All language subtitles for Heart.Soul.2023.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.BZ]

[RED PRYSOCK, "HAND CLAPPIN']

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ANNOUNCER: And here it is, Alan
Freed's Rock and Roll Party.

And here he is in
person, Alan Freed.

ALAN FREED: Hello, everybody.

How are y'all?

Welcome to our Rock and
Roll Jubilee of Stars.

And here we go to rockin'.

KENNY VANCE: When I
was a kid, I remember

hearing Alan Freed
on the radio, and he

announced that he was
having a rock and roll show.

No one knew what that was.

And I took the subway to
the Brooklyn Paramount,

and there were
thousands and thousands

of people waiting on line.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

[CHATTER]

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

And when that show started, it
was the most unbelievable thing

I'd ever seen in my life.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

Everybody could
sing their ass off.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

Things just shot off that
stage, and entered my heart,

and have stayed with me
for the rest of my life.

[MUSIC FADING]

MAN 1: One, check.

One, key, check, check.

[GUITAR RIFFING]

We added like
three and, like--

I have the Polk master
set at the same thing.

[CHATTER]

MAN 1: Do whatever you want.

[MUMBLING]

MAN 1: Mack.

MAN 2: Hello.

What did you do
with your jacket?

Let's see.

You can't see it.

The lap of luxury.

That's right.

You can see how it's
set up back here.

Oh, man.

Look who's here.

MAN 1: Is this rock and roll?

It is now.

It just became rock and roll.

It's not rock and roll
as people know it anyway,

right, as most people know it?

I don't know what this is.

MAN 1: I don't know.

We're keeping something going.

(SINGING) Oh
darling, oh, darling

Oh, oh, oh my darling.

Anybody here from Brooklyn?

[CROWD CHEERING]

You know, when I was
a kid, I remember

seeing James Sheppard and
The Heartbeats, Pookie Hudson

and the Spaniels.

I saw The Turbans there
with those yellow suits.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:
"Congratulations"!

Yeah, congratulations.

(SINGING) Congratulations
on your new love affair

You have my best wishes

(SPEAKING) "Congratulations"
by The Turbans,

the follow up to
"When You Dance."

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I'm basically
stalling for time now,

because I gotta hit
this very high note.

[LAUGHTER]

[APPLAUSE]

[VOCALIZING]

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER): There's
nothing better than playing

music that you love--

the spirit of it,
the passion of it.

It fills you up from the inside.

[THE MOONGLOWS, "SINCERELY"]

We've carried these songs
with us through the years.

(SINGING) Sincerely

They live inside of us.

(SINGING) Oh, yeah

This is where it all started.

It's the music of the unsung
heroes of rock and roll.

(SINGING) Please
say you'll be mine.

[VOCALIZING]

It's Kenny.

Listen, I just got off the exit.

I'll be-- I'll be
there as soon as I can.

Are you going to play some Jay
and the Americans stuff or what?

Waiting for me to come?

OK.

I got "Wisdom of
a Fool" with me.

I got the guitar.

I learned "She Cried," and
we could do "This Is It,"

and we could have a ball.

OK, see you later.

[MUSIC FADING]

ANNOUNCER (ON RADIO): Now,
now, now, back to Friday Night

Doo-Wop with Rick McCaffrey
and the Solid Gold Jukebox.

DJ (ON RADIO): And
this is Oldies 97.

We have three of the
four original members

of Jay and the Americans
here in the studio.

We're expecting Kenny
Vance any minute.

We are really super
excited about having

Jay Traynor and
the Americans here,

40 years of the
anniversary of She

Cried, number two
record in America.

I haven't been able
to sleep for days.

SANDY DEANNE (ON
RADIO): Get a life

DJ (ON RADIO): OK, Sandy.

We had a request for this one.

[THE CLEFTONES, "HEART AND
SOUL"] Heart and soul

I fell in love with you

Heart and soul

The way a fool would do

Madly because you held me tight

Held me tight

Held me tight

Held me tight

Held me tight

Held me tight

Held me tight

Held me tight

And stole a kiss

Stole a kiss

There in the night

Heart and soul

I beg to be adored

Yes, and I lost control
and tumbled overboard

Gladly that magic
night we kissed

That we kissed

Oh, we kissed

That we kissed

Oh, we kissed

Oh, we kissed

That we kissed

Oh, we kissed

That we kissed

Oh, we kissed

WOMAN (ON PHONE): [SQUEALING]

MAN: Hold on just a second.

WOMAN (ON PHONE): Oh.

DJ: After this song, you
can talk to Jay Traynor.

WOMAN (ON PHONE):
I'm so excited.

OK, how are you doing?

He looks good, right?

Yeah.

Sure.

Think about it.

What's happening?

Gary, nice jacket.

Thank you.

I got it from the--

Sharp, man.

How would you feel about
doing "She Cried" live?

We haven't even seen
each other in a while.

I mean, I'm not--

I'm trying to think we could
do maybe something simple.

I don't know, whatever
you want to do.

To me, the really great group
record is the follow up to She

Cried, which is This is It.

Uh huh.

JAY TRAYNOR: I listen to
it, and I'm taken back

by the drumming on it.

I think it's Gary Chester.

KENNY VANCE: Gary Chester.

You gotta hear the way
this guy kicks on this thing.

I mean, it's such a--

like a drum machine.

He's unbelievable.

DJ: Let's play it.

Let's play it.

KENNY VANCE: Great.

SANDY DEANNE: Let's go.

This is the Friday
Night Doo-Wop Show.

We are featuring the
40th anniversary reunion

of the original Jay and
the Americans here tonight.

[JAY AND THE AMERICANS, "THIS IS
IT FOR ME"] Ah, ah, ah, ooh

(SINGING) She doesn't
love me anymore

She doesn't want my kisses

KENNY VANCE: Wow.

DJ: Great song.

(SINGING) I know that
this is it for me

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER): It's
amazing seeing these guys

that I harmonized with in my
mother's basement when I was 16.

When we started,
we were basically

a doo-wop group emulating music
that we heard on the radio, just

guys from the neighborhood
that kept having hit records.

(SINGING) This is it

(SINGING) And I know I know

This is it

That this is it for me

DJ: Oldies 97.

I tell you, you guys got--

you guys got real potential.

Woo!

No, you know, in those days,
the way groups started were--

none of us really
knew any music.

So if you were
lucky enough to have

three guys on three
different notes instead

of all the guys
on the same note--

if three guys hit
three different notes,

it was immediate eye contact.

And the next day, we bought
suits and took pictures.

[LAUGHTER]

MAN: That's true.

(SINGING) Where I come
from the folks are poor

But rich in loving,
that's for sure

In my neighborhood

In my neighborhood

No fancy things, no fancy car

Things we own are the movie
stars in my neighborhood

[THE JIVE FIVE,
"WHAT TIME IS IT?"]

(SINGING) Tick tock
listen to the bop bop

Tick tock listen to the clock

What time is it?

Listen to the clock

I've just got to know

What time is it?

It's 8 o'clock

Now I'm at her door

And my heart is beating fast.

Go straight.

Go straight.

Go straight.

We're gonna take this
here straight out.

(SINGING) What time is it?

It's time--

Yeah, the projects here,
they used to have a lot--

a lot of dances right
there in the park.

This is the
Kingsborough Projects.

And down here, this
is where The Rocket

Tones and The Jesters that came
out of these projects down here.

We used to come down here.

They had, like, the
battle of the groups.

And The Jive Five, we used
to come over to party.

Yeah.

That's the only
time they let us in,

because all the girls
would come out--

come out to hear The Jive
Five singing in the hallway.

