The “Golden Hits Of The 60s” 

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EDSELS

“Rama Lama Ding Dong”

Twin 700

(George Jones, Jr.)

No. 21    June 19, 1961

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James Reynolds (b. 1937/2nd tenor) was almost a member of the legendary Del Vikings (“Come Go With

Me,” “Whispering Bells.”   Jim Kripp Johnson, and Clarence Quick, all members of the U.S. Air Force, put

together the core of the Vikings while goofin’ off in the dining hall at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport.

However, before the Viking venture floated Reynolds was discharged.   Impressed with the possibility, Jim

and George Jones, Jr. (b. October 5, 1936/lead vocals), a childhood chum and fellow service buddy,

returned to their hometown, Campbell, Ohio, with the intent of putting together the ultimate vocal group.

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By mid’58 the line-up was intact and rehearsing four to five hours a day. Ford Motors was hotly hoofin’ a

 hooded spectacle called an Edsel. “We named ourselves after that car,” Reynolds told David Hinckley.

“We taught  if we were both successful, maybe they’d want to hook up with us.” Jone·3, Reynolds and the

rest of the best [L arry Green (b 193 7/ i st t enor, guit ar), t,rother   Harry   Green (b. 1936/baritone ), and

Marshall  Sewell  (b. 1936/bass)] play ed local variety shows and night clubs.      After an appearance at tr1e

famous Cotton Club, Larry began checking arouncl for someone to record the £jrOup.

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George “the genius”, as Lar would label their le?der, had been fant al21ng about a chick named Rama

Lama Lama Lama Lama Ding Dong since way back in his bunk house days. By this point, George and the

guy; had the torrid tune finely tuned.   A music store owner named Dale Senshack introduced Larry and

eventually the group to Jim Manderltz. Jim went looney for “Rama Lama” and had the Edsels run through

it a few times at   the Snyder Studios in c;leveland.   After some searching, f’ianderitz shopped the track to

Foster Johnson’s Dub label.   Foster· for some flaky reason shipped the disk as “Lama Rama Ding Dong”.

Except for Baltimore, one of the greatest grooves of all-time.

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Later that year t!1e group was back in tile studios under the guidanc e of Tony March.   “Rink -A-Din-Ki-

Do” was placed with Roulette.   The following year, “What Brought Us Together” was issued on Tammy.

Ne itrter sold well enought to chart, although the latter wax ing did earn the group a spot on “American

Bandst and”.

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Three years after its release a New York   dusty copy of “Rama Lama”. The response was phenomenial.

11anderitz made arrangements with Old Town to reissue   the doo-woppin’ great on its subsidiary, Twin.

Dub Records, meanwhile, also r·ecirculated the classic, this time using the correct title and an alternate

take. In a flash, five minutes of fleeting fame was theirs.   They toured about, appeared at the Apollo

Theatre, and recorded a stack of other nearly as noteable numbers. If “Shake Shake Sherry” and “Shaddy

Daddy Dip Dip” didn’t have what it takes, “Three Precious Words” surely   should have shook the charts.

Despite some moments of vinyl excellence, tl’)e Edsels never again made even the bare bones bo ttom of the

nations listings.

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In a f irst and only royalty statement to the group, T win Records reported that only 30,000 copies were

sold. According to Jeff Kreiter, a 4 music researcher for Story Untold, the Edsels as a whole received only

$900.00 for their part in one of rock’n’roll’s finest creations.

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In 1964, the group split up.   Kreiter reported in 1979 that James Reynolds was a minister. t”1arsha11

Sewell was a detective. And Harry Green was working as a security guard.   Reynolds, Sewell, and Green re

formed the Edsels (with two of Jim’s sons, Christopher and Jeffery Reynolds) in the spring of 1988 to

appear at the Royal Doo-Wop Show at Radio City in New York City.

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Both Larry Green and George Jones, Jr. have since died. Until about 1980, George remained active in the

music business. For some time he had been the lead voice in the New Affair and laterthe Winston Wall

Trio. “Rhythm Of The Rain” (John Gummoe) Valiant 6026 No. 3 March 9, 1963