Customer Reviews

Best of Vanguard Years

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When The New Christy Minstrels appeared on the scene in the early 1960s, other similar-sounding groups focusing on folk music soon followed, including The Serendipity Singers, The Backporch Majority, The Greenwood Country Singers, and this trio from New York City which, for Vanguard Records, had three Billboard Pop Hot 100 hits in 1963.

Not many of these groups managed to make their presence felt on both the R&B and Country charts as well, but The Rooftop Singers - Erik Darling, Willard Svanoe and Lynne Taylor - certainly did with Walk Right In, their version of a 1929 recording by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers. It not only reached # 1 on both the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary (AC) charts early in 1963 (where it remained for 5 weeks AC/two weeks Hot 100), but also crossed over to the R&B [# 4] and Country [# 23] charts to become one of THE most successful records of the entire decade. You would be hard- pressed to find ANY song that made all four charts. And, on the flipside, was one of the best renditions you will ever hear of the old Sons Of The Pioneers hit, Cool Water (track 8).

Prior to forming the group, Darling had been a member of The Tarriers in 1956, and then had joined The Weavers from 1958 to 1962, while Taylor had sung in the big band jazz style with both the Benny Goodman and Buddie Rich orchestras.

Impeccable credentials, but even so, any follow-up to such a debut was bound to suffer in comparison. And Tom Cat did, although it still reached a respectable # 20 Hot 100 in May and became their second R&B crossocer when it hit the # 30 slot b/w Shoes. Their brief flurry of fame then ended in July when a revival of another oldie, 1936's Mama Don't Allow It, made it to # 20 AC/# 55 Hot 100 as Mama Don't Allow b/w It Don't Mean A Thing. The group did, however, carry on until 1967 before disbanding, followed 15 years later by Taylor's death.

This is a complete collection of their hits and other cuts, many from their albums, which should have an honoured place in any serious collection of the 1960s folk sound.

I have loved the Rooftop Singers since the 60s. I would love to purchase a cd with ALL of their recordings. Prior to this buy, I listened to Vanguard's "The Best of the Rooftop Singers." This newer cd contains some cuts not in my original disk, not many, but some. Either cd will suffice for the average non-obsessive listener but I needed both. Only 4 stars from me because of the ovelapping.

I was very pleased with the Roof Top Singers Vanguard package as I have been looking for years for the Tomcat song.I have found Vanguard records to have put out a Quality product.

This was a group that was popular when I was in the Navy in I963 and it brought back a lot of memories.
Thanks,
Jack Thompson