1950s and 60s Doo Wop must be in the top five of America’s best musical exports. Even bands like the more obscure Hollywood Flames, while not on the tip of everyone’s lips, is an important band that delivered wonderous vocal R&B in a cheerful style that shames most of today’s music.
Originated in the Watts area of Los Angeles, the original team of Bobby Byrd, David Ford, Curlee Dinkins and Willie Ray Rockwell, with Clyde Tillis replacing Rockwell, with a later replacements by Gaynel Hodge, Curtis Williams, Earl Nelson and Jesse Belvin. Here, on this 3 disc, 78 track collection, you get to hear their material from their journey on various labels ranging from Fidleity, Specialty and beyond.
Bobby Byrd (aka “Bobby Day”) had a soul drenched voice, and it worked well for both the white (“pop”) charts as well as the black (“R&B) charts. The pieces like “Gee” and “Buzz, Buzz, Buzz” were a mix of jump, blues and Louis Jordan’d jive.
The groups and singers were in various incarnatins such as The Jets, The Flames, The Four Flames, The Original Turks, David Ford & The Pelicans and Earl Nelson & The Pelicans as well as Dave Ford & The Hollywood Flames. The moods are wonderful on “The Sound of Your Voice” while the Flames are a hoot on “Strollin’ On The Beach” and “Frankenstein’s Den”. Along with humor, The Flames could also give rich arias as on “I’ll Be Seeing You” while they could dig into the blues on “Ball and Chain” and “Chains of Love”. Overlooked, but not to be underappreciated.