(SINGING) Never, never, never

Those were good
days, a lot of fun.

(SINGING) Oh never, never, never

Because I love you so

And you know

Norman Johnson, who used
to live on Myrtle Avenue,

Richard Harris, who
used to live right

here on Hart Street, number 7.

Jerome Hanna used to live
down here on Pulaski Street.

He was Lucky?

Yeah, Lucky.

And me, Eugene Pitt, and Billy
Prophet on Myrtle Avenue.

Then we had The
Persuasions in this area.

We had The Strangers
in this neighborhood.

Little Anthony might come
from down the projects.

They were down Fort Green Park.

And at night, you know,
when it was quiet,

you can hear harmonies.

You know, like the--

You'd hear it in the air.

Hear it in the air.

Where the guys singing
from, you know?

You would go over on the
side where they were singing.

Hey, you let us hit one.

KENNY VANCE: Right.

And then our group,
we'd start singing.

One of the girls might
like ours better.

It was always like a battle
to impress the girls--

a lot of fun.

Are we still
trying to do that?

Well, now, no.

No.

No.

No way, huh?

No.

WALLY ROKER: This is one
of our plaid situations.

[LAUGHTER]

KENNY VANCE: Here's Wally.

These are killers, man.

How old were you?

About 17.

KENNY VANCE: Unbelievable.

[THE HEARTBEATS, "YOUR WAY"]
You always will remember

You never will forget

Do, do, do, do, do

The one that you love, yes

Now that she's gone

WALLY ROKER: Vernon,
Crump, and Robbie

were always harmonizing
from the time

they were 12 or 13 years old.

Vernon was the baritone.

Robbie was the second tenor.

And Crump was the first tenor.

We met at Woodrow
Wilson High School.

They were looking
for a bass singer.

I'd never sang in
a group before.

(SINGING) You go your way

My voice made it complete, as
far as the four-part harmony.

And we started looking
for somebody that

was really a lead, lead singer.

(SINGING) Away, away, away

We picked up Shep after we
were together for about a year.

And we rehearsed
basically 24/7 every day.

Every day we rehearsed.

[EMERALDS, "YOU'RE DRIVING ME
CRAZY"] You're driving me crazy

Oh, my darling
where have you been?

KENNY VANCE: I
know what it feels

like to be part of a group.

There's something
special about it.

When you guys were--

Especially when you're on.

Everybody's always nervous
and waiting for the note

to come down.

Once the note comes down,
and you can feel it--

feel the vibration of the
harmony being at its best,

and you're getting out
the tones and the sounds,

it's just outrageous.

There's nothing like it.

Because it's 100% pure music.

The purest you can
get is human voices.

And you could cry based
on just certain melodies.

(SINGING) For you

Crazy for you

KENNY VANCE: I remember hearing
The Heartbeats on the radio.

Alan Freed on Saturday
had the countdown,

and you guys were
always right up there.

WALLY ROKER: Right.

KENNY VANCE: For me, as a kid,
the sound of The Heartbeats

made me crazy.

And I went to the
Brooklyn Paramount,

and one of the names on the
marquee is The Heartbeats.

The curtain went up, and
we had Sam the Man Taylor

and Big Al Sears,
Panama Francis.

WALL ROKER: [VOCALIZING]

How'd it go?

[VOCALIZING]

[SAXOPHONE PLAYING]

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER): Seeing
Alan Freed coming out there,

it was like larger than life.

ALAN FREED: What can you
say about a sensation

all over the world?

Frankie Lymon, a 13-year-old
youngster with a great way with

a song, and The Teenagers.

["BABY BABY" PLAYING] Baby, baby

[DOO WOP VOCALIZING]

Baby, baby, how I want you

Baby, baby, how I need you

Baby, baby you're
the only 1, 2, 3, 4

Baby, baby, how I miss you

Baby, baby long to kiss you

Baby, baby say you
want me 2, 3, 4, 5

You're my favorite

KENNY VANCE
(VOICEOVER): When I saw

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
come out, I never forgot.

They just shot
off of that stage.

This was the most extraordinary
stuff I had ever heard.

You'd just want
to start jumping.

You'd just want to
start vibrating.

I used to play it over
and over and over again.

I couldn't get enough of it.

It was just like, what is this?

What is this?

It just connected to your soul.

[THE CHANTELS, "MAYBE"]

(SINGING) Maybe if
I pray every night

You'll come back to me

And maybe if I cry every day

You'll come back to stay

Oh, maybe

ARLENE SMITH: I can remember,
when I got out on stage,

the light hit me,
and I was gone.

(SINGING) Maybe if
I hold your hand

You will understand

And maybe

I remember singing
the whole song,

and coming to, and realizing,
oh, I finished this.

Where was I?

I was out.

I was totally up into the light.

(SINGING) Oh maybe

Baby, baby, baby, baby

Maybe

Baby, baby, baby, baby

Maybe

Baby, baby, baby, baby

Maybe

Baby, baby, baby, baby

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

It's wild to be here,
because I know Arlene.

They know me as Ms. Smith.

Ms. Smith.

OK.

So we'll do Ms. Smith today.

OK.

So I know Ms. Smith
from a whole other way.

And Ms. Smith is shy.

I know that.

And she's very modest, too.

But when Ms. Smith was
only a couple of years

older than you guys, when
she was around 12, she

and some friends in
the neighborhood,

they started to have
a singing group.

Ms. Smith wrote a few songs,
and they made some records.

And when I was a little kid,
we would go into the hallways

or into the bathroom where
they had a good echo sound,

and we would imitate
Ms. Smith's songs.

(SINGING) He's gone

I don't know where but he's gone

I must have done something wrong

He is gone.

He is gone

ARLENE SMITH: As a youngster,
all I wanted to do was sing.

I went to a Catholic school.

We had to learn the
music of the church--

Latin hymns and
Gregorian chants.

I didn't envision myself
as part of a group.

I just knew that
my voice was going

to be associated with music.

(SINGING) I'm sorry you're
gone, gone, gone, gone

(SINGING) Gone

ARLENE SMITH: That was nice.

(SINGING) Bom, bom, bom

Oh, please by my girlfriend

I've been waiting
for a long, long time

For the moment I
can call you mine

Oh, little girl say, yes

I tell you

Yes, yes

Why don't you be my girlfriend

Gentlemen,
gentlemen, gentlemen.

Yo, what it look like?

KENNY VANCE: We
got royalty here.

What's going on?

[CHATTER]

All right, wow.

Thanks for coming down.

Wow.

CLEVELAND STILL: Pleasure, man.

Pleasure.

You know, there's
somebody here from Japan

that I want you to meet.

Oh, yeah.

I don't know where he is.

Yeah, I didn't see him.

He knows The Dubs, you know?

He knows the whole--

I bet that he would know who
played bass on [INAUDIBLE].

That's the kind of guy he is.

Yeah.

That's the kind of guy he is.

Where is Yoshi?

I didn't see him.

I don't know.

Who is this?

That's my granddaughter.

CLEVELAND STILL: Oh, beautiful.

The love of my life.

Yoshi, this is
Cleveland Still.

Cleveland Still.

How, are you?

Hello.

Pleasure to meet you.

Yoshi from Japan.

It's a pleasure.

MAN: Do you remember The Dubs?

Sure, "Could This Be Magic."

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

How about that?

He named-- he
named his company.

YOSHI: Yeah, [INAUDIBLE] Magic.

MAN: Yoshi has a record
company in Japan.

KENNY VANCE: Can I
take a picture of you?

MAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's a good idea.

Is it on?

MANL Yeah.

OK, sneak in.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

KENNY VANCE: Oh, my God.

