Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans - Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah 45rpm


ARTIST: Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans
TITLE: Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah / Flip And Nitty
LABEL: Philles Records
CATALOG #: 107
YEAR: 1962
GENRE: Soul / Doo-Wop
PRESSING INFO:

Here is another little ditty of the non punk persuasion from my personal collection. I bought this in a box lot at an auction a few years ago. I wasn't that much of a fan of the a-side track on the first listen. The b-side track is what drew me into this single. Its catchy and very upbeat for a song from 1962. The A-side reached #8 on the US billboard charts. Here is some more info from wikipedia...

Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans was an early 1960s vocal group produced by Phil Spector, and was initially conceived as a vehicle for the lead vocals of Bobby Sheen, who took the stage name Bob B. Soxx. The Blue Jeans were backing vocalists, Darlene Love and Fanita James, both of whom were also members of the then girl group The Blossoms.[1]

Despite Sheen's status as group leader, by the time the trio entered the recording studio, Spector was often using Love as the group's primary vocalist. Sheen sang lead on the group's first hit, 1962's "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (originally from the 1946 Disney movie, Song of the South). Love, meanwhile, handled the lead vocals on Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans' two follow-up singles, 1963's "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts?" and "Not Too Young to Get Married".[1]

Sheen and Love shared vocal duties on the only album the group ever recorded, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (1963).

Sheen can be heard as lead vocalist on the group's final recordings, "The Bells of St. Mary's" and "Here Comes Santa Claus," two tracks on the Spector-produced album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963), on which Love also appears as a solo artist. On the cover of this album, a group portrait shows Sheen with two Blue Jeans vocalists, who have been identified as James and yet another Blossoms member, Gloria Jones.

After 1963 the group was dropped by Philles Records and effectively ceased to exist. Sheen went back to using his real name, recorded some tracks for Capitol Records in the mid 1960s, and later joined a later touring version of The Coasters.[1] Sheen had previously been a member of The Robins, joining in 1957. Love recorded a few solo hits, but, more memorably, was the lead vocalist on at least two hit records by The Crystals. It is also established that Sheen, Love and Wright were the voices on The Crystals' hit, "He's a Rebel".