Rapture Records

Song: Why Do Fools Fall in Love / Please Be Mine

Artist: Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers with Jimmy Wright and his Orchestra

Record Label: Gee Records GG-1002

Recorded: November 1955

Released: December 1955

Location: ECNR

You’ll hear this song on Empire Central News Radio with the “Rocking Ricky Fox” as you cruise down Empire Bay.

Originally, the song was known as “Why Do Birds Sing So Gay”, drawn from some donated love letters, Jimmy Merchant would write the song, intending for co-writer tenor Herman Santiago singing lead. However, Frankie Lymon’s voice stood out during the audition and he was given the lead part.

After a quick head arrangement and 25 takes with Jimmy Wright’s tenor sax, the song hit No. 1 on the R&B charts and peaked at No. 6 on Billboard.

Center: Frankie Lymon (lead tenor); Left to right: Joe Negroni (baritone), Sherman Garnes (bass), Jimmy Merchant (first tenor), Herman Santiago (second tenor)

The Teenagers are noted for being both the first all-teenaged act and as an integrated doo-wop group with Frankie Lymon at 13 years old at the time of recording.

The group was formed from others with Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Garnes from the Earth Angels and Joe Negroni and Herman Santiago with the Ermines. The Ermines then became the Coupe de Villes then the Premiers with 12 year old Frankie Lymon joining in 1954.

During their audition with George Goldner of Gee Records, they had rewritten “Why Do Birds Sing So Gay” as “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” with Lymon as lead tenor. The group was signed as The Teenagers with their first and biggest hit.

However, the group was credited on the record as The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. Though the group had success with “I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent” and “The ABCs of Love” the prominence of Frankie Lymon caused in-fighting.

Lymon would pursue a solo career in 1957 and The Teenagers would attempt to go on with a new lead singers. Both careers would end in decline with Lymon succumbing to a drug overdose at the age of 25 in 1968. He would be the subject of a 1998 film, Why Do Fools Fall in Love.

Though Jimmy Wright was a leader of a studio dance band, he could quickly put together hit arrangements. He had suggested that Goldner change the name of TThe Premiers to The Teenagers.

He was the music director of Rama and Gee Records, showing up on every record with his driving band and his tenor sax.

Listen to the flip side “Please Be Mine” here.