to the Clermont PAC, starring The Lettermen with special guests
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Wayne Smith, of the Capris, remembered
Wayne Smith, lead singer of the Capris for the last 7 years, passed away Saturday, March 12. Wayne had previously recorded with The Cliftonaires and appeared live with Joe Villa as one of The Three Friends. To group harmony enthusiasts (especially those who frequented the U.G.H.A. scene in New Jersey), Wayne is perhaps best known
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Wally Roker of The Heartbeats has passed away
Wally Roker has passed away at the age of 78. As bass singer and one of the leaders of The Heartbeats, he sang on influential seminal R&B recordings including “Crazy for You”, “A Thousand Miles Away” and “Your Way”. The Heartbeats were a tremendous inspiration to other, mainly white vocals groups, that followed, most notably
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David Somerville, interviewed in 1993, the day after his return to the stage as the original lead singer of The Diamonds
If you’ve been following the pop, rock and doo wopp circuit for the last 20 years or so, you’ve probably come to accept that David Somerville has always been there. The original lead singer of The Diamonds became a mainstay on multi-act concerts featuring the best artists of the 1950s and 1960s, but he wasn’t
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Jukebox Jams continue on ABC-TV’s The View
Much to the delight of doo wopp fans everywhere, ABC-TV’s The View has featured some of the best-known groups of the 50’s and 60’s live on national television over the course of the last several weeks. The series was sparked by a performance by acappella stars The Persuasions on May 26, in which they mentioned
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The original lead voice of the Buckinghams hits the Daytona area February 20, 2015
Whoever coined the phrase “you can’t go home again” had obviously never met Dennis Tufano. After an enviable string of top-ten hit records in the late 1960’s as the lead singer of the Buckinghams, Tufano went on to write for other artists and work in film and television for many years before deciding to return
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Little Anthony & the Imperials’ Farewell Tour comes to Boca Raton Jan 31, 2015
Listening to “Little Anthony” Gourdine sing, it’s difficult to imagine that 2015 marks 57 years since he entered the public eye with his group, the Imperials. One of the very few late-fifties-era vocal groups to successfully re-invent themselves and sustain a successful recording career into the decade that followed, Little Anthony and the Imperials are
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