Artist:The Harptones
Song:Life Is But A Dream
Album:The Doo Wop Box Vol. 2
The Harptones were a second tier doo wop group who likely would have been bigger if they had been able to record for a major label. They would have a hit and their record company would go out of business. The Harptones were originally called The Skylarks and were led by New York City high school student William Galloway in 1951. In 1953 they merged with a group called The Winfield Brothers led by lead tenor Willie Winfield and pianist Raoul Cita and changed their name to The Harps. A performance at the Apollo amateur night got the attention of an MGM Records executive but he wasn't around when they came to his office. While practicing their harmonies in the hallway, Bruce Records owners Morty Craft & Leo Rogers heard them and signed them. There was another group called The Harps so the name was changed to The Harptones. They had some hits including the 1956 great Raoul Cita song Life Is But A Dream but the limited distribution really hurt them and they never had a chart hit. They bounced around various labels and like a lot of doo wop groups petered out in the late 50s and disbanded in 1964. Cita & Winfield reformed The Harptones in 1970 and they've been touring the oldies concert circuit ever since. Rhino's first Doo Wop Box was so popular that this second 4CD Doo Wop Box followed in 1996. They are both great comps and worth the investment. Here are The Harptones performing Hot Rod Baby from the 1956 film Rockin' The Blues. It's very entertaining. That's Willie Winfield singing lead and Raoul Cita on piano.
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