Little Anthony and the Imperials - A Virtual Concert

This lens is participating in the Virtual Concert Series sponsored by Squidoo Activist and I appreciate all the wonderful charity work that they do. Thank you to Kristi A. Dyer for allowing the Rock Star Squid to join Little Anthony.

Note: The bios are paraphrased from the Offical Little Anthony and The Imperials website. The images also come from this site
Little Anthony and the Imperials Website

Note: The contest is over and this lens did not win but I had a great time putting it together and continue to enjoy listening to Little Anthony and the Imperials. Congratulations to all the winners.
Squidoo Virtual Concerts
Image: Squidoo Rockstar. © Kirsti A. Dyer. Some Rights Reserved.

Update Information - My sister had written a note to Little Anthony and The Imperials on their My Space page telling them about this lens and asking them to please visit the site and sign my guestbook. Well, take a look. Eric M of the traveling band was kind enough to respond and it sure thrilled me.

Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop. (Hhh.)
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop. (Hhh.)
Sittin' in a native hut all alone and blue.
Sittin' in a native hut wonderin' what to do.
Along came a native girl, did a native dance,
It was like in paradise, put me in a trance.

Goin' shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
Joined her in her dancin' spree, felt my spine a tingle.
Held her tight and close to me, man I'm glad I'm single.a
Then she showed me what to do, first I was amazed.
Soon I learned a step or two, put me in a daze.

Goin' Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/vdQc ]
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.

You can do the Ko-ko bop, now's no time to stop.
Left foot forward, right one back, bring them side by side.
Syncopate your last two steps, now you're gonna glide.
Keep along the rythm track, girls be showin' how.
Now you start to arch your back, man you got it now.

Goin' Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop. (Oh.)
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, bop.
Shimmy, shimmy, Ko-ko bop, shimmy, shimmy, AHHHHHH!

[ SHIMMY, SHIMMY, KO-KO BOP ]
[ Written by: Bob Smith
Performed by: Little Anthony & The Imperials [ 1 ]
Appears on: Best of Littly Anthony & The Imperials-1989, For Collectors Only-1992,
Greatest Hits-1995, Tears on My Pillow-1999, The Very Best of Little Anthony & the
Imperials, Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko- Bop & Other Hits-2003, et al. ]

[ 1 ] Covered by: Hit Crew-2003. ]

MP3 Lyrics

"Little Anthony" is alive and well and living in Las Vegas, Nevada according to their official website. He was born in 1941 in New York City and lived in Brooklyn for 30 years. His mother sang Gospel with her sisters with a group called the Nazareth Baptist Singers. His father played saxophone and performed with some well known groups when he wasn't working as an electrician at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

"Little Anthony" gives his Music and Arts teacher a lot of credit for his knowledge of music. Mrs. Ethel Mannix taught him in the 6th - 8th grades at Public School 67.

In 1957, Anthony's childhood friends, Clarence Collins and Ernest Wright along with Tracy Lord, Nathaniel Rodgers, and Ronald Ross formed a band and asked him to be the lead singer. They signed a recording contract with Gone and End records.
Their group was renamed The Imperials and came out with their first hit record, "Tears On My Pillow" which was a top ten hit. This began their long career. They dissolved the band briefly in 1961 for two and one half years but in 1964 they got back together again. They recorded with DCP Records who also produced The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Motown, and The Drifters.

In 1969, Ernest Wright left the group to pursue his own career and was followed by Sammy Strain in 1972. They were replaced by Bobby Wade and Harold Jenkins until 1975. At that time "Little Anthony" had a desire to go out on his own and to try his hand at acting. Here again he credits his teacher, David Alexander, for influencing him. "Little Anthony" appeared in commercials and shows like "The Jeffersons". He was also in the movie, "Contact 303" with Henry Fonda and Chad Everett. He did some plays, too. He sang solo for 16 years and was given the name "Little Anthony".

In 1978 he became a Born Again Christian and recorded the Christian album called "Daylight" and performed on the "Praise The Lord" television show (TBN) on several occasions.

In 1991, Dick Fox who was an agent from NYC was promoting a special concert at Madison Square Gardens called THE LEGENDS. He was interested in the Imperials reuniting. Clarence Collins, Ernest Wright and Sammy Strain jumped on board and the reconstuction of "Little Anthony and the Original Imperials" began.

"Little Anthony" has been married twice and had two children by his first wife and two other children. He and his present wife have been married for 24 years. He feels blessed by his children and is very proud of them and his eight Grandchildren and one Great Grandchild.

He has produced a new album and has plans of producing his three sons and a friend as a new young group called "Gifted".

So he is a Born Again Christian, a family man, and one who remembers those that influenced his life and to me....he is the KING of DOO WOP!

The LAI website states that Clarence Collins lives in California with his wife Brenda(twin sister to Linda, Anthony's wife. He was born in 1942 in Brooklyn and grew up there with ten brothers and sisters and raised by his father. His father also worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during WWII and they lived in the Fort Green Project Complex. His father worked there with Anthony's father. Clarence and Anthony went to public school together and both remembered their music teacher as having a very positive influence on their lives.
When he was 13 years old, he formed a group called The Chesters and asked Anthony to be their lead singer. They changed the named to The Imperials and began a long, wonderful career.