You know, when I
hear these chords,

it reminds me of the days
at the Brooklyn Paramount,

when I was waiting on line.

I was a little kid,
and I'd go in there,

and groups like The Dubs would
be up there on the stage,

and they'd be doing
stuff like this.

Cleveland, why don't you
come up here and show us

how to do it, my man?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Show it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Doesn't that make
your heart feel good?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[VOCALIZING]

["COULD THIS BE MAGIC" PLAYING]
Could this be magic, my dear

Having your love

My prayers were answered

So far from above

I thought that it
would be just a memory

CLEVELAND STILL:
I've met Richard.

Richard was singing with
Five Wings at the time.

Everybody's doing something.

They're singing.

You go by, you hear
them, and say, wait.

I got a couple of
guys over my way,

and we'll try them out and
see what they sound like.

He said, well, Cleve-- said,
you guys got a nice background,

you know?

I said, yeah, you
got a nice lead,

because that's what I needed.

I needed a good lead singer.

Because I was trying to do
it, and I don't think my--

I didn't think my voice was good
enough to handle the pressure.

So you were changing
personnel, like, overnight.

Just about every night, you
would change in personnel

until you got the
voice that you wanted.

(SINGING) Could this be magic?

Then magic is mine

The bubbling enthusiasm
of our teenagers

was the inspiration
for what is now

the most popular style of music
in the country, rock and roll.

A few short weeks
ago, five teenage boys

went into a recording
studio, and they

said they had a song
they wanted to sing.

It is now the number
one record in America,

and the song is "Why
Do Fools Fall in Love?"

They call themselves
The Teenagers.

[APPLAUSE]

JIMMY MERCHANT: In my
bedroom, all I could hear is--

[VOCALIZING]

--my father playing records.

["TAKE THE TRAIN" PLAYING]

And he would be
imitating the horn parts.

[VOCALIZING]

Trombone.

[VOCALIZING]

And I'm listening
to all of this.

And I'm in a hallway
with three other guys,

but we're singing
what's on the radio.

(SINGING) Doo, doo, doo, doo

Sweetheart well, it's time to go

(SPEAKING) Watch this.

[VOCALIZING]

["WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE"
PLAYING]

(SINGING) Why do
fools fall in love

Why do birds sing so gay

And lovers await
the break of day

Why do they fall in love?

ARTIE RIPP: Frankie
Lymon and The Teenagers,

that was the American
sensation, when

George Goldner had that group.

He was a cat who
made records, signed

groups, owned the record
company, directed the promotion.

What he let out of the
bag when he created Tico,

and when he created Rama, and
when he created Gone and End

and when he created
Gee, nobody's

ever been able to duplicate.

The major record
companies all of a sudden

had to take notice and say,
what are these guys doing?

You know, all of a sudden
the world has changed.

Our artists are no
longer succeeding.

Kids ain't buying
those records, man.

They're buying Frankie
Lymon's next record,

you know, The Cleftones' next
record, OK, Flamingos, Chantels.

He was the man.

He was the man.

Without him, I don't
know where we would be.

ARTIE RIPP: George was
into hits and stars.

That's what it was all about.

(SINGING) Why does my
heart skip a crazy beat

For I know

ARLENE SMITH: I heard
Frankie Lymon on the radio,

but when I heard Humphrey
say he was 13, the bell rang.

I said, he's 13?

I should be doing this.

We went to his block on
162nd Street, and we stood.

We stalked him.

I guess that was stalking,
because we come on his block

and wait to see him
come out of his house.

And we'd get dressed up and go
to the show and wait backstage.

And that's how we
finally connected.

(SINGING) Don't ever leave

Baby, baby, baby,
baby stick with me

(SPEAKING) One
thing I can say, we

were well trained for
tone, pitch, quality.

KENNY VANCE: Oh, God.

ARLENE SMITH: So
when you heard all

of those those harmonies
interchanging, it was beautiful.

So when we went to audition,
we brought that training.

(SINGING) Hear my plea

We went walking into
George Goldner's office,

and we sang "The Plea."

And he pulled the contracts
off his stool, One, two, three.

And we had to take them
home and have them signed.

It was no problem.

KENNY VANCE: Right, it
was just like, let's go.

ARLENE SMITH: The
sound was incredible.

KENNY VANCE: It was incredible.

(SINGING) Baby,
baby, stick with me

It would be fine

Baby, baby, baby it is you

JAY TRAYNOR: This
night is making

me remember my first teenage
girlfriend from Brooklyn,

a girl named Barbara Hunt.

DJ: Really?

Yeah.

It's funny.

I remember her name
and everything.

And I remember songs like "Mr.
Lee" and "Tonight, Tonight"

from The Mello-Kings.

So it brings back--

KENNY VANCE: That
song was written

about-- are you remembering your
first woman on the road also?

Oh.

Have you got "Traveling
Stranger" by Little Anthony?

"Traveling Stranger."

I'll tell you a good story.

Because Jay, he said about
his first girlfriend.

So Anthony was
telling this story,

and he says, you know, I
remember my first girlfriend.

He says, I used
to be on a train.

I was going from Brooklyn.

I was taking the A train to
Harlem to see this little girl.

Memories.

That's another story anyway.

Right, right.

So I--

You'll get sued--

[LAUGHTER]

--for breach of contract.

[LAUGHTER]

You know, from J Street and
Borough Hall on 25th Street,

I would go to the front of the
train and pretend that I was

driving the train.

I did this, and I really
wanted to see her really bad,

you know what I mean?

Anyway, it didn't happen,
and I was very depressed.

So when on my way back, I
was sitting there going,

I'm just a traveling
stranger, man.

God.

["TRAVELING STRANGER" PLAYING]

(SINGING) Oh, I'm just a
traveling stranger on my way

And I'm looking for your love

Oh, I'm just a drifting
stranger on my way

And I'm looking--

I can't write tunes
unless I feel pain.

Absolutely.

To women.

I said to him, how come I can
never write a song that's happy?

But we did write a happy song.

But that was when
we were in California.

In California.

When we was
having a good time.

Good day sunshine player.

Goodbye good times.

Goodbye good times.

Right, right, right, right.

But it is.

In the hood, you got pain.

Yes, pain.

You know what I'm saying?

Man, I want to get out of here.

Girl was tearing my
life and tearing me apart.

So you-- you
look at television,

and you see different people
doing different things.

Man, I want to be there.

I want to do that.

KENNY VANCE: It was
always the group.

That's the thing that's gonna
get me out of wherever you were,

and the success, and the
money, and the camaraderie.

You guys have been together
since you were teenagers.

Right.

KENNY VANCE: And to
still be together,

and to have made it
through, it's a miracle.

["I'M ALRIGHT" PLAYING]
I'm all right

I said I-- I'm all right

Listen

She told me that you love me

She told me that you cared

And when she told me that, it
made me feel like a millionaire

Everything's gonna be

Everything's gonna be

Everything's gonna be

Everything's gonna
be be be be be be be

KENNY VANCE: I remember coming
to see you as a 13-year-old kid.

MAN: Yes, right.

KENNY VANCE: The whole
thing was a trip.

MAN: Right.

KENNY VANCE: You guys
would do the dance thing.

It defied human--

MAN: Gravity.

ANTHONY GOURDINE: Gravity.

MAN: Back then.

KENNY VANCE: The
place went crazy.

The screaming was unbelievable.

[CROWD CHEERING]

JAY TRAYNOR: It's so good.

They were always so good.

DJ: Gentlemen, the
original members of Jay

and the Americans, celebrating
40th anniversary of She Cried,

number 2 record in 1962.

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER):
In those days,

we were lucky enough to get with
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Leiber and Stoller
were producers.

