Roots of Rock & Roll - PROFILE: Doo Wop King Kenny Vance & The Planetones : Looking For An Echo

[JoeProBono]

The man whose resume remains one of the best among early rock musicians continues to spread his love of the genre Kenny Vance has got it right. There is an intangible quality to doo wop music that isn't found anywhere else, and that quality, though it can't necessarily be named, is worth fighting for. "I'm in this genre, and I'm probably one of the only guys left that's making new music in this genre," says Vance, 64. "To me, the truth is, over the years this music is trivialized, by the press, by WFUV, whatever. But if you really listen to it, you realize it's not so simple, and it's not 'Grease.' You guys grew up thinking all 50's was The Fonz. It's not."

[JoeProBono]

Want proof? Check out Vance and The Planotones Jan. 19 at the St. George Theatre and Feb. 1 at Manhattan's Town Hall. Also on the S.I. bill, Herb Reed's Platters, and Larry Chance and the Earls. The three groups are billing themselves as classic doo wop, and it's a pretty accurate description.

The Platters, who have sold millions of records, made appearances in early rock 'n' roll movies like "Rock Around The Clock," and scored hits with recordings of "The Great Pretender," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and others. Vance, though, has his own set of impressive credentials. He's been making and recording doo wop in some fashion or another since he first discovered rock 'n' roll -- a commitment that has scored him the nickname "the Bob Dylan of doo wop." The singer and songwriter's first real group, Jay and the Americans, opened up for The Beatles before the group made their first appearance on Ed Sullivan. During his career, Vance helped produce, record and mentor scores of musicians, like Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.

"It was an amazing time. There was no such thing as a rock 'n' roll musician," says Vance. "Nobody had long hair. If you wanted to make a record in those days, like, for a hundred bucks, you could make a record that maybe would sell a million copies."

Vance recalls how in the days of doo wop, many groups would form right off the street and write their own songs, then come to New York City's Tin Pan Alley, and audition for record producers a cappella.

"And if these guys liked what they heard," says Vance, "they'd bring down a bunch of guys from Birdland -- real killer guys, jazz guys -- and when you listen to those records, it captured something that will never be captured again. I call music from that time teenage jazz, because that's what it was."

Sure, most of those early doo wop recordings don't have the complex chord progressions of jazz, but Vance maintains you can hear bebop solos and other bits in the songs that will wow the listener. And he's the type of guy who knows.

After all, Vance doesn't just have a love for doo wop, which he proved most recently with his album of obscure doo wop jewels, called "Count Down to Love." He's also been behind a ton of well-loved soundtracks and movie scores, from cult classics like "American Hot Wax," (the story of American rock 'n' roll radio pioneer Alan Freed) and "National Lampoon's Animal House" (which may be one of the first soundtracks to incorporate clips from the movie into the recording -- a move Vance says he came up with on the spot), to well-loved early rock tribute pic "Eddie and the Cruisers." For the latter, Vance had to convince the film's producers to ditch the original music -- written by a composer of jingles -- and instead employ a real-deal rock group, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band, a move that would eventually crack Billboard's Top 10 and sell hundreds of thousands of copies.

These days, Vance seems content to perform, and spend time in the studio.

"As you get older, there aren't that many things that have that much meaning," he says, "but that's something that has a lot of meaning, and gives me a sense of accomplishment."

Looking For An Echoe

[JoeProBono]

[mnehring]

Is this a joke? The first guy looks like Dee Snyder, the one in the purple looks like Gaddafi.

[allmendream]

The roots of true Rock&Roll is the BLUES baby, the BLUES, not doo wop. Doo wop is the root of POP music.

[JoeProBono]

Kenny Vance and Johnny Maestro

[DieHard the Hunter]

Kenny Vance and the Planotones -- a perennial favorite with the Guardian Angels. Their cover of "Angel Baby" is about the best I've heard: see if you agree. You'll find the video here.

[JoeProBono]

[mnehring]

I stand by my assessment. :->

[JoeProBono]

[La Enchiladita]

I never heard of these guys. My all-time favorite doo-wop is “I Believe” by Larry Chance and the Earls.

[pookie18]

Have seen them all in concert. The Platters twice when lead singer Tony Williams was still alive. Larry Chance shook my hand while he & the Earls did Remember Then. Also, saw the Planotones...in their Looking For An Echo, they mention Erasmus Hall High School...used to bowl right near there. Kenny Vance started with Jay & The Americans.

[Revolting cat!]

"the Bob Dylan of doo wop."

Yeah, baby, and I'm the Bob Dylan of Shower Singing!

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

In that case, can I be the Eddie Van Halen of air guitar? ;)

[JoeProBono]

"Looking For An Echo, they mention Erasmus Hall High School"

At Erasmus Hall High School, we used to harmonize Me and Benny and Ira and two Italian guys We were singing oldies, but they were newies then And today when I play my old 45's, I remember when... We'd practice in a subway, in a lobby or a hall Crowded in a doorway, singing doo wops to the wall. And if we went to a party and they wouldn't let us sing, We'd lock ourselves in the bathroom, and nobody could get in. 'Cause we were looking for an echo, an answer to our sound A place to be in harmony A place we almost found. And the girls would gather 'round us, and our heads would really swell. We'd sing songs by the Moonglows, the Harptones, and the Dells. And when we sang "Sincerely," we really sang it high. Even though it was falsetto, we almost reached the sky. We've sung a lot of changes since 1955. And a lot of bad arrangements we've tried to harmonize. Now we've turned into oldies, but we were newies then. And today when I play my old 45's, I remember when... We were looking for an echo, an answer to our sound A place to be in harmony A place we almost found

[pgobrien]

ping for later research

[printhead]

I thought the guy on the left was James Woods.

[Revolting cat!]

You wanna know a rock and roll hustler? Look up this "legendary" dude!

[La Enchiladita]

We will take your word for it!!!

[PzLdr]

I think the guy on the right is Jay Black

[JoeProBono]

" I think the guy on the right is Jay Black"

I think you're right