Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – May 24, 2026
During the 70s the legendary Phil Spector guided John Lennon in recording a remake of a Doo Wop classic from 1960. This remake was released posthumously in 1986 on Lennon’s “Menlove Ave” album, where John’s voice can be heard saying: “This is one of my all-time favorite songs … my love to Rosie wherever she may be.”
That Rosie John references was Rosalie Hamlin the front person for Rosie & The Originals. The song was the teenage ballad “Angel Baby,” a composition that was a transformation of a poem she had written at the age of 14.
Following the massive success of “Angel Baby,” Rosie and her bandmate Noah Tafolla were invited to New York in 1961 to perform at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater. There, they crossed paths with R&B legend Jackie Wilson and his manager, Nat Tarnopol. Wilson and Tarnopol were quite taken by Rosie and offered her a new contract with Brunswick Records.
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What resulted was a follow up single that was also written by Rosie. The song became a moderate hit, peaking at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1961.
However, the success of Brunswick’s release prompted Highland Records (the label that released “Angel Baby”) to dig into their archives and release an earlier, slightly different rendition of the song that Rosie & The Originals had recorded back in California, causing two versions of the song to circulate simultaneously.
In fact, the Brunswick label shows the song being credited to ‘Rosie formerly with the Originals.’
Being under legal age and naïve to the ways of the music industry, it was not a surprise that Rosie spent some “Lonely Blue Nights,” and it’s this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube listing of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6zPhzCGIY
This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.
