The Skyliners

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The Skyliners are an American doo wop group from Pittsburgh fronted by Jimmy Beaumont. The original lineup included Wally Lester, Jack Taylor, Joe Verscharen, and Janet Vogel. While this 'five-some' rounded out the vocalists, the group was backed-up by a variety of local, Pittsburgh musicians including Joe Dalu, a drummer from Pittsburgh's Manchester neighborhood who also played with local favorites, Ray and The Furys (COED Label, 1959). The Skyliners were best known for their 1959 hit "Since I Don't Have You." Popular covers by Chuck Jackson, Don McLean, Guns N' Roses, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Ronnie Milsap, and Buckaroo Banzai have helped keep the song in the public consciousness. They also hit the Top 40 with "This I Swear" and "Pennies From Heaven". Other Skyliners classics include "It Happened Today"(1959), "Close Your Eyes" (1961), and "Comes Love" (1962). The original group dissolved in 1963 but reunited eleven years later (without Jack Taylor) for what would become their last charted record, "Where Have They Gone".

Today, Jimmy Beaumont is still going strong with The Skyliners. The current lineup includes, in addition to Beaumont, Nick Pociask, Dick Muse, and Donna Groom (whose husband, Mark Groom, has been the group's drummer/conductor for more than 25 years). Two of the original groups members have died; Janet Vogel of carbon monoxide poisoning (suicide) in 1980 and Joe Verscharen of cancer in 2007.

Contents

[edit] Chart hits

  • "Since I Don't Have You" (1959) U.S. #12
  • "This I Swear" (1959) U.S. #26
  • "Pennies from Heaven" (1960) U.S. #24

[edit] Awards & Recognition

The Skyliners were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.

[edit] References

  • Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. 7th edn, 2000

[edit] External links

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