All of the original members were contacted about reuniting for concert at Madison Square Gardens and everyone of them agreed to come back. The group is now officially known as "Little Anthony and the Original Imperials" They are one of the few remaining R&B groups today that consist of all of the original members.

Clarence has been married twice and he and Brenda combined have ten children and eight grandchildren. When he is not traveling with the band, he and his wife work at AdForce, an internet company.

Ernest lives in Staten Island, NY with his wife and daughter. He grew up in Brooklyn where he met Anthony, Clarence and Sammy according to their official website.

Ernest wrote "Tears On My Pillow" which is considered to be one of the best Doo Wop records of all time. He considered this accomplishment as one of the highlights of his career.

Ernest works with young artist when he is not on the road with the band. One of those artist is his daughter Nicole. She sings in four different languages.

When Ernest left the Imperials in 1969, he went to Europe to sing with Tony Williams, the lead singer of the Platters. He returned from Europe to sing at the reunion concert at Madison Square Garden in 1992.

Harold was born in North Fork, Virgina and moved to New York when he was about a year old. His bio on their official website states that he was always interested in music and dance as a child and used to go see all the great groups at The Apollo Theatre.

He appeared on The Jocko Show (the American Bandstand of New York) and was a regular for a couple of years. He met a Doo Wop group called The Kodaks and sang with them for five years.

Harold then started his own group with Kenny Seymour called The Impacts. The Impacts broke up and Kenny went to work with Little Anthony and The Imperials. Harold was later hired as their choreographer and became a dancing conductor and then moved up to singer.

Sat 06/13/09 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center

Fri 03/26/10 West Point, NY Eisenhower Hall Theatre

Sat 06/05/10 Shippensburg, PA H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center

Well, I think I'm goin' out of my head.
Yes, I think I'm goin' out of my head,
Over you ({you,} oo-oo-oo-oo-oo),
Over you (oo-oo-oo-oo-oo).
I want you to want me, I need you so badly,
I can't think of anythin' but you.

And I think I'm goin' out of my head.
(Out of my head.)
'Cause I can't explain the tears that I shed.
(Out of my head.)
Over you ({you,} oo-oo-oo-oo-oo),
Over you (oo-oo-oo-oo-oo).
I see you each mornin',
But you just walk past me,
Ya don't even know that I exist.
(Ah-ah-ah-ahhh.)

Goin' out of my head over you.
(Out of my head.)
Out of my head over you.
(Out of my head.)
Out of my head, day and night,
Night and day, and night.
Wrong or right,

I must think of a way into your heart,
There's no reason why my bein' shy,
Should keep us apart.

And, I think I'm goin' out of my head.
[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/cAQv ]
Yes, I think I'm goin' out of my head.
Goin' out of my head over you.
(Out of my head.)
Out of my head over you.
(Out of my head.)
Out of my head day and night,
Night and day, and night.

[ Backup singers continue singing: ]

Night and day and night.
Wrong or right.

[ Little Anothony sings over the backup singers: ]

Ohhhh, come on., yeah.
Alright.
Yeah, every, every.
[ Fade. ]
Yeah.

[ GOIN' OUT OF MY HEAD
Written by: Teddy Randazzo & Bob Weinstein
Performed by: Little Anthony & The Imperials [ 1 ] -1966
Albums: The Best Of Little Anthony-1966. Ultimate Broken Hearted
Collection-2004, Malt Shop Memories: All I Have to Do Is Dream (Various
Artists)-2006, et al. ]

[ 1 ] Little Anthony & the Imperials cornered the market on this song and
it remains the standard to this day. Extremely popular to other
artists, it has also been covered by: Frank Sinatra-1953 (I don't know
who released the original), Wes Montgomery-1964, Ella Fitzgerald-1966,
Lou Christie-1966, Ramsey Lewis-1968, Ray Coniff-1968, Vic Damone-1968,
The Letterman-1974 (Medley with, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."),
Gloria Gaynor-1977, Vikki Carr-1982, The Zombies-1985, Doc
Severinsen-1992, George Shearing-1993, The Lennon Sisters-1994,
Lawrence Welk-1994, Tito Puente-1996, Luther Vandross-1998, Diahann
Carroll-1999, Nancy Wilson-1999, Sergio Mendes-2000, Smokey Robinson &
the Miracles-2002, The Fifth Dimension-2007, et al. ]

MP3 Lyrics

Rock and Roll in the 1950's

Doo Wop Oldies Quiz: (answers below)

Thirty great memories about music that caused our parents and teachers
grief! Take the quiz and see how you score as a true 'Oldies Fan.' Write
down your answers and check them against the answers at the end. Don't
cheat, now!

