BARRY LEVINE: Only the right name will do(o-wop)

One of the interesting aspects of the early days of rock ‘n’ roll is how groups acquired their names.

Here’s how four R&B/doo-wop groups from the 1950s acquired their names.

The most popular female group before The Supremes produced No. 1 hit after No. 1 hit was The Shirelles.

The R&B group enjoyed sustained success from 1960 to 1963, during which time it charted 12 Top 40 singles. The Shirelles projected a “girl next door” image, and their songs about young love and its travails appealed to young fans.

Formed in 1957 when members Shirley Alston, Addie “Mickie” Harris, Doris Kenner and Beverly Lee were high school students in Passaic, N.J., and originally called the Pequellos, they regularly performed at local functions when in school.

Before signing their first record contract, the group changed its name to The Shirelles to honor Alston, its lead singer.

The Shirelles released their first hit in 1958, “I Met Him on a Sunday,” and it barely made the Top 40.

They followed with major hits “Dedicated to the One I Love” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” in 1960, “Mama Said” and “Baby It’s You” in 1961, “Soldier Boy” in 1962 and “Foolish Little Girl” in 1963.

Originally formed by Clyde McPhatter, their first lead singer during the early 1950s, The Drifters are an iconic R&B/doo-wop group.

After McPhatter left the group to become a solo performer in 1957, Ben E. King became the group’s lead singer and the hits started coming.

The group released several singles with King as lead singer that became chart hits. “There Goes My Baby” in 1959 was the first, followed by “Dance with Me” later in the year,

“This Magic Moment,” “I Count the Tears” and “Save the Last Dance for Me” — their only No. 1 — were The Drifters’ hits in 1960.

With different lead singers, The Drifters kept producing hits, including “I Count The Tears,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “Please Stay” in 1961, “Up On The Roof” in 1962, “On Broadway” in 1963 and “Under the Boardwalk” in 1964.

The Drifters acquired their name because so many members drifted in and out of the group. The group has had more than 60 different members during its history.

While The Drifters had only one No. 1 hit, The Platters, one of the era’s pre-eminent doo-wop groups, had four — “The Great Pretender” in 1955, “My Prayer” in 1956, and “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” in 1958 — with Tony Williams as the lead singer.

Their other major hits were “Only You” in 1955, “The Magic Touch” in 1956 and “Harbor Lights” in 1960.

The group began as a quartet in 1953, calling themselves The Platters after the nickname used at that time for vinyl records.

Originally called the Juvenairs, the group changed its name to Danny & The Juniors at the strong suggestion of American Bandstand host Dick Clark. Danny was for the group’s lead singer Danny Rapp.

Clark also suggested that the group change the name of its first recording, “Do the Bop.” Clark felt that even though youngsters on American Bandstand were doing a dance called The Bop at the time, most dances of the era did not last long.

And if Clark said a cow could lay an egg, rock groups just greased the skillet.

Danny & The Juniors opted to change the name of their song from “Do the Bop” to “At the Hop.”

After an appearance on American Bandstand in December 1957 as a replacement for Little Anthony & The Imperials, Danny & The Juniors caught a break, performing “At the Hop.” It quickly became a smash hit.

It reached No. 1 in January 1958 and easily became the group’s biggest hit. “At the Hop” was No. 1 for five weeks and sold more than 2 million copies.

The group’s fame withered quickly, as it had only two other Top 25 hits: “Rock & Roll is Here to Stay” in 1958 and “Twistin’ USA” in 1960.

This week in rock history — The Highwaymen’s “Michael” was the No. 1 song in the land on Sept. 4, 1961. The traditional song is traced to the 19th century when it was sung by slaves who lived on islands off the coast of Georgia. … The Animals had their only No. 1 hit on Sept. 5, 1964, with “House of the Rising Sun.” … After a show in Memphis, Tenn., on Sept 6, 1969, James Brown announced his retirement from live performing, effective July 4, 1970. The Godfather of Soul said he was tired.

Georgia Gibbs performed “The Hula-Hoop Song” on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sept. 7, 1958, boosting the craze that was sweeping America. The song would be the last of Gibbs’ nine Top 40 hits. … Elvis Presley made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sept. 9, 1956, in front of 54 million TV viewers, which gave the program an 82.6 rating. Elvis sang “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender” and “Hound Dog.” … The Byrds recorded “Turn! Turn! Turn!” on Sept. 10, 1965. Unlike their first hit, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” members of the group were permitted to play instead of session musicians.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].