Friday's Fabulous '50's Tune for March 20th, '09

Danny & The Juniors were a Philadelphia based quartet comprising Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. They are most widely recognized for their hit single "At the Hop", which was released in 1957. They are sometimes erroneously stated as being an Italian-American band. However, lead singer Danny Rapp was of Irish extraction.

The 1950s

Initially formed in Philadelphia in 1955 as "The Juvenairs", they signed with local record label Singulair. Artie Singer of Singulair, along with a local disc jockey named Larry Brown, changed the name of the group to "Danny & The Juniors".

Dave White co-wrote a song for the group, "Do the Bop", to accommodate a new dance called The Bop that was popular on Dick Clark's TV show, American Bandstand. The song came to the attention of Clark, who suggested that they rename it "At the Hop". The song was not initially a success, but after being played on American Bandstand, it was picked up by ABC-Paramount Records, and stayed at the top of the U.S. charts for seven weeks. It went on to sell over two million copies worldwide. The song was followed in 1958 by the similar sounding "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay", which also made it into the Top 20.

The 1960s

In 1960, Danny and the Juniors were signed to Dick Clark's Swan Records label, and they released one more record, "Twistin' USA". It made it into the Top 40, and became their final hit single. They went on to release several more singles, but were not able to repeat their earlier successes.

Dave White left the group in the early 1960s to concentrate on writing and production. White was very successful in this venture, composing a number of hits, including "You Don't Own Me" for Leslie Gore, and "1-2-3" and "Like A Baby" for Len Barry.

In the late 1960s, the Juniors also appeared on Guyden Records, Mercury Records, and Capitol Records, where they re-recorded "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay" in 1968.

The 1970s and the end of the Juniors

In 1976, "At the Hop" was re-issued, and it made its way into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.

After a few quiet years, Danny Rapp was found dead in a hotel in Arizona on April 5, 1983, of an apparent suicide.

"Danny & The Juniors" still tours, with Joe Terry (lead), Frank Maffei, and Frank's brother Bobby Maffei.

Band member details

* Danny Rapp (born Daniel Joseph Rapp, May 10, 1941, in Philadelphia - died April 5, 1983) - Lead Tenor vocalist.
* Joe Terranova (born Joseph Terranova, January 30, 1941, in Philadelphia) - Baritone / Bass vocalist
* Dave White (born Dave White Tricker, September 1, 1940, in Philadelphia) - Tenor vocalist.
* Frank Maffei (born November 1940, in Philadelphia) - Second Tenor vocalist.

Awards and recognition

Danny and The Juniors were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Singles

Singular Records

* Do the Bop/? (just before release they were known as The Juvenaires)(1957)
* "At the Hop" / "Sometimes" (1957)

ABC-Paramount Records

* "At the Hop" / "Sometimes (When I'm All Alone)" (1957)
* "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" / "School Boy Romance" (1958)
* "Dottie" / "In The Meantime" (1958)
* "A Thief" / "Crazy Cave" (1958)
* "Sassy Fran" / "I Feel So Lonely" (1958)
* "Do You Love Me" / "Somehow I Can't Forget" (1959)
* "Playing Hard To Get" / "Of Love" (1959)

Swan Records

* "Twistin' U.S.A." / "A Thousand Miles Away" (1960)
* "Candy Cane, Sugary Plum" / "Oh Holy Night" (1960)
* "Daydreamer" / "Pony Express" (1961)
* "Cha Cha Go Go (Chicago Cha-Cha)" / "Mister Whisper" (1961)
* "Back At The Hop" / "The Charleston Fish" (1961)
* "Twistin' All Night Long" / "Some Kind Of Nut" (1962)
* "(Do The) Mashed Potatoes" / "Doin' The Continental Walk" (1962)
* "We Got Soul" / "Funny" (1962)

Guyden Records

* "Oo-La-La-Limbo" / "Now And Then" (1962)

Mercury Records

* "Sad Girl" / "Let's Go Ski-ing" (1964)

Luv Records

* "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" / "Sometimes (When I'm All Alone)" (1968)

Crunch Records

* "At The Hop" / "Let The Good Times Roll" (1973)

Roulette Records

* "At The Hop" / "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" (1973)

MCA Records

* "At The Hop" / "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" (1980)

Trivia

Their single "At the Hop" was commercially used for the Canadian National Exhibition, changing the words to "Let's go to the Ex" rather than "Let's go to the hop."

“At the Hop” was parrodied by the band Dash Rip Rock with their single entitled “Let’s Go Smoke Some Pot”.

"At the Hop" was also parodied by NRBQ during the 1973 energy crisis under the title, "Get That Gasoline."

A seasonal parody of "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" has become an annual tradition on NBC's Saturday Night Live. To that tune, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Horatio Sanz and Tracy Morgan sing "Christmas Time Is Here Near."