Doo Wop

This song was written by William Davis and Viola Watkins in 1953 and is an early classic. It was an original piece with a quick dance beat, great  harmonies, and lots of  those doo wop style syllables. “Gee” was recorded by George Goldner, who had success with his Latin music label Tico and was seeking  acts for his new R&B label Rama Records. The song didn’t take off at first, as it was the B-Side to a ballad, “I Love You So.”The music business has twists and turns, and “I Love You So” eventually became a successful song  years later in 1958 for the girl group The Chantels.  However, let’s go back to the story of “Gee.” DJs in Philadelphia and New York began turning over the record. West Coast DJ “Huggy Boy” Hugg started playing it to win back a girlfriend who liked the song. “Gee” caught on, and Goldner promoted it nationally. It reached #2 on the R&B Chart and #14 on the Pop Chart in 1954. It has been credited as being one of the first rock and roll records, more or less tied with “Sh-Boom” by The Chords in that both peaked in the summer of 1954.

The group was discovered at New York’s Apollo theater. Group members for “Gee” included Daniel “Sonny” Norton, Harold Major, Bill Davis, Gerald Hamilton, and Mark Jackson.  They are one of the groups with bird names, which includes, for example, The Orioles, The Ravens, The Flamingos, The Wrens, and The Falcons.

Goldner was very  a influential music producer. Besides The Crows, he worked with The Wrens, The Valentines, The Cleftones, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, The Heartbeats, The Chantels, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Flamingos, The Dubs, and many, many more.

Here are the lyrics to “Gee” by The Crows:

“Do, do do, do, do do, do, do do, do do do
Do, do do, do, do do, do, do do, do do do
Do, do do, do, do do, do, do do, do do do, do
Love that girl

Ooh, gee, my ooh gee
Well, ooh gee
Why I love that girl, love that girl

Ooh, please, listen to me
Hear, hear, hear my plea
Why I love that girl

Hold me, baby, squeeze me
Never let me go
I’m not takin’ chances
Because I love her, I love her so

Ooh, gee, yes I love her
Yes, I need her
Why I love that girl, love that girl

Hold me, baby, squeeze me
Never let me go
I’m not takin’ chances
Because I love her, I love her so

My, my, oh, gee, well, oh gee
My eye, oh, gee
Why I love that girl, love that girl

Ooh, please, listen to me
Hear my plea
Why I love that girl, love that girl

Why I love that girl”

For More Golden Oldies Music

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

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