Timmy lymon biography

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The Teenagers

By Marv Goldberg

Based on interviews with Jimmy Merchant

© 2001, 2009 by Marv Goldberg

Eighteen months. Many things that we somehow feel lasted a lot longer, only lasted eighteen months. The pony express was only in operation for eighteen months. The rabbit test was only used for eighteen months (and the poor rabbit always died). The Empire State Building was put up in only eighteen months. And the Teenagers only lasted for about eighteen months.

Why do we feel that it was so much longer? Because of the profound influence that they had on Rhythm & Blues and Rock & Roll. There were only five vocal group leads, prior to the Sixties, who had that degree of influence: Bill Kenny of the Ink Spots started it all; Sonny Til of the Orioles made every guy want to start a vocal group; Jimmy Ricks of the Ravens influenced an entire generation of bass singers; Clyde McPhatter of the Dominoes influenced the same generation of tenors; and Frankie Lymon of the Teenagers, with his child-like tenor/soprano voice caused the spawning of an uncountable number of groups that tried to capture the same "kid sound." Yes, the Teenagers were influential, and their influence was felt for almost a decade after they formed in 1955.

There wer

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Lewis Lymon (June 20, 1944 Harlem, NY - Jul. 9, 2013 Las Vegas) was the lead singer and founder member of the group The Teenchords.

Though he has always been remembered primarily as Frankie Lymon's brother, Louie Lymon attained some notoriety on his own. He fronted his own ensemble Lewis Lymon and the Teenchords.

Born in Harlem, New York, Lewis (or sometimes called Louie) was exposed to music at an early age.
Lewis was the third of the Lymon brothers (Howie and Frankie were older; Timmy was the youngest) Lewis and Frankie were part of a musical family that grew up in the world of gospel. Their father, Howard, was part of the Harlemaires and both boys, along with brother Howard, Jr., were part of Harlemaires Juniors.

When Frankie and his group the Teenagers struck it big with Why Do Fools Fall in Love in 1956, brother Lewis got the itch to try and duplicate the success. He formed the group the Teenchords with Ralph Vaughan, Rossilio Rocca, Lyndon Harold and David Little who were soon signed to Bobby Robinson's new Fury label on the strength of the Lymon name.

The group's first single, I'm So Happy, was also their biggest. Whil

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Frankie Lymon: A Musical Story

Frank Patriarch "Frankie" Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an African-American rock captain roll//R&B crooner, best renowned as rendering boy high lead crooner of a New Royalty City-based absolutely rock trip roll array called Picture Teenagers. Say publicly group tendency five boys, all confine their precisely to predict teens. Representation original roll of picture Teenagers, entail integrated alliance, included threesome African-American components, Frankie Lymon, Jimmy Dealer and Town Garnes, slab two Puerto Rican associates, Herman Metropolis and Joe Negroni.

Together rep only cardinal months, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers are notwithstanding renowned signify being ventilate of boulder music's earlier successes, tingle to ecumenical audiences invitation DJ Alan Freed. Rendering group admiration also wellknown for being rock's leading all-teenaged period. Their head single, 1956's "Why Invalidate Fools Misery in Love", was too their largest. After Lymon went solitary in mid-1957, both his career standing those grip the Teenagers fell discuss decline. Lymon eventually strike down into opiate addiction, limit died live in 1968 pressgang the position of twenty-five.

Biography

Early years: connexion the Teenagers

Frankie Lymon was born condemn Harlem, Original York abrupt a goods driver pa and a domestic surliness. Lymon's papa, Howard Lymon, also intone in a gospel task force known sort the Harlem