Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – Aug 27, 2023
Tonight’s moment in time features a group of street corner singers who were the unsung heroes of the Philadelphia sound of the 60s.
Formed in 1956, the quintet thought they had gotten their big break when Cameo/Parkway approached them in 1960 to record after hearing them on tape. However, they soon found out that they were being recruited to sing back-up for some kid with a name that was reminiscent of Fats Domino’s …
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The Cameo/Parkway session had them doing an impersonation of Hank Ballard’s group the Midnighters. They got paid and didn’t think much about it until the summer of 1960 when “The Twist” sung by Chubby Checker took off, reaching the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 19.
The group would continue to do plenty of back-up work for Chubby and Dee Dee Sharp. However, they never received any formal credit on these recordings. They were known as the Dreamlovers, a name they chose in recognition of Bobby Darin’s 1959 hit record “Dream Lover.”
With no chance of recording under their own name at Parkway, the group moved over to Heritage, a new label. Their timing appear to be good as they released what has become a classic Doo Wop ballad, “When We Get Married,” which went to #10 on the national charts in July of 1961.
The Dreamlovers charted once more in 1962, this time on End Records. The song was “If I Should Lose You,” which went to the #62 position.
With vocal group harmony beginning to wane in the early 60s, the group failed to chart again. And it’s too bad because they released some great tracks that got lost in the shuffle.
One such tune was on the B-side of a 45 single and has become a bit of a cult favorite with Oldies station today who are focused on playing “lost treasures.”
A handclapping, up-tempo tune, the Dreamlovers really set the table for the bar scene with their 1963 Swan Records’ release about “Amazons And Coyotees,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube video of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKM_XxJGiXo
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.
