Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were formed by a group of students at Edward W. Britt Junior High School in New York City's Washington Heights district. Originally called The Earth Angels, the group went through a string of name changes--among them The Coupe de Villes, The Ermines--before settling on The Premiers. They got an audition with noted producer George Goldner at his Gee Records. They had planned to perform a song members Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant had written--and which was rewritten by 13-year-old new member Frankie Lymon--called "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" and which Santiago was to sing lead on, but on the day of the audition he was too sick to sing, so Lymon was chosen to perform. Goldner was so impressed with the power of the young boy's voice that he signed them immediately, changing their name to The Teenagers. A string of hits followed, and by 1957 the group was being billed as Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, a situation that the other group members were not happy about. Goldner solved that problem by taking Lymon out of the group for a solo career and hiring another singer to take his place. The singer he hired, Billy Lobrano, was white, making them among rock's first integrated (with black, Hispanic and white members) groups. The group continued to record, with various personnel changes, into the 2000s.