Doo Wop

A good golden oldies song about dancing from this first era of rock n roll is “Quarter to Three” by Gary U.S. Bonds. The song was originally an instrumental called “A Night With Daddy G — Part 1” by The Church Street Five. There are references to Daddy G and The Church Street Five in the song lyrics,, which you can find below.  By 1961, Gary U.S. Bonds, Gene Barge, Frank Guida, and Joseph Royster had added lyrics and expanded the song, taking their recording to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and having it become an RIAA Gold Record. The single is known for its rough, fuzzy sound quality, which producer Frank Guida, says was the way it’s supposed to be. Anyway, the song is on the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” Bruce Springsteen has covered the song at concerts.

Gary U.S. Bonds was born Gary Levone Anderson in Jacksonville, Florida. The stage name, so it goes,  was a marketing choice to tell folks to “Buy U.S. Bonds.” Bonds is a songwriter as well as a singer and continues to tour and perform live.

Here are the lyrics to “Quarter to Three” by Gary U.S. Bonds:

“Don’t you know that I danced, I danced till a quarter to three
With the help, last night, of Daddy G.
He was swingin on the sax with a terrible tune
And I was dancin’ all over the room.
Oh, don’t you know the people were dancin’ like they were mad,
It was the swingin’est band they had ever had.
It was the swingin’est song that could ever be,
It was a night with Daddy G.
Let me tell you now,
I never had it so good
Yeah and I know you never could
Until you get hep now with that jive
And take a band like the Church Street Five.
Oh don’t you know that I danced,
I danced till a quarter to three
With the help last night of Daddy G.
Everybody was as happy as they could be
And they were swingin’ with Daddy G.
Blow Daddy!
Let me tell you now,
I never had it so good
Yeah and I know you never could
Until you get hep now with that jive
And take a band like the Church Street Five.
Oh don’t you know that I danced,
I danced till a quarter to three
With the help last night of Daddy G.
Everybody was a-happy as they could be
‘Cause they was swingin’ to Daddy G.

Oh blow Daddy…”

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 Juke Box Saturday, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

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