If it wasn't for them, we
never would have had a hit

or never would have
had anything happen.

We really, you know,
were tools of theirs.

[BOP CHORDS, "WHEN I WOKE UP
THIS MORNING"]

(SINGING) I woke up this morning

The sun shining brightly

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER): But
when we went up to their office,

it was already the early '60s.

And they had a concept that
had strings, and horns,

and big rhythm sections.

It wasn't doo-wop, but
we knew it was great.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

HOWIE KANE: But did you
know that we were, like,

kind of done?

I think after they
put out "Dawning,"

and it didn't make
it at that point.

I think Lieber and Stoller
were gonna cut our contracts,

because I think they really gave
us a shot with one album and one

deal.

And I remember we
were feeling terrible.

And then, all of a
sudden, I was going back

to the funeral business, because
my father was an undertaker.

And I remember,
they turned it over.

I don't remember who it was.

But they played the B-side.

MAN: They played
it over and over.

HOWIE KANE: "She Cried--"
and then we got a call back,

and that was it.

JAY TRAYNOR: We were at a
gig somewhere in Jersey,

and we were driving back
on the Jersey Turnpike.

And all of a sudden,
it came on the radio

that this was the
first time we went--

we went nuts in the car.

[JAY AND THE AMERICANS, "SHE
CRIED"] And when I told her I

didn't love her anymore

She cried

She cried

And when I told her, her
kisses were not like before

Move up, now.

Get up.

Get in here.

Ready, 1, 2, 3.

(SINGING) I thought that our
romance was over and done

But to her it had just begun

And when I told her

Another girl had caught my eye

Sha la la la

Sha la la la

She cried

She cried

Oh.

Yeah.

Hey, Traynor.

Howard, nicely done.

Nice going, guys.

[INDISCERNIBLE SINGING]

(SINGING) I say,
Lord, you rock my soul

Why don't you rock my soul

SAMMY STRAIN: My father
used to sing gospel

with the Golden Gate Quartet.

I had 10 sisters and 5 brothers.

It was the Pit Gospel Singers.

We never recorded, but we did
a lot of tearing up in church,

you know?

(SINGING) When he died

Why don't you praise King Jesus?

Got a home on high

Why don't you praise the Lord?

He said--

When we got the five
original guys, Jive Five,

I took them to my father.

My father trained
us how to sing.

And we rehearsed like two
hours every day for two years.

(SINGING) Lord, you rock my--

KENNY VANCE: You told
me that your father

would have each guy stand in a
different corner of the room.

SAMMY STRAIN: And the
leads sang from the middle.

That way, you wouldn't find
anybody leaning on the next guy

to hear his note.

He's supposed to know his note.

Once he gave you your note,
that was it right there.

He trained us to sing gospel.

When we got out on
the street, that's

when we sang doo-wop, because he
didn't allow that rock and roll

stuff.

When we got an
audition at Beltone--

and Joe Rene, he said, these
guys really sound good.

He said, do you have any
originals or other songs?

I said, well, yeah, we
have a song we don't like.

He said, why you don't like it?

I said, because it's about me.

It's a true story.

(SINGING) There is a story and

That I must tell

Of two lovers that I knew well

Her name was Sue, yeah

His name was Earl

His love was Lorraine

She's a wonderful girl

But they must cry, cry, cry,

Oh, their blues away

Blues away

So when they got
up from the desk,

Les Cahan said, that's a smash.

(SINGING) And love
will make you cry

Love will make the tears fall

(SPEAKING) My father never knew
that I was singing rock and roll

until "My True Story" hit
and was going off the charts

(SINGING) Whoa their blues away

Cry, cry, cry

(SPEAKING) My father
came to me, and he said,

you know, I heard
you got a hit record.

I said, yeah, Dad.

He started laughing,
because he didn't

want me to sing rock and roll.

I said, yeah, Dad, we got a hit.

He said, yeah, somebody told me.

(SINGING) Cry, cry whoa,

Our blues away

Cry, cry, cry

Whoa, oh, oh

We must cry

Cry, cry, cry

MAN: House of Oldies.

Hey, guys.

MAN: Hey, Kenny.

How you doing?

MAN: Oh, I'm doing good.

How are you?

MAN: What's going on?

KENNY VANCE: I got a little
surprise for you, Mr. Cleveland

Still from The Dubs.

MAN: Pleasure.

I don't believe it.

This is like Moses
coming to the mountain.

I mean, it's a
wonderful pleasure.

I've been a big
fan for many years.

You are definitely in
the top five vocal groups

that we get calls for.

Yeah, I'd love to get--

I'd love to get
the Johnson record.

That's like-- so would
everybody else, right?

Yeah.

"Don't Ask Me" first
came out on Johnson, very,

very small pressing.

Give me a thousand
copies of it, and I'll

trade you for the store.

How's that?

Am I right or wrong?

MAN: Right?

It sells-- a clean copy sells
for probably about $1,000.

Let's see what we got here.

OK, we got the mock
X on the "Be Sure."

KENNY VANCE: Yeah.

Remember that?

That's the early
pressing of that.

KENNY VANCE: How much
is something like this?

MAN: Oh, that's about--

about $50.

And here's "Don't Ask Me."

Oo-wee.

MAN: Yeah.

We got all of the early stuff.

I'm out of your ABC
Paramount stuff.

I wish I could get it.

That's some great stuff that a
lot of people don't know about,

you know?

It's really wonderful.

We've got "Could This be Magic?"

and "Beside My Love,"
"Be Sure My Love."

KENNY VANCE: "Be
Sure My Love" I know.

[VOCALIZING]

(SINGING) Be sure my love

Yeah, it's a duet.

Yeah, yeah.

MAN: Great up-tempo B-side.

KENNY VANCE: Who's
sang the duet?

CLEVELAND STILL: Richard--

Richard and myself
were doing that.

KENNY VANCE: No kidding.

OK.

OK, you got it.

[THE DUBS, "BE SURE MY LOVE"
PLAYING]

Do do do

Do do do do do do do do do

Do do do.

Oh, this is a beauty.

Who did the strings?

I don't know.

Beautiful.

(SINGING) Be sure my love

Be sure you love me

I think we're all gonna die.

There's an Italian word
called [INAUDIBLE].

(SINGING) Tell me
your love is mine

Wow.

[INAUDIBLE]

KENNY VANCE: You were
signed to Gone Records.

Frankie Lymon was up there.

The Cleftones were up there.

The Chantels were already there.

CLEVELAND STILL: Yeah.

[THE DUBS, "CHAPEL OF DREAMS"]

(SINGING) In the
chapel of dreams

Every dream will come true

ARTIE RIPP: I get a
job, Gone Records.

I asked George Goldner
for $20 a week,

because I had to have money
to come in from Queens,

eat, and travel back to Queens.

He gives me $50 a week, and
I'm able to now learn from him

and never leave his side.

What do you want?

I'll get it for you.

How come you said that?

Oh, I see.

How come you did that?

You picked that song
rather than this song.

How come that guy's
singing lead, not that one?

[THE CLEFTONES, "OH LITTLE GIRL
OF MINE"] Yeah

[VOCALIZING]

Oh, little girl of mine

George was a 360-degree
lesson in life.

He was insane,
wonderful, a gambler,

and nobody had his ears--

nobody.

He would go in the studio,
and if you listened

from Frankie Lymon, to The
Chantels, to The Flamingos,

to the Latin records
he made, Tico, he's

getting somebody to
lay their soul out.

He doesn't want the song.

He wants you.

Give me you.

What does this mean to you?

[THE CHANTELS, "I LOVE YOU SO"]
I love you so

I love you so

Arlene Smith is one of
the greatest voices ever.

