Philadelphia-based Cameo-Parkway Records was founded by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe in 1956. Over 50 years later, Collectors’ Choice Music in conjunction with ABKCO Music & Records is rolling out reissues and compilations from the legendary Cameo-Parkway masters. The lone compilation in the initial shipment is Remember Me Baby: Cameo Parkway Vocal Groups Vol. 1, which features the Lydells, the Dovells, the Tymes, Lee Andrews, Billy & the Essentials, and many more.
The Turbans were the first group to hit nationally for the label with their remake of their own song, “When You Dance,” followed by “Golden Rings,” a lush number with a perfectly sweet vocal from Earl Worsham. There’s the Skyliners from Pittsburgh with their take on the 1954 Oscar-winning song, “Three Coins In The Fountain,” a hit for both Sinatra and the Four Aces. The Skyliners’ version features the velvety voice of their second lead singer, Jack Vercharen. There’s the obligatory hand-clapping stuff like Rick and the Masters’ “I Don’t Want Your Love,” and the organ-driven “Short On Bread” from The Dovells, unreleased until now.
The Anglos’ “Raining Teardrops” is a truly mature sounding song with a layered arrangement unlike most anything else on the collection. Then there’s the almost mariachi-like horns on “Turn Out The Lights” and Lee Andrew’s pipes on “Gee, But I’m Lonesome” is a true gem. If you get a little weary of all those falsettos, there’s “To Cry” with a vocal at the lower end. And let’s not forget the purely goofy tune here, the Exceptions’ “Down By The Ocean” from 1965. Not all of these tunes or groups are all that well remembered on Remember Me Baby: Cameo Parkway, Vocal Groups Vol.1, but they are fine examples of the vocal talent and snappy songwriting that came from the label during its infancy.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
