So, for you Doo Wop aficionados, it should come as no surprise that we have highlighted "Earth Angel" by the Penguins (1954) and "In The Still Of The Nite," by the Five Satins (1956). The Penguins, from Fremont High School in Los Angeles, and whose name came from the logo on Kools cigarettes, featured the distinctive voices of Cleve Duncan, Curtis Williams, and the great Jesse Belvin. I am humbled every time I think that this tune was recorded in a Los Angeles garage. And guess what, the same can be said for the Five Satins. Fred Parris, lead singer and author of "In The Still Of The Nite," belted out this sweet tune in a small church hall in New Haven, Connecticut. Oh, the alchemy we wove in the 50s! And to think, by all statistical measures, these two tunes are consistently voted the top Doo Wop songs-ever!

To get your juices jumping, we start the album with "Love Potion No. 9," an all-time favorite by the fabulous Clovers from their best-selling 1959 album, The Clovers In Clover.

Pittsburgh has spawned some great Doo Wop groups, not the least of which are The Dell Vikings, featuring David Lerchey as lead singer in their biggest hit, "Come Go With Me" (1956). This tune has been sung by every acappella group in alleyways from New York to Los Angeles.

I had the good fortune to meet the great Buddy Holly, shortly before he died in a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield. Had Buddy lived, he surely would have had an even greater influence on rock n' roll-and believe me, to this day, his brief journey through rock n' roll of the late 50s has touched many modern singers and guitar players. We just had to include "That'll Be The Day" (1959).

The first Doo Wop tune I learned to sing was "Gloria" by the Cadillacs. I had to. When any lead singer in my neighborhood auditioned for a Doo Wop group during the 50s and 60s, inevitably they were challenged with, "Okay, let's hear you sing 'Gloria'." There have been many versions, including those by Vito and The Salutations, and The Mystics. But, we chose the original R&B arrangement by the Cadillacs (1954). It's Doo Wop in its most innocent form, and it's sweet, neat and hard to beat!

We didn't want to get too serious so you will find Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon," as redone by the Marcels, from Pittsburgh. A world favorite, this tune revived Doo Wop in 1961, when things seemed to be going down hill for the whole genre.

The one true salvation of 60's rock n' roll was the birth of one of the greatest groups of harmony and dance-The Temptations. That's why we chose their cut of "My Girl" (1965), which in my opinion, has one of the simplest structures, yet is one of the most beautiful tunes of that decade.

In my book, the three greatest lead singers to walk the face of the Doo Wop world are Jimmy Beaumont from The Skyliners ("Since I Don't Have You"), Willie Winfield from The Harptones ("Life Is But A Dream"), and Johnny Maestro from The Crests. We couldn't cover them all this time, so we offer you Johnny and the Crests singing their incomparable 1958 hit, "16 Candles."

And since this is an album to benefit kids, we couldn't resist including a favorite of youngsters around the world, Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin" one of the smash hits of 1958.

For those of you "kids" who had dreams of being lead singer for the kind of groups we have covered in this album, we have enclosed a CD with everything but the lead voice on it. We have even provided the lyrics, just in case your memory is getting a bit hazy. So go ahead, plug it into your CD player, no one's looking, you are the lead singer-have a blast from the past! Just do it, and enjoy!!

This album is dedicated to kids all around the world. They truly are our future. They can change the world. Won't you help give them a chance to do it!

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