Royal Teens

The Royal Teens was a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, which was composed of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone.^[1] The group is best known for its single "Short Shorts," which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958.^[2] The follow-up single, 1959's "Believe Me," hit #26.^[2] The group recorded two albums and broke up in 1972.

History

The term "Short Shorts" was a description Bob Gaudio and Tom Austin had given to the cutoff jeans teenage girls were wearing during the summer of 1957.^[1] On that musically fateful afternoon, Gaudio and Austin were driving up Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey in Tom Austin's red and white 1957 Ford Fairlane 500, trying to figure out what to call the latest song they had written for their rock and roll band then known as the Royals, later renamed the Royal Teens by record producer and owner Leo Rodgers. Just then, two girls came strutting out of Luhmann's (the local teenage sweet shop) wearing cutoff jeans that were cut so short they were almost illegal. At that point, the song "Short Shorts" was born.^[1]

On the original recording, Tom Austin did the whistle, Billy Dalton mimicked the whistle on guitar, and Billy Crandall said “Man, dig those crazy chicks.”^[1] With Tommy on drums, Bobby on piano, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Crandall on sax, along with the female vocal provided by Diana Lee, a girl from Leo's stable of talented youngsters, the Royal Teens became a success.

Leo Rogers owned a label named Power Records with Lee Silvers. Before the record was released on Power, Leo made the Royals change their name to Royal Teens because there was another group called The Royals.^[1] The group reluctantly added Teens to its name.

Before the first rock and roll tour was launched, which included the Royal Teens, Billy Crandall had to leave the group because his parents would not allow him to leave Dumont High School because he was only 14 years old at the time.^[3] Tommy had just graduated from Fort Lee High School, Bob Gaudio's parents decided to allow their son to temporarily drop out of school to pursue his dream, and Billy Dalton took a leave of absence from All Hallows High in Manhattan.^[3]

Larry Qualiano, a 17-year-old sax player from North Bergen, New Jersey, took Billy Crandall's place and the Royal Teens became complete again, touring with greats such as Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Frankie Avalon.^[3]

Over the years there were a number of members of the Royal Teens. One long-lasting combination played extensively throughout the New York metropolitan area and was co-managed by band members Bob Baran and James "Dino" Cusumano. The group traveled the U.S. with the early pioneers of rock and roll including those mentioned above and many more. It was put together by Leo Rodgers in 1961 after the original group disbanded. It consisted of Bob Baran on guitar, James "Dino" Cusumano on piano, lead vocalist Tony Federico on bass, Jack Kopchinski on sax, and Art Perlman on drums. In 1962, the group recorded “Short Shorts Twist,”^[4] for Jubilee Records as a play on "Short Shorts" and “The Twist” by Chubby Checker. It was voted hit of the week on Alan Freed's evening show on WINS (AM) radio in New York City, but it lost momentum after Freed was forced by WINS management to change from rock and roll to Sinatra vocal-type music and a similar genre. The group worked major nightclubs in Manhattan, especially the famous Wagon Wheel^[5] and rock mogul Morris Levy's Camelot Lounge, often fronted by Alan Freed before he was deposed to California for his alleged involvement in the payola scandal.

The group made a comeback in 1969 after changing some members—Sonny Bongiorno to sax, Gene Wasylick to guitar, Bob Baran moved to bass, and Joe Loria to drums. Dino remained as lead vocalist. Executives at Musicor Records impressed with the musical and vocal drive of “Short Shorts Twist,”^[4] offered the group a contract to record an album called “Newies But Oldies.’^[6] It was produced by Les Paul Jr., son of Les Paul, the famous jazz guitarist and inventor of the solid-body electric guitar. The album concept was created by co-producers Bill and Steve Jerome.^[7] It was a compilation of sensational hits of the 1960s sung to melodies of songs that were big hits in the 1950s. The concept had never been done before so the producers were intensely concerned about the group discussing the album with anyone until its release. In early 1970, “Newies But Oldies” was released with a single from the album as well. The A-side was “Hey Jude” by the Beatles sung to the melody of "In the Still of the Night" by the Five Satins. The B-Side was “Smile A Little Smile for Me, Rosemarie,” done like Little Darlin by the Diamonds. In many ways, like "Short Shorts" and “Short Shorts Twist,” the album concept was a novelty and was played heavily by DJs in the New York metropolitan area.