She had this
extraordinary instrument

to be able to pop it,
and at the same time

be gentle, and at the same
time blow the walls off.

(SINGING) I'll never let you go

ARLENE SMITH: It was long.

It was a lot of raw emotions.

That's what it was.

My father was strict.

My freedom was music.

It was my saving grace.

There's a higher power that
said, this child is in trouble.

Let me give her something.

And now I've learned
to ask God to please

let it come through
me as a vehicle,

because that's all I am.

(SINGING) Go

I love you

I used to sing light and pretty.

George made me sing harder
to make it commercial.

WALLY ROKER: The only
thing was on our mind

is making a great record,
or making a great song,

or making a great sound.

[THE HEARTBEATS, "A THOUSAND
MILES AWAY"] You're a thousand

miles away

But I still have your
love to remember you by

WALLY ROKER: Shep had like
three chords or four chords

that he played on the piano.

And if you listen to all our
songs, it's in that realm.

It's in those three
or four chords.

(SINGING) Daddy's
coming home soon

We were on a little sweet
label named [INAUDIBLE]

who loved us and did
everything in the world for us.

The record was
trying to be a hit.

She was not really a record
person, so me and my smart butt,

I said, well, we need to get a
label that can really, you know,

make a hit.

And I made her sell it from
her label to George Goldner.

KENNY VANCE: When "A Thousand
Miles" came out, I mean,

it was a huge hit.

WALLY ROKER: George
was the music man.

You go on that
floor, all you can

hear is this one record
being played all day long,

from 8 o'clock in the morning
till 8 o'clock at night,

over and over and over.

He was mesmerizing himself
into telling everybody

in the world it's a
number one record.

Every single day, lots and
lots of artists, producers,

managers knocking on the door.

[THE CROWS, "GEE"] Do
do do do do do do do

Do do do do do do do do do do do

Do do do do do do do
do do do do do do do

Love that girl

Every single day, getting
the records on the air.

Getting the records
in the store.

Getting the records
to be reported

to Cash Box and Billboard.

And then, there's
what's the next record

that we're putting out?

(SINGING) I love that girl

Love that girl

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DJ: Seems like
yesterday, doesn't it?

Wow.

This is great.

This is a great show.

MAN: This is fantastic.

Fun.

And we want to mention you guys
are inducted into the Vocal

Group Hall of Fame.

Yes.

DJ: Well deserved.

Well deserved.

With the-- with The
Harptones, The Chantels--

And with Jay Traynor.

Yeah.

Yes.

And Jay Black.

Look how lucky we are.

That's right.

How did it happen
that you left the group?

And I know you taked about
having an opportunity to go

solo, right?

Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich
were songwriters and producers.

They told me that Phil Spector
was interested in recording me.

And--

MAN: I hit him.

And probably
foolishly, I decided

to try to go do
some stuff with him,

and that's why I left the group.

People always say,
well, do you regret it?

I say, well, how
can you regret it?

It's something you did in life,
and that's-- you just go on.

["LET'S LOCK THE DOOR" PLAYING]
Let's lock the door and throw

away the key now

I can't wait to kiss you

Oh, no!

One little minute more

We met at a party last weekend

The moment your eyes
looked into mine

Right then, my lips
forgot how to speak

And the soda started
tasting like wine

How I wish everyone
would go home

So I can say when
I got you alone

Come on now, let's lock the
door and throw away the key now

I can't wait to kiss you

Oh, no!

One little minute more

Ah no!

Oh, yeah

No!

Oh, yeah

I'll kiss your lips
like a kiss ought to be

And then I know
you'll be saying--

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER):
We were just on a high.

We were having hit records and
traveling all over the world.

(SINGING) And throw
away the key now

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER):
We opened for the Beatles,

and we opened for
the Rolling Stones

when they first came
to the United States

(SINGING) Oh, no!

One little minute more

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER):
Now, 30 years later,

we're being inducted into
the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MAN: Waiting for you, Howie.

I'm right here.

Get us started.

(SINGING) Be sure to
hold her, hold her tight

When you dance

You'll squeeze her,
yeah, with all your might

Such a thrill

Oh, when she's close to you

Well, hold her tight

[VOCALIZING]

This is Michelle
Phillips, y'all.

Yeah.

[CHATTER, LAUGHTER]

(SINGING) My love must
be a kind of blind love

Right here.

Right frame.

Oh, OK.

I got you.

(SINGING) I can't
see anyone but you

[DOO WOPPING]

Are the stars out tonight?

I don't know if it's
cloudy or bright

I only have eyes

[VOCALIZING]

Don't stop.

And wow, wow.

That's at the end.

Stop and wow, wow.

Oh, turning up now.

Turn.

Just want to--

Yeah.

It's gonna be fun.

That made the weekend.

I'm done.

Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

It's gonna be fun.

It's going to be fun.

Yeah.

Dickie.

[VOCALIZING]

No, three times.

Yes, sir.

Intro three times.

Three times.

One more time.

[VOCALIZING]

(SINGING) Oh, I love her so

KENNY VANCE: You
look handsome, man.

Praise the Lord.

KENNY VANCE: I'm serious, man.

She's got you looking
handsome, Jack.

You're looking good, man.

When I was a kid, it would
be 8 o'clock in the morning,

and we'd be on the bus
going to school, singing.

And everybody on the bus
is singing that song.

JIMMY MERCHANT: Yeah.

Do you remember that?

JIMMY MERCHANT: Of course.

All over the city.

All over the country, man.

I heard somebody else
sing it in the hallway

before I heard it on the radio.

I'm changing classes in
George Washington High

School in Washington Heights.

I'm going to Mr.
Slotnick's class, OK?

KENNY VANCE: We all
had Mr. Slotnick.

He was in every school.

JIMMY MERCHANT: That's right.

We all had his class.

The record comes out January 1.

February 12, we're doing our
first engagement for pay.

And look who's on the show,
Fats Domino, The Harptones,

The Flamingos, all
the people that I'm

listening to on the radio.

Oh, my God.

When we pulled up, I saw all
those people on the billboard.

And then, The Teenagers
featuring Frankie Lymon.

This is before Frankie
Lymon and The Teenagers.

MAN: Funny how that goes.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

KENNY VANCE: When you played
at the Brooklyn Paramount

in the early days, I heard that
you were in the dressing room

right next to Frankie Lymon,
in the dressing room right

next to Speedoo.

Speedoo from the Cadillacs.

JIMMY MERCHANT:
Yeah, the Cadillacs.

[EARL "SPEEDOO" CARROLL,
"GLORIA"] Gloria

[VOCALIZING]

And not Marie

SAMMY STRAIN: "Down
the Road," "No Chance."

MAN: "Peekaboo."

SAMMY STRAIN: Right, Peekaboo.

MAN: "Gloria."

MAN: "Gloria."

KENNY VANCE: "Gloria"-- that's
the classic of this whole ditty.

Yeah.

And as a kid like you, I
used to go see these acts.

And I used to love that,
all that stuff they did,

all that choreography.

When I first met Speedoo, I
was in The Chips and we were

playing the Apollo Theater, the
very first time I played "Dr.

Jive Show," 1956 with The Dells,
The Cadillacs, Bo Diddley,

The School Boys,
Robert and Johnny.

I remember like
it was yesterday.

["DIAMOND RING" PLAYING]

(SINGING) Bo Diddley
buy a baby diamond ring

If that diamond ring don't shine

Bo Diddley take it
to a private eye

SAMMY STRAIN: And I
remember Bo Diddley

used to tear the Apollo up,
cause he's the headliner.

I said, well, who the hell
can go on after Bo Diddley?

