Doo-Wop lives on at the Cool Bobby B Convention  

The second annual Cool Bobby B Two day Doo Wop Convention at the Alexis Park Hotel in Las Vegas Friday and Saturday November 16 & 17 was a sell out event. It is no wonder with all of the great legendary performers in attendance. There was The Fleetwood starring Gretchen Christopher, Harvey Fuqua and the Moonglows, the Olympics, Little Caesar and the Roman and the Murmaids were just a few of the legendary performers. All of the legendary groups had at least one of the original members present.

Cool Bobby B
Photo by B. Backman

Many of the performers attended because they respect to Bobby B of keeping the music alive. Legendary guest superstar Jimmy Caster said, “I am here because I believe in Bobby B because he is the best I’ve heard since Alan Freed.” Castor knew Alan Freed because at the age of 11 he traveled as Frankie Lyman’s understudy with the Teenagers. He also wrote their hit recording “I Promised to Remember” and told me about his early success, “It was a lot of fun for me. It made you not want to go to school. But my mother was very tight on me and she would only let me work weekends”. So because of his mom’s insistence of getting a good education, he ended up at prestigious New York City High School of Music and Arts and the Manhattan School of Music where he studied the “Classics . Some of his own hits include “Hey Leroy, You Mama’s Calling, Its Just Begun, Bertha Butt Boogie” and “King Kong”.

Harvey Fequa and the Moonglows (The Magnificents) performing at the Finale Concert

The Murmaids Performing at the Finale Concert

Gretechen Christopher (center) performing with the Fleetwoods

Friday night was the opening event for the convention. As the crush of fans started pouring into the hall you knew this event was going to be successful. Castor said about that and the music. “They think it is a dying breed but it’s not. But you see more people coming through the door now that really appreciate this music.

Fans came from across the country to attend the two day event. The first night activities included a sock hop, artist reception, autograph session and merchandise tables. Saturdays activities included an amateur Doo Wop contest, car show, more merchandise tables and a Finale concert.

Dee Dee Phelps of Dick and Dee fame didn’t perform during the convention but was there to sell and do a book signing for her book. She said “I was 16, a teenager and I just wrote about the experience in my book “Vinyl Highway”.

I did a group on Early Women in Rock interview with Phelps, Carol and Terrie Fischer of the Murmaids and Gretchen Christopher of the Fleetwoods. Later I followed that with a Men of Early Rock interview with members of The Olympics and Little Caesar and the Romans. I also interviewed Johnny Keyes whose original band is The Magnificents that had a hit big with “Up On The Mountain”. They currently also perform with Harvey Fuqua as “The Moonglows”.


David "Cesear" Johnson
Performing at the Finale Concert


Gretchen Christopher dancing at the Sock Hop

The Murmaids from Left: Suzie Robertson, Terry Fischer and Carol Morell Fischer; Terry and Carol are the Original members.

Johnny Keyes whose original band is The Magnificents that hit big with “Up On The Mountain” and they currently also perform with Harvey Fuqua as “The Moonglows

Jimmy Castor performing at
Cool Bobby B’s Doo-Wop Convention

The "Boys" of Rock and Roll posing prior to Their interview. From Left:  Carl Barnett: Little Caesar and the Romans (original Member)

Dee Dee Phelps from Dick and Dee Dee and Gretchen Christopher of the Fleetwoods pose before the "Girls" of Rock and Roll interview

Their stories and views vary, but the one thing many of them agree on is that it is very hard for performers now coming into the business. Terrie Fischer of the Murmaids said, “The corporations got into it about 20 years ago and it was impossible for anybody coming up to do anything because you had to have so much money. But, there is hope now with kids doing it on line and with all that there is a way that the talent will surface. The internet is the only hope right now”.

Vel Omarr, lead and tenor of the current Olympics said: “It was a lot easier to get played back then, than it is now; like a new artist coming in today trying and getting something played. Even though I wasn’t performing then, I know a lot about the history. Today it is almost impossible to get a major station to play anything from a new artist. That is why I think that the internet and other means of distributing music have come along; because now we can do it ourselves if we have to”. A more complete coverage of the interview will be found in Entertainments Consumers’ Exchange’ organization's Winter 2008, Connections Newsletter.

A great ending to the convention was the Finale Concert. The performances of all of the artists were great. One real note worthy performance was that of David “Caesar” Johnson of Little Caesar and Romans, who walks slightly humped over and with a cane when he got on stage belted out a song and moved about like he did in his early days of performing.

Shake Rattle & Roll from Texas won the amateur Doo Wop Contest

Doo Wop music is a genre of rock and roll. Experts often said rock and roll would never last. Don Everly, half of my favorite performers, the Everly Brothers always says, “You’re Never to Old to Rock and Roll”. While Don was not at the Doo-Wop convention his quote can really describe David “Caesar” Johnson’s performance.

The quote can also describe the sold out audience at Cool Bobby B Doo Wop Convention.

Bobby B told the fans at the concert that this year’s convention attendance doubled last years and they expect to double it again next year. The success of the convention proves that after 50 years, our music still lives on.