1. When did 'Little Suzie' finally wake up?
(a) The movie's over, it's 2 o'clock
(b) The movie's over, it's 3 o'clock
(c) The movie's over, it's 4 o'clock

2. 'Rock Around The Clock' was used in what movie?
(a) Rebel Without A Cause
(b) Blackboard Jungle
(c) The Wild Ones

3. What's missing from a Rock & Roll standpoint? Earth _____
(a) Angel
(b) Mother
(c) Worm

4. 'I found my thrill . . .' where?
(a) Kansas City
(b) Heartbreak Hotel
(c) Blueberry Hill

5. 'Please turn on your magic beam, _____ _____ bring me a dream,:
(a) Mr. Sandman
(b) Earth Angel
(c) Dream Lover

6. For which label did Elvis Presley first record?
(a) Atlantic
(b) RCA
(c) Sun

7. He asked, 'Why's everybody always pickin' on me?' Who was he?
(a) Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
(b) Charlie Brown
(c) Buster Brown

8. Bobby Dar
in's 'Mack The Knife,' the one with the knife, was named:
(a) MacHeath
(b) MacCloud
(c) MacNamara

9. Name the song with ''A-wop bop a-loo bop a-lop bam boom.'
(a) Good Golly, Miss Molly
(b) Be-Bop-A-Lula
(c) Tutti Fruitti

10. Who is generally given credit for originating the term 'Rock And
Roll'?
(a) Dick Clark
(b) Wolfman Jack
(c) Alan Freed

11. In 1957, he left the music business to become a preacher:
(a) Little Richard
(b) Frankie Lymon
(c) Tony Orlando

12. Paul Anka's 'Puppy Love' is written to what star?
(a) Brenda Lee
(b) Connie Francis
(c) Annette Funicello

13. The Everly Brothers are . . ...
(a) Pete and Dick
(b) Don and Phil
(c) Bob and Bill

14. The Big Bopper's real name was:
(a) Jiles P. Richardson
(b) Roy Harold Scherer Jr.
(c) Marion Michael Morrison

15. In 1959, Berry Gordy, Jr., started a small record company called...
(a) Decca
(b) Cameo
(c) Motown

16. Edd Brynes had a hit with 'Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb'.
'What TV show
was he on?
(a) 77 Sunset Strip
(b) Hawaiian Eye
(c) Surfside Six

17. In 1960 Bobby Darin married:
(a) Carol Lynley
(b) Sandra Dee
(c) Natalie Wood

18. They were a one hit wonder with 'Book Of Love':
(a) The Penguins
(b) The Monotones
(c) The Moonglows

19. The Everly Brothers sang a song called 'Till I ________ You.'
(a) Loved
(b) Kissed
(c) Met

20. Chuck Berry sang 'Oh, ___________, why can't you be true?'
(a) Suzie Q
(b) Peggy Sue
(c) Maybelline

21. 'Wooly _______'
(a) Mammouth
(b) Bully
(c) Pully

22. 'I'm like a one-eyed cat . . .
(a) can't go into town no more
(b) sleepin' on a cold hard floor
(c) peepin' in a seafood store

23. 'Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do . . ...'
(a) cause there ain't no answer for a life without booze
(b) cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues
(c) cause my car's gassed up and I'm re
ady to cruise

24. 'They often call me Speedo, but my real name is . . ....'
(a) Mr. Earl
(b) Jackie Pearl
(c) Milton Berle

25. 'You're my Fanny and nobody else's . . ....'
(a) girl
(b) butt
(c) love

26. 'I want you to play with my . . . '
(a) heart
(b) dreams
(c) ding a ling

27. 'Be Bop A Lula . . ..'
(a) she's got the rabies
(b) she's my baby.
(c) she loves me, maybe

28. 'Fine Love, Fine Kissing . . ...'
(a) right here
(b) fifty cents
(c) just for you

29. 'He wore black denim trousers and . . ..'
(a) a pink carnation
(b) pink leotards
(c) motorcycle boots

30. 'I got a gal named . . .'
(a) Jenny Zamboni
(b) Gerri Mahoney
(c) Boney Maroney

Answers:

Scroll Down so you aren't tempted to cheat (as if cheating were needed
here).

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

1 (c) The movie's over, it's 4 o'clock
2. (b) Blackboard Jungle
3. (a) Angel
4. (c) Blueberry Hill
5. (a) Mr. Sandman
6. (c) Sun
7. (b) Charlie Brown
8. (a) Mac Heath
9. (c) Tutti Fruitti
10. (c) Alan Freed
11. (a) Little Richard
12. (c) Annette Funicello
13. (b) Don and Phil
14. (a) Jiles P. Richardson
15. (c) Motown
16. (a) 77 Sunset Strip
17. (b) Sandra Dee
18. (b) The Monotones
19. (b) Kissed
20. (c) Maybelline
21. (b) Bully
22. (c) peepin' in a seafood store
23. (b) cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues
24. (a) Mr. Earl
25. (b) butt
26. (c) ding a ling
27. (b) she's my baby
28. (a) right here
29. (c) motorcycle boots
30. (c) Boney Maroney