In 1972, members of the group having long since left their teen years, changed the group's name to Dino—Take Five, and in 1973 to Take Five, when Dino left the group and moved to California. Subsequently, Bob Baran left the group to practice law as a corporate patent attorney, and the group continued to play for some years as Take Five.

Legacy

Bob Gaudio later became a member of the Four Seasons. Fourteen-year-old member Al Kooper sometimes appeared with the Royal Teens on the road in 1959, and later founded the groups The Blues Project and Blood Sweat & Tears (originally known as "Al Kooper's Blood, Sweat and Tears"). Kooper also performed as a session musician on several of Bob Dylan's albums in the mid-'60s. Vocalist Joe Francavilla (also known as Joey Villa) joined the group in late 1958. He previously sang with the Three Friends, which had a minor hit with "Blanche". With several briefly tenured members of the Royal Teens, he went on to form Joey and the Twisters, which released a few minor hits ("Do You Want to Dance," "Bony Maronie") in 1961–1962 and frequently played the Peppermint Lounge in New York City as contemporaries of Joey Dee and the Starliters. Billy Crandall would join the Knickerbockers in 1964, using the name Buddy Randell, and would sing lead vocal on the group's top-20 hit "Lies" in 1966. Crandall would later perform with the contemporary Messianic group Jerusalem Rivers before passing away in 1998.

The song "Short Shorts" was used in commercials for Nair in the 1970s, sparking interest in the group, and is now used in Japan for the opening tune of Tamori Club on TV Asahi Corporation.

When the show Jersey Boys came to Broadway, Bob Gaudio told Tommy that "Short Shorts" was being featured in the show. When the two original Royal Teens reunited at the August Wilson Theater the night of the premiere of Jersey Boys, Tommy said he was so proud to have traveled the first leg of Bobby's historical musical journey with him.^[3]

Billy Dalton died of an apparent heart attack on Saturday, October 8, 2011. After his funeral Mass, Billy was interred in St. Patrick Cemetery in Rochelle, Illinois, on Thursday, October 13, 2011—what would have been his 71st birthday.

Using his given name, James A. Cusumano, Dino became a prolific writer. He is the co-author of Freedom From Mid-East Oil,^[8] and the author of Cosmic Consciousness—a Journey to Well-being, Happiness, and Success,^[9] and “Balance: The Business-Life Connection.”^[10]

Discography

ABC Paramount Records

• 1958: "Short Shorts" / "Planet Rock" (originally issued on the tiny Power Records label)
• 1958: "Big Name Button" / "Sham Rock"
• 1958: "Harvey's Got A Girlfriend" / "Hangin' Around"
• 1958: "Open The Door" / "My Kind of Dream"

Capitol Records

• 1959: "Believe Me" / "Little Cricket"
• 1960: "The Moon's Not Meant For Lovers (Anymore)" / "Was It A Dream?"
• 1960: "It's The Talk of the Town" / "With You"

Jubilee Records

• 1961: "Short Shorts Twist"

Musicor Records

• 1970: Newies But Oldies (album)
• 1970: "Hey Jude"

In popular culture

The song "Short Shorts" has been played or mentioned multiple times on The Simpsons, notably in the episodes "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Homer" and "Homer the Heretic."

The song was also featured in U.S. television commercials for the depilatory "Nair", in the late 1970s.

See also

• 1956 in music

References

External links

• Official website
• Doo-wop.blogg.org
• Ungerhorner.com