One of the more “pop” oriented doo wop bands from the 1950s was the group originally known as The Jayhawks and letter evolved into The Vibrations, even shooting off into another unit called The Marathons. They had a series of lead vocalists including Carlton Fisher, James Johnson, Richard Owens, Rene Beard and Dave Govan, and were particularly known for having a high tenor out in front, almost like Frankie Lyman. In both incarnations, they had a series of hits like “Peanut Butter”, “The Watusi” and “Stranded In The Jungle. At times they sound like The Coasters, as on “Wallflower”, “Down In New Orleans”, “Hamburgers On A Bun” and “Talkin’ Trash”, while in other instances they come across like Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, as on “Continental With Me”.
Reflecting their times, many of the songs are about the latest dance crazes, so you have people wanting to do “The New Hully Gully”, “The Watusi” and “Let’s Pony Again”. These guys rode the bowdlerized R&B wave, and did it with a tongue in cheek and smile on their faces.