I stood in the wings.

The stars of the show
were The Cadillacs.

(SINGING) Well,
some may call me Mo

Some may call me Joe

Just remember Speedooo he
don't ever take it slow

Well, now they all
call me Speedooo

But my real name is Mr. Earl

SAMMY STRAIN: And I had
never seen choreography

like that in my life.

The whole group were dancing.

Then, after the show one night,
we had finished our last show.

We were going home.

They had a limousine
waiting for them.

They were catching a plane
to go to Washington DC.

They were going to another gig.

And they were sharp.

I remember were sharp.

Speedoo had on a
black pinstriped suit.

Damn, this is big.

These guys are--
these guys are large.

[LAUGHTER]

[THE JIVE FIVE, "HULLY GULLY
CALLIN' TIME"]

(SINGING) Everybody hully gully

Come on, come on now

Everybody hully gully

Yeah, baby

Come on

Everybody hully gully

When the leaders cross the floor

Everybody gets into line

Grab your partner, have a ball

EUGENE PITT: We went on
tour, did 61 one-nighters.

I mean, we went everywhere.

KENNY VANCE: In the bus?

SAMMY STRAIN: Yeah.

KENNY VANCE: Who was--

SAMMY STRAIN: In the bus.

(SINGING) When the
leader says let's go

KENNY VANCE: Who's
was in the bus?

SAMMY STRAIN: In the bus, we had
Linda Scott, Clarence Frogman

Henry.

We had Chubby Checker.

We had The Shirelles, Paul Anka.

(SINGING) Do the hula hoop

Yeah, baby

But it was, like, tiresome,
because you'd do one show here,

and the next night we were in
Texas, and then back to Canada.

(SINGING) Do the Floyd Patterson

Yeah, baby

Everybody hully gully

Everybody's got it right

We had some great times.

It was like, you know,
family on the road.

This was my first experience
of being on the road,

and I just enjoyed it so much
that I did it for 42 years.

We would be on stage
singing, and you'd

see the promoter leaving with
the cash box waving goodbye.

And the place would
be jam packed.

KENNY VANCE: When we had
our first hit record,

we were making $300
with a number one

record for a night--
$300, thanks to Ernie.

That's what he was
booking us for, $300.

Better pay me.

[LAUGHTER]

Wait, you got $300?

[LAUGHTER]

Wow!

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ARLENE SMITH: That's a part
of my life that's bittersweet.

My father traveled with us.

I didn't have the
freedom, but I'm

glad that they were strict,
because it would have been very

easy for children
of 13 and 15, 16

to run into all of the
wise guys on the road.

And the manager,
he should go down

in history with
some of the things

that he used to do in terms
of protecting the group,

and locking the door,
and go in in the morning,

and come out at
night in the shows.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

When you're 13, 14, 15,
everything's kicking.

But I never got a
chance to do that,

because I got mine
out for the music.

So that's why it's all such
passion, such this, such that.

That was all of
that excess energy.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[FRANKIE LYMON & THE TEENAGERS,
"I WANT YOU TO BE MY GIRL"] Oh,

oh, oh, oh,

Oh, oh, oh, oh

I love you, baby

KENNY VANCE: When
you guys came out,

it was like you
guys were already

men, especially Frankie Lymon.

He was, like, little,
but he was like--

like, it took me years
to figure anything out,

to grow into who I am.

JIMMY MERCHANT: Yeah.

KENNY VANCE: But he
was who he was then.

(SINGING) Take me by
the hand Tell me I

your lover man We'll have
fun, just we two You for me,

me for you.

WOMAN: Top of your
profession, pretty young.

How old are you exactly?

14.

How long have
you been at this?

Oh, for about a
year and a half.

Seems to us a pretty
fabulous salary.

How do you spend it?

Well, we get an
allowance of $27 a week,

and that's to do with, like,
say, cab fare or hamburger,

and--

what you want.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

You know, any--

INTERVIEWER: Have you got
any particular weakness?

Well, candy.

Candy.

INTERVIEWER: Candy?

Yes.

KENNY VANCE: It was
like he was a man child.

That's true.

And when you hear "Out
in the Cold Again,"

especially that for me, the
performance on it is like

of a person that had
lived a lot of life.

JIMMY MERCHANT: Yes.

And he had not at that point.

(SINGING) Refrain, It's gone

And I'm left completely

Out in the cold again

JIMMY MERCHANT: When we
arrived back in America,

it was all done.

Frankie said, I'm leaving.

That was basically it.

(SINGING) Just memories remain

I gaze at the ringless finger

That was messed
up psychologically.

I couldn't believe.

KENNY VANCE: You guys went into
outer space, then you came back,

and you sat on the stoop,
and you wondered, like,

what happened.

It was over.

(SINGING) Again

This lady-- what's the name of
that lady, Gloria or whatever?

She says, I want
to make you a star.

And I'm going, you
mean in the movies?

I don't know nothing
about no movies.

She's going to make
me in the movies.

And she's telling me all
these people she deals with

and all this stuff,
and I'm going, wow.

So I believe her.

I'm 20 years old.

I believe her.

So she pulls me away.

The group breaks up.

SAMMY STRAIN: No,
you broke up from us.

Yeah.

I just said goodbye.

And then, next thing know,
it ain't what it was.

So I hit the bottom, wham.

No-- it's just no career,
stopped short, done.

There's no wreckage.

There's no nothing.

And we are-- I'm
there on the bottom,

living in 407 Washington Avenue.

[LAUGHTER]

There are rats in there, man.

Here I am, no--

I ain't got no
money, nowhere to go.

I mean, I'm in this
rat-infested place.

I had to take a BB gun
and shoot mice and rats

to keep away from my son.

Right.

ANTHONY GOURDINE: I mean,
that's how low it got.

I've been in and out of
groups all my life, you know,

since I'm 13.

And it's always something.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

It's always something.

There's always one guy.

And if it's not one
guy, it's another guy.

Yeah.

And it's the part of it.

But again--

Or it's a wife, or
it's a girlfriend,

or it's somebody that's going
to destroy the situation.

I know.

KENNY VANCE: I know.

The only thing that prevented
us from taking it all away

was the social problem
within the group.

The group was totally
together and totally

ready to do anything, but
Shep would not stop drinking.

And the last time that we
played, and I said to Shep--

I told myself.

I said, Shep, if you
don't stop drinking,

I'm going to have
to stop singing.

Because I cannot afford to go
on stage, and you be sloppy,

and not be able to do
what we're supposed to do.

KENNY VANCE: Right.

And he did it one
more time at the Apollo,

and that's when it all stopped.

KENNY VANCE: The whole
thing fell apart.

The whole thing just--
we just stopped it.

We just stopped.

KENNY VANCE: It had
to be a heartbreaker.

WALLY ROKER: It was a miserable,
miserable, miserable decision

and a miserable, miserable time.

[THE HEARTBEATS, "ONE MILLION
YEARS"] One million years too

late

What made you think
that I would wait

You didn't write or call

Do, do, do, do, do

You didn't care

KENNY VANCE: When
Jay and the Americans

was over, for
different reasons--

gambling, drugs,
whatever, you know--

WALLY ROKER: Yeah.

--interactions, social
interactions, insanity,

because of the ride
that we were on.

There's something about
going on that stage

and getting that feeling.

WALLY ROKER: Knowing
that people just

love what you're going
to do and waiting for it.

KENNY VANCE: Yeah.

And when you hit
it, and it hits right,

I mean, there's no
bigger high in the world.

That's like being on drugs
and everything, anything else

you can think of.

Because that was my high.

You can't buy that.

You can't pay for it.

No.

No.

