Danny & the Juniors
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Danny & The Juniors were a Philadelphia based quartet comprising of 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, Danny Rapp was of Irish extraction.
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[edit] The 1950s
Initially formed in 1955 as The Juvenairs, their song, "Do the Bop," came to the attention of Dick Clark, who suggested that they rename it "At the Hop". The song was not initially a success, but after being played on Clark's 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 by the similar sounding "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay," which also made it into the Top 20.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Band member details
- Danny Rapp (born Daniel Joseph Rapp, 10 May 1941, in Philadelphia - died 5 April 1983) - Lead Tenor vocalist.
- Joe Terranova (born Joseph Terranova, 30 January 1941, in Philadelphia) - Baritone / Bass vocalist
- Dave White (born Dave White Tricker, 1 September 1940, in Philadelphia) - Tenor vocalist.
- Frank Maffei (born November 1940, in Philadelphia) - Second Tenor vocalist.
[edit] Awards & Recognition
Danny and The Juniors were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
[edit] Singles
Singular Records
- "At the Hop" / "Sometimes" (1957)
- "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)
- "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)
- "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)
- "At The Hop" / "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" (1973)
- "At The Hop" / "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" (1980)
[edit] 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."
