Norman Fox & The Rob-Roys ©2001JCMarion
The Rob Roys were a Bronx based group that had its beginnings developed out of two other Bronx institutions - DeWitt Clinton High School and the earlier vocal group called The Harmonaires. This group had recorded "Lorraine" and "Come Back" for the Holiday label (#2602) in early 1957. Bob Trotman and Andy Lilly from The Harmonaires joined Bob Thierrer, Buzzy Helfand and Norman Fox to form a new vocal group named The Velvet-Tones. As they practiced their tunes and perfected their sound, Norman Fox emerged as the lead singer of the group's original material.
In the spring of 1957 the Velvet-Tones came in contact with Dave Rolnick and
Don Carter who had offices on 49th street in New York City, and were the East
Coast representatives for none other than the "Texas Godfather", Don
Robey and the Duke-Peacock recording companies based in Houston. Duke-Peacock
made their name on Black gospel and southern R & B like Junior Parker, Big
Mama Thornton, and Bobby "Blue" Bland, but they recently had success
with The El Torros and so were willing to try other vocal groups. After a tryout
for Carter and Gelfand, a recording date was set up for late April of 1957 and
the name of the group was changed to The Rob-Roys. A late change put lead singer
Norman Fox out front and so the group was ready for their first go in the recording
studio. The first tune to be recorded was an original written not by Fox but
by Helfand, the bass singer for the group. The song was "Tell Me Why"
and is not to be confused with a song of the same name recorded by the pop group
The Four Aces in the early fifties. The plan by Carter and Rolnick was to release
the group's single on the new Duke-Peacock subsidiary label called Backbeat
Records. The proposed flip side of the record was a tune named "Audrey",
and by late August the first release on the label was out on #501.
"Tell Me Why" was a typical infectious up tempo group song, the kind
that was so prevalent in the mid fifties. The record got good radio airplay
along the Eastern seaboard from Washington D.C, to Boston and was one of the
highlights of the summer of '56. With public recognition and fame came the inevitable
round of personal appearances and dee-jay record hops and radio station interviews.
Norman Fox & The Rob-Roys were on that rock & roll magic carpet ride.
While Backbeat Records played out all it could from "Tell Me Why",
the group was ready for the all important follow up. The second side by the
group was set up and featured another up tempo tune, this time written by members
Bob Thierrer and Bob Trotman. It was called "Dance Girl Dance" and
proved to be a worthy follow up to "Tell Me Why". The ballad flip
side was called "My Dearest One" and the release was on Backbeat #508
in April of 1958. Again it was the vocal group national stronghold of Baltimore-Philadelphia-New
York that gave the record its impetus to be another good seller for the group.
Unfortunately again, the label could not turn the record into a national hit
and the feeling of discouragement now began to set in among members of the group.
Whether it was inexperience dealing with a new teenage record buying public
on the part of Duke-Peacock, or pooling their resources in a different direction,
the group had enough of Backbeat Records and Don Robey. They traded on their
name recognition and landed a record deal with a major label - Capitol Records.
"Dream Girl" and "Pizza Pie" were waxed for Capitol on #4128,
but by now in 1959, the first golden age of rock 'n roll music was at an end,
and there would be a kind of malaise for four years until the second phase of
the age would resurrect itself. Right now however, Norman Fox & The Rob-Roys
world had come to a screeching halt.
Before Capitol Records could act on the group's behalf with their new single
(which some time later showed up on Hammer Records #544), Don Robey's representatives
in New York provided a contract with the Rob-Roys that voided any agreement
that they had with Capitol or anybody else. The Capitol release was shelved
and the group was now back with Robey and Backbeat Records. They were forced
to record six more tunes for Backbeat Records which were never released until
they found the light of day in the late eighties aimed at collectors. They were
- "Lover Doll" with two different flip sides - "Little Star"
on #499, and "Do-Re-Mi" on both #499 and #501 (again), and "That's
Love" and "Rainy Day Bells" on #500.
Except for a couple of unreleased efforts in the early 60s, that was the end
of the line for Norman Fox & The Rob-Roys. Three years after its original
release, "Tell Me Why" had a second life in the form of a hit record
by the Dion-less Belmonts for Sabrina #500. Once again the great tune captured
the airwaves and the dancing feet of the areas listeners. One final bit of sad
reality for the Rob-Roys is that on many vocal group compilation CDs today,
it is The Belmonts version of the great tune that is included, and not their
superior original. Well as Frank Sinatra used to sing . . . . ."that's
life". But of course we know !