WALLY ROKER: It's
something that comes--

comes to you.

You can't explain it
to anybody what it is.

WALLY ROKER: No.

Do you want to
sing "You Send Me?"

What the hell.

What the hell.

Oh, what the hell.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

"You Send Me."

I wasn't planning this at all.

That's when it's the most fun.

That's when it's best.

(SINGING) Darling, you send me

Darling, you-- you send me, babe

Because you, oh,
you send me babe

All that you do

Hey, hey, yeah

You, you, you, you,
you, you thrill me

I think you know
that you thrill me

You thrill me

Honest, you do

Yeah, yes, you do.

At first I thought
it was infatuation

I was so Infatuated by you

But it's lasted so long

You know it has

Now I've found myself wanting
to marry and take you home

Hey!

Honey, you, you, you, you

Baby, baby, baby, you're so fine

All that you do

Yes, you do

Let's hear it for Phoebe Snow.

[APPLAUSE]

Phoebe Snow.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Thank you.

(SINGING) Oh, Gloria

It's not Marie

It's Gloria

It's not Sheri

It Gloria

And she's not in love with me

You know, the music
business has been good to me

in a certain way, but this
is basically what I got.

This one is probably the last
Jay and the Americans album,

which was 1970 about--

maybe '71, was the end of it.

And this one was '60.

I look about five.

MAN: Nice haircut.

MAN: Yeah, right.

It was 12 years.

It was a 12-year trip.

MAN: A lot of hits.

KENNY VANCE: Yeah,
a lot of hits.

MAN: A lot of hits.

MAN: Ah, is that beautiful.

Look at that.

KENNY VANCE: This
was after drugs.

This was before.

Before.

Before drugs.

[LAUGHTER]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) Come a
little bit closer

I'm all alone

And the night is so long

I was out testing my own
[INAUDIBLE] last night

And I just couldn't
resist that moment

I get so excited

And I heard [INAUDIBLE]
say that was on his way

And I knew, yes I knew

[THE CHANTELS, "HE'S GONE"] Gone

[VOCALIZING]

He's gone

I don't know where

ARLENE SMITH: They
stopped promoting us.

KENNY VANCE: Right.

That's where the pain is.

I still get a little ugh
when I talk about it.

While you're going
through it, you just

notice yourself slowing down.

You don't really realize that
if you want to continue to sing,

you're going to have to do some
other things to keep that going.

And yet, I didn't
really know what to do.

Because even with the voice, and
all of this stuff, and people

envying, my self-esteem
was down to zero.

(SINGING) Gone, gone, gone

And I kept trying.

I kept trying.

Nobody tried harder.

(SINGING) Gone

[FRANKIE LYMON, "I'M SORRY"]

(SINGING) I can feel the
sadness in your voice

when you say we're through, yeah

I just get you had
no other choice

What else can you do, yeah?

ARTIE RIPP: Frankie Lymon,
he's got this incredible tenor

soprano voice.

Now, what happens
once puberty sets in?

(SINGING) I could never love
another like I do this way

Still terrific, terrific singer,
OK, but no longer that young,

vibrant, kick-ass artist.

And nobody wanted to touch him.

(SINGING) Hey hey,
can you hear me?

I'm so sorry

Hey, hey, pretty
baby, I'm so sorry

JIMMY MERCHANT: You know, we
played with Frankie Lymon.

He was around 27 years old.

KENNY VANCE: Really?

I didn't think he
made it that far.

JIMMY MERCHANT: It was
a year before he died.

KENNY VANCE: 28.

OK.

Did you run into him again
after that over the years?

Yeah, a couple times.

KENNY VANCE: Only
a couple of times.

Only a couple.

KENNY VANCE: You were
so pissed off at him.

I was pissed off
in the early years.

Yeah, absolutely.

KENNY VANCE: Sure.

Oh, yeah.

So we're sitting
in the dressing room,

and this guy walks in with no
teeth and, like, a beaten guy.

This is Frankie Lymon.

And he put this
tuxedo on, and he

put these tap dancing shoes on.

It was like he was
trying to be Sammy Davis

or whatever he thought.

JIMMY MERCHANT: He was
trying to get a gig.

You know, the promoting
and the management,

they've got one thing in mind.

KENNY VANCE: Yeah.

KENNY VANCE (VOICEOVER):
It was just heartbreaking.

I just wanted to give
him a hug and tell him

how much I loved him.

(SINGING) I could never love
another like I do this way

And I love you the
rest of my days

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

It's about the gig.

It's about being at the gig.

There is nothing
outside of the gig

that is important
except being at the gig.

And when that light comes
on, and you hear that music,

that's it.

No matter how bad you
feel, it's showtime.

And there's a joke about this.

This guy got this
job with the circus.

And there was this
old guy at the circus.

He was following the elephants,
shoveling elephant dung.

He would complain every day.

So the guy said, this
guy didn't like this job.

So after about a week,
the guy said, man, you

shovel elephant dung, and
you complain all day long,

but every day, you
get up, and you do it.

He said, why don't you quit?

He said, what, and
give up show business?

[LAUGHTER]

KENNY VANCE: I went to
see you in Florida once.

You were playing at the
Seven Seas Lounge maybe?

Yeah, the Seven Seas Lounge.

It was in the '70s.

Yeah.

And you were not happy.

No.

I had this band.

I had three different bands.

I said, what's happening?

You go yeah.

And it was like--

It was--

I couldn't find anybody to--

to be with me.

The people we brought
in were very good,

but they weren't earnest.

It wasn't Sammy.

Because no one could
make that sound.

SAMMY STRAIN: The
reason why we could do

that was because we lived it.

And in those other people,
the spirit did not live.

The spirit only lives within us.

So when we sing it collectively,
it's the same thing.

That's what it is.

(SINGING) There's just
two kinds of people--

Just two kinds of
people in the--

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

You got the melody.

Do the melody.

You do it.

(SINGING) Just two kinds
of people in my world

There's just two kinds
of people in the world

Why can't we fall in love

Just two kinds of
people in the world

They are a boy and girl

Just two kinds of
people in the world

Why can't we fall in
love, love, love, love

Love

SAMMY STRAIN; This is
just called hanging.

[LAUGHTER]

ARLENE SMITH: We were
beginning to get royalties.

Yeah.

KENNY VANCE: Do you get
writing credits for that stuff?

ARLENE SMITH: No, they've been
taking away slowly but surely.

KENNY VANCE: From "Maybe"?

ARLENE SMITH: Yeah.

Yeah.

It's been claimed.

And I can't fight it.

I'm not going to fight it.

If I hadn't been a child, maybe
I could have said something.

Because there were a
few people-- you know,

kids can read you--

that I saw that
didn't look right.

But I could never say it,
because I'm still into Mr.

So-and-so, Mr.--

you know what I mean?

So you didn't dare say
anything about an adult--

a child's trust in you, and
you're betraying that trust.

ARLENE SMITH: George
spent millions gambling,

and he found a way to blow Gone
and End Records the same way

as he found a way to lose
Rama, Tico, and G Records.

You got it, you lost it.

How did you lose it?

You blew it.

Nobody took it away from you.

You threw it away.

[THE DUBS, "DON'T ASK ME TO BE
LONELY"] Ask me for the world

It doesn't seem much

ARTIE RIPP: And when
he left Gee and Rama,

the whole vibe changed,
because now Morris Levy

owned the company.

Morris was in the $1 for you, $1
for me, $1 for you, $2 for me,

$1 for you, $3 for me.

(SINGING) To be lonely

Don't ask me to be lonely

CLEVELAND STILL:
How would you like

to look at a gold record
with your name on it

and not get paid for it?

