CAMEO-PARKWAY RECORDS: The Vocal Groups, Vol. 4

Cameo Records was founded in December 1956 in Philadelphia by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann (it has no connection to a 1920s record label also called Cameo Records). Parkway, initially a subsidiary label, was formed in 1958...
...Mann and Lowe had been a successful songwriting team prior to the start of label, with Mann writing lyrics and Lowe the music; their biggest hit prior to starting the label was Elvis Presley's "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear". Dave Appell joined the label from its inception as A&R director, and the three worked together as a production team on many early Cameo releases. Mann and Lowe wrote many of the label's early singles, while Mann and Appell also became a successful songwriting team that was responsible for many of the label's hits, particularly after Lowe cut back on his songwriting (c.1961/62) to attend to the business of running the label. In addition, Appel's group The Applejacks functioned as the de facto Cameo house band for the first few years of the company's existence, serving as backing musicians for the label's vocalists as well as issuing a handful of instrumental singles on their own. Lowe, also a musician, played piano on many early tracks.
The first hit for Cameo was "Butterfly" by Charlie Gracie, which reached #1 nationally in early 1957; it was also Cameo-Parkway's first of five chart toppers. Throughout the remainder of the decade Cameo continued to have hits by groups like the R&B group the Rays, who had a #3 hit with "Silhouettes" later that year. In 1958 the label had further hits with "Dinner With Drac", a novelty record by John Zacherle in the top 10, and "Mexican Hat Rock", an instrumental by The Applejacks, in the top 20.
A major factor in Cameo-Parkway's success was its relationship with the Philadelphia-based TV program American Bandstand. Being located in the same city where this popular nationally-broadcast music show was produced meant that Cameo-Parkway artists were always available to perform on the show—especially in the event any other act should cancel. Bandstand host and producer Dick Clark has spoken of the "warm relationship" the program had with Cameo-Parkway, and the of the label's willingness to ensure that quality musical acts were always available to the program on short notice. The label benefited tremendously from the arrangement, as the exposure many Cameo-Parkway artists received on American Bandstand helped propel them to stardom.
Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo-Parkway_Records
Read more about this legendary label here:
http://aln2.albumlinernotes.com/Cameo_Parkway_1957-1967.html
trax:
1. There Goes the Boy - The Lydells 2. You Must Be an Angel - The Gainors (Featuring Garnet Mimms) 3. Way Beyond Today - The Tymes 4. Let Me Go Lover - Gari & The Pristines 5. I Could Write A Book - The Chants 6. Lovely, Lovely - Chubby Checker & The Tokens 7. Groovy Baby - Billy Abbott & The Jewels 8. He Doesn't Love Me - The Breakaways 9. Love Call - The Ebonaires 10. I Missed Her - The Philadelphians 11. Come See Me - Johny Maestro & The Crests 12. Can't We Be Friends? - The Taffys 13. Fairy Tales - George Tindley 14. Shop Around - The Butlers (featuring Frank Beverly) 15. These Golden Rings - The Turbans 16. Mr Principal - Ruth Batchelor 17. How Can I Go On Without You? - The Skyliners 18. I'm Sorry Pillow - Lee Andrews & The Masters 19. Come On Home - Little Cheryl 20. To Cry - The Expressions (featuring Bobby Bloom) 21. Anyone Who Had a Heart - The Orlons 22. It Was There All the Time - Matt Stevens & Group 23. Bad Man - The Turbans 24. To Each His Own - The Tymes 25. Shipwreck - The Twilights 26. The Mountain - The Sequins 27. You and Your Lies - The Possessions 28. Everybody South Street - The Taffys 29. On the Corner - The Expressions (featuring Bobby Bloom)
...originally served by Gyro1966...