doo-wop / rock & roll ~ Cincinnati 1958

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Many have heard the Ronettes version of 'I'm So Young.' Covered by many, most successfully by the Ronettes, but The Students version was the first.
Though not with the group, Cincinnati high school student, William Tyus wrote the song for a girl he was in love with named, Patricia Pearson. He passed his newly penned tune to the janitor of the school, Roosevelt Lee. Janitor Lee was apparently a music lover also "in the know" with the local music scene. He eventually took the song to The Students (then named D'Italians) who were already performing locally before helping them to get a contract via Mel Herman, a Chess Records distributor with Chess/Checker/Argo records out of Chicago.
Pressed the same year on the Note label (Indianapolis, Indiana), The Students recorded and pressed only two other 45s before breaking up as a group around 1962.
Nice doo-wop side with 14 year old student Leroy King on lead vocal.
The flip side: 'Everyday Of The Week'


The Students with Leroy King: top right profile

The first South African group to have a record chart in the U.S. Billboard top 100, 'Lovely Lies' reached #45 in the U.S. in 1956.
R&B/Jazz/vocal group, The Manhattan Brothers were formed in Johannesburg, South Africa around 1946. They added vocalist Miriam Makeba
sometime in the early 50s.

In March 1953, R&B vocal group the Blenders, recorded two versions of the same song with producer Joe Davis. 'Don't Play Around With Love' was The Blenders only release on the Jay-Dee label with an earlier recording, 'You'll Never Smile Again' as the B-side. But not until the early 1970's did the other, raunchier, '53 alternative version, 'Don't Fuck Around With Love' get released.
Here is the alternative late issue of the rare 1953 recording...some great advice and a song that still holds true.

Anyone under 50 even listen to doo-wop? I Do.
Here's an "oldie" (out of Newport News, Virginia) that still holds up, a nice example of a group harmony side.