I saw it under the desk
with our name on it,

but we never got
recognition for it.

From then on, I knew
that I was getting beat.

It's just a question
of how bad, you know?

We got it from our manager also.

His lawyer drew up papers,
and when we went back,

the small print
that we didn't read,

we had signed our
rights over to him also.

The same thing happened to me.

You know, we walked in there.

We just wanted to do it.

We just wanted to make a record.

That was all that
was on our minds.

I have to admit that.

And then, later on
when it sold, someone

says, well, how
much did you make?

And we go, well, we didn't
really make anything.

Well, and they said,
what are you, an idiot?

And I go, well--

and then I felt like an idiot.

CLEVELAND STILL: It hurts.

KENNY VANCE: And it hurts.

We didn't have a lawyer.

CLEVELAND STILL: Nope.

They had the lawyer.

They had the lawyer.

We were kids, and if a man
with a suit on in an office

told you to sign a paper--

CLEVELAND STILL: You signed.

--you just did it.

You thought he's--

CLEVELAND STILL: Right.

--he knows what's happening.

CLEVELAND STILL: Yeah.

So you just sign.

I really wanted--

I wanted to murder
this guy, you know?

So, I mean, I never really
laughed about it until you

and I are talking about it.

I'm telling you the truth.

Yeah.

I never really
laughed about it.

Why are you still doing it?

Because I love to sing.

Isn't that wild?

I love to look out in
the audience, you know?

And you can't see but
so far, you know that?

But you can look out
there and see people.

JAY TRAYNOR: You
feel it, though.

You can feel it, you know?

You look out there, and you
see people enjoying themselves.

You say, wow, I make people
feel like this, you know?

I want to be able to do this,
you know, and capture a crowd,

and have them right there,
right on the end of their seat.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

And I said, you know what?

I can't stand this
[BLEEP] anymore.

These [BLEEP] people
are the worst.

I couldn't take it.

Because, like you, you put
your whole life into it.

You don't know anything else.

And you're doing it since
you're 13, 14 years old.

So it comes from the
purest place inside of you.

I felt that many,
many, many, many, times.

Right.

WALLY ROKER: There's
nobody can understand that.

What you have to do
is to cover it up.

If you don't cover it
up, they will tear it up.

Yeah.

So I just covered mine
up and just kept it safe.

If I'm going to
go sing now, I've

got to bring that part with me.

If I don't bring that part with
me, it's not going to work.

Or, like, some older person,
how could you be-- how

could you act like that?

WALLY ROKER: The situation is
that people that's never had it,

they don't know what it is.

So there's no way
for them to miss it.

See, but they don't.

90% of the people in the world
don't even-- can't even imagine

what that feeling is.

[CHATTER]

MAN: How are you?

I don't know if
he's coming or not.

I hope he is.

[CHATTER]

MAN: You had a rehearsal.

[CHATTER]

Kenny, I know you're eating.

I don't want to disturb you.

Joe [INAUDIBLE], I met
him at the Bottom Line,

Lou Christie show.

Yeah, yeah.

MAN: And I'm a friend
of Vinnie Vela, Jr.--

was in the movie with you,
"Looking for an Echo."

And we're putting a
production together

for television with Don
K. Read and everybody.

KENNY VANCE: Oh, great.

I would like to have you as
my first guest on the show,

believe it or not.

KENNY VANCE: All right.

We're in negotiations right
now with lawyers and whatnot.

As soon as it kicks
off the ground,

we'll definitely get
in touch with you.

And if you're
available, we'd like

to have you on the first show.

OK, what kind of show is it?

It's called-- well, I don't
want to reveal a lot of it,

because it's not legalized
yet, if you know what I mean,

with copyrights and everything.

And years ago, I gave
out too much information,

and people stole my ideas,
if you know what I mean.

OK, we're in, man.

Yes, definitely a cappella.

Definitely a cappella.

KENNY VANCE: OK, buddy.

And it's going to cook.

KENNY VANCE: Great.

Thank you.

KENNY VANCE: OK.

[CHATTER]

MAN: It's gonna be great.

MAN: It's gonna be great.

MAN: It's gonna be great.

MAN: If you know what I mean.

MAN: I'm sure you understand.

MAN: For legal reasons.

[DIXIE HUMMINGBIRDS, "LOVE ME
LIKE A ROCK"]

[VOCALIZING]

(SINGING) When I
was a little boy

When I was a boy

Devil would call my name

When I was a boy

I'd say, who do

Who do you think you're fooling?

I'm a consecrated boy

When I was a boy

Sang in the Sunday choir

Mama loved me

She loved me

She'd get down on
my knees and hug me

She loved me like a rock

Rock like a rock of ages

Love me

Love me, love me,
love me, love me

I was grown to be a man

Grown to be a man

Never would call my name

Grown to be a man

Say now, who do, who do
you think you're fooling?

I'm a consecrated man

Grown to be a man

[INAUDIBLE] my mama loved me

She loved me

Get down on her knees and hug me

She loved me like a rock

Oh, yeah

Rock me like the rock of ages

Love me

She love me, love
me, love me, love me

She loved me, loved
me, loved me, loved me

If I was a president

Was the president

Congress would call my name

(SINGING) Since my baby
told me that she loved me

I'm all right

I'm all

All right

I'm all right

She told me that she loved me

Told me that she cared

When she said she loved me

Made me feel like a millionaire

(SINGING) Nick, Nick, Nick,
Nick, Nick, Nick, Nick, Nick

Dad's eating dinner

The dog's got his bone

[INAUDIBLE]

Mom's at the table
preparing the food

Everybody's in a very good mood

Singing Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon

Nick, Nick, Nick,
Nick, Nick, Nick

Nickelodeon

[APPLAUSE]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I feel very humble,
because I was hanging

in the subway with my friends,
and we'd be singing your songs--

all of your songs, you know?

So I feel very humbled tonight.

And, Arlene, my first
love affair was "Maybe"--

my first girl, my
first crush ever--

"Maybe."

"Maybe."

[APPLAUSE]

[CAMERAS SHUTTERING]

MODERATOR: [INAUDIBLE] call
Arlene Smith, Renee [INAUDIBLE]

and so we join this,
the original Chantels.

(SINGING) Maybe if
I pray every night

You'll come back to me

And maybe if I cry every day

You'll come back to stay

Oh, maybe

[CROWD CHEERING]

(SINGING) Maybe if
I hold your hand

You will understand

And maybe

KENNY VANCE
(VOICEOVER): This music

is the foundation of American
pop culture, the spirit of rock

and roll, where it all began.

(SINGING) Oh, maybe

Maybe, maybe, maybe

Oh, baby

Baby, baby, baby

Baby

Baby.

Baby baby

Baby

Baby, baby, baby

Maybe

Maybe, maybe, maybe

I wonder why I
love you like I do

I wonder why I
love you like I do

[VOCALIZING]

Well, I wonder why I love
you like I do so much

Oh, but I crave your love

Yes, and I wonder why

Wonder why

Well, remember the
night you told me

No other arms could hold me

Yes, I love you

And I place, I place, I
place no one above you

Now I wonder why I love
you like I do so much

Oh, but I crave your love

Yes, then I wonder why

Wonder why

I wonder why I love you

I wonder why I do

I wonder why I need you

I love you, I need you

Oh, oh, oh

Still I wonder why I love
you like I do so much

Oh, but I crave your love

Yes, then wonder why

Wonder why

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) I remember
the night you told me

No other arms could hold me

Yes, I love you

And I place, I place, I
place no one above you

Now I wonder why I love
you like I do so much

Oh, but I pray for your love

Yes and I wonder why

Wonder why

I wonder why