Danny & the Juniors
| Danny & the Juniors | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Rock 'n' Roll , Doo Wop |
| founding | 1955 as The Juvenairs |
| Founding members | |
| Danny Rapp | |
Tenor singing |
Frank Maffei |
Tenor singing |
Dave White |
| Joe Terranova | |
| Current occupation | |
Tenor singing |
Danny Rapp |
Tenor singing |
Frank Maffei |
Tenor singing |
Dave White Tricker |
Baritone singing, bass singing |
Joe Terranova |
| Lennie Baker (from 195?) | |
Danny & the Juniors are a white rock 'n' roll and doo-wop band from the late 1950s and early 1960s, who played quite innocent songs during this period (as opposed to songs like Charlie Brown from the Coasters or Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran , the youthful rebellion themed) had a few hits.
Band successes
The band was formed in Philadelphia in 1955 . Danny Rapp, Frank Maffei, Joe Terranova and Dave White were attending high school together at the time and decided to start a rock 'n' roll dance band. The band initially performed in the vicinity of their school under the name The Juvenairs . A little later saxophonist Lennie Baker joined the band.
In late 1957, the Juvenairs were discovered by a rock 'n' roll promoter named John Madara , who introduced the band Artie Singer , songwriter and director of Singular Records . Singer was particularly fond of a song that White had composed. The title was Do the Bop . Singer rewrote the song and so the recording of At the Hop began . Leon Huff was the producer who directed the recording of the band, which had since been renamed The Juniors.
Singer then brought the single to Dick Clark to have the band perform on his American Bandstand show . Initially there was no vacancy, but after Little Anthony & the Imperials unexpectedly turned down, Danny & the Juniors were chosen as replacements. At the Hop soon turned out to be a success. After Singular had sold the single to ABC-Paramount due to commercial difficulties , it reached number 1 on the pop charts in early 1958. A little later, Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay also made it into the Top 20, and Dottie became a Top 40 hit.
Later years
In 1960 Danny & the Juniors made it into the Top 40 for the last time with Twistin 'USA , and in 1963 they hit the pop charts. They separated for the time being in early 1964. In later years there were some reunions and comeback attempts. In the 2010s, Danny & the Juniors still existed in a modified form as a group, in which Joe Terranova and Frank Maffei also had two original members (as of May 2017).
Danny Rapp, the lead singer, on the other hand, committed suicide in a motel room in 1983 at the age of 42. Dave White, who wrote the hit You Don't Own Me as a songwriter for Lesley Gore, among others, after the end of the group , died in March 2019 at the age of 79. Just a few weeks later, Joe "Terry" Terranova, another founding member, died at the age of 78. Frank Maffei (* 1939) is currently still living from the four founding members of the group.
In 2003 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame .
literature
- Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 142-144
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Newspaper report from 1983
- ↑ Best Classic B, s StaffThe BCB team brings you the latest Breaking News, Contests, On This Day rock history stories, Classic Videos: David White, 'At the Hop,' 'You Don't Own Me' Songwriter, Dies. In: Best Classic Bands. July 23, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2019 (UK English).
- ^ Founding Danny & the Juniors members Joe Terry and Dave White pass away. In: Sandhills Express. Retrieved April 20, 2019 (American English).