The Teenagers

This article is about the American doo wop group. For the French synthpop band, see The Teenagers (French band).

The Teenagers
The original five Teenagers; from left to right: Jimmy Merchant, Herman Santiago, Frankie Lymon, Joe Negroni and Sherman Garnes.
Background information
Also known as	The Coup De Villes, The Earth Angels, The Ermines, The Premiers, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
Origin	Harlem, New York City, New York, United States
Genres	Doo-wop, Rock and roll
Years active	1954–present
Labels	Gee, Roulette, End
Members	Herman Santiago Bobby Jay Timothy Wilson Thomas Lockhart
Past members	Frankie Lymon (deceased) Jimmy Castor (deceased) Joe Negroni (deceased) Sherman Garnes (deceased) Jimmy Merchant Billy Lobrano Howard Kenny Bobo Johnny Houston Lewis Lymon Pearl McKinnon Eric Ward Derek Ventura Dickie Harmon

The Teenagers are an American integrated doo wop group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead singer, is also noted for being rock's first all-teenaged act.

History

The Teenagers had their origins in the Earth Angels, a group founded at Edward W. Stitt Junior High School in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan by second tenor Jimmy Merchant and bass Sherman Garnes. Eventually, Garnes and Merchant had added lead singer Herman Santiago and baritone Joe Negroni to their lineup and evolved into The Coupe De Villes. In 1954, 12-year-old Frankie Lymon joined the Coupe De Villes, who changed their name to first the Ermines and later The Premiers.

The same year Lymon joined the group, he helped Santiago and Merchant rewrite a song they had composed to create "Why Do Fools Fall In Love". The song got the Teenagers an audition with George Goldner's Gee Records, but Santiago was too sick to sing lead on the day of the audition. Lymon sang the lead on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" instead, and the group was signed to Gee as The Teenagers, with Lymon as lead singer.

"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was the Teenagers' first and biggest hit. The group, known for both their harmony and choreography, also had hits with "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent" and "The ABCs of Love".

By 1957, the group was being billed as "Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers". This caused in-fighting, and by September Goldner had pulled Lymon out of the group to record solo. The Teenagers continued recording, bringing in a new lead. Lobrano, as the group's first white member, made them more racially mixed, now with two black, two Hispanic, and one white member. The group had little success with Lobrano, and he left in mid-1958.

Merchant, Santiago, Garnes, and Negroni continued as a quartet, but were not able to find success in any new recordings. They tried a quintet line-up again in 1960, first with new lead Howard Kenny Bobo, then with another lead, Johnny Houston, but to no avail. They continued mainly as an "oldies circuit" group from this point on.

Sherman Garnes died of a heart attack in 1977, while Joe Negroni died a year later due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Their replacements were Bobby Jay and Frankie's brother Lewis Lymon, respectively. In the 1980s, the Teenagers had resorted to using a female singer to imitate Lymon's prepubescent voice; and Pearl McKinnon joined the band. The members at that time were Jimmy Merchant, Herman Santiago, Eric Ward, and Pearl McKinnon. By 1983, Ward had been replaced by Derek Ventura, and in 1984 Phil Garrito took over for Ventura. Roz Morehead replaced McKinnon, and Marilyn Byers moved into Morehead's lead spot. Later in the 1980s the group had settled on a new lead, Jimmy Castor. Castor remained lead until the 1990s, when he was replaced by Timothy Wilson, former lead of Tiny Tim and the Hits. This line-up appeared on the PBS special, Doo Wop 51, in 2000.

Lewis Lymon left to join Beary Hobbs' Drifters around 2003. He was replaced by Dickie Harmon. Jimmy Merchant retired shortly thereafter, and the group continued as a quartet. This line-up appeared on the PBS special, My Music: Doo Wop Love Songs, in 2007. In 2008 Bobby Jay and Dickie Harmon both left the group. Later original member Merchant came out of retirement, and returned to the group, replacing Bobby Jay. The group's current line-up is Herman Santiago, Jimmy Merchant and Timothy Wilson. They are often billed as "Frankie Lymon's Legendary Teenagers". As of 2015, Jimmy Merchant had returned to retirement and been replaced in the lineup by a returning Bobby Jay.

Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers discography

Singles

Gee releases

• 1956: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" / "Please Be Mine" ¹
• 1956: "I Want You To Be My Girl" / "I'm Not A Know It All" ²
• 1956: "I Promise To Remember" / "Who Can Explain"
• 1956: "The ABC's Of Love" / "Share"
• 1956: "I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent" / "Baby, Baby"
• 1957: "Teenage Love" / "Paper Castles"
• 1957: "Out In The Cold Again" / "Miracle In The Rain" ¹
• 1957: "Goody Goody" / "Creation Of Love" ³

Notes:

• ¹ Released as by "The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon"
• ² Early copies released as by "The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon"; billing on later pressings changed to "Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers"
• ³ Both sides of this release are actually Frankie Lymon solo recordings.

Albums

• 1956: The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon
• 1986: Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers (62 songs on five LPs)

Films

• Rock, Rock, Rock, 1956, with Chuck Berry, the Moonglows, and the Flamingos.

Bibliography

• Bennett, Joy (December 1998). The Real Story of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" - entertainer Frankie Lymon and his widow Emira Lymon. Ebony magazine. Electronic version retrieved from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_1998_Dec/ai_53331348/pg_1 on November 19, 2006.
• Doo Wop: Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. The Entertainers We Love. Retrieved from http://tracy_prinze.tripod.com/theentertainerswelove/id32.html on November 19, 2006.
• Fotentot, Robert. "Profile: Frankie Lymon & the Teenager." About.com. Retrieved from http://oldies.about.com/od/doowo1/p/lymonteenagers.htm?once=true& on November 19, 2006.
• Goldberg, Marv (2001). "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebook: The Teenagers". Retrieved from http://home.att.net/~marvy42/Teenagers/teenagers.html on November 19, 2006.
• Grossman, Wendy (September 3, 1998). "Widow of singer claims film phony." Augusta Chronicle. Electronic version retrieved from http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/090398/fea_124-1369.shtml on November 19, 2006.
• Nava, Gregory, Andrews, Tina, and Hall, Paul (1998). Audio commentary track from Why Do Fools Fall in Love (DVD release). Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Records