Of The 50s – The Artists – The Songs
The Golden 50sThe Golden 60s The Golden 70sArticles Home
THE DANLEERS
“ONE SUMMER NIGHT”
(Danny Webb)
Mercury 71322
No. 1 July 28, 1958
.
.
.,
Fresh out of the confines of a Brooklyn high school, good buddies Jimmy Weston (lead singer) and Johnny
Lee (first tenor) were full to the brim with teen dreams of singing and success. In order toput together a
hot shot vocal group, they enlisted three of their mutual friends: Willie Ephriam (secondtenor), Roosevelt
Mays (bass), and Nat McCune (baritone). They practiced up a mite and approachedDanny Webb; some-
one had fingered him as being the one in the know about making records (not much,though, and most
unfortunately deficient in making money). Danny groomed them, gave them a name(a variant on his
own), and secured the Danleers their first recording contract with Bill Lasley’s Amp·3label.
.
For their first waxing, Webb supplied them with a jumper, “Wheelin’ and A·Dealin,” plus what was to
become one of summer radio’s perennial classics–for a few decades, at any rate–“One Summer Night.”
“We only had 45 minutes to record it.” Weston told Krazy Greg, publisher of Cat Tails. The session
actually belonged to someone else. We were booked in at the last minute. They were giving all the time
to some young lady. I guess they thought it was her that was gonna be a big star.”
@
.
“‘Summer” was such a scorcher that Mercury Records picked up that Danleers’ recording contract from
Amp-3. Mercury was the big time, and in 1958, “One Summer Night” was one of the most thermal make
-out tunes to be heard on rock’n’roll radio.
.
Unfortunately for Jim, John, and the rest, none of the other fine sounds they pressed in vinyl ever sold
as well; or even mildly well. “I Really Love You” was loosed, followed by “A Picture of You” and “I Can’t
Sleep”–but nothing sold well enough to even position itself on Billboard’s “Bubbling Under the Hot 100”
chart.
.
“It was all wrong–we were all youns kids,” said Jimmy. “We wantod to ROCK. But Danny was into that
Platters [ballads, slowness and sweetness] thing and that wasn’t making it for us. He was tellin’ us that
we would last longer singing that type of music…”
.
After four stiffs. Mercury Records passed on issuing any more records by the group. Discouraged,
the Danleers dispersed, but Jimmy Weston proclaimed that he was not ready to let the “Danleers'”
name die. Webb brought in members of another group he was managing, the Webtones (a group so
named as a variant on Webb’s moniker) to fill-in for the departed Danleers, and Epic Reoords gave
the “new” Danleers a two-single spin. Record sales were as cool as a Klondike bar, and Epic politely
showed the group the door.
.
Well into the mid-’60s, though Everest, Smash, and LeMans record labels gave the fluctuating mix of
original members, Webtones, and fill-ins a shot at recording what culminated into a small pile of fine
doo·wop numbers. Good records all, they just didn’t sell. Asked if he and the group got their fair share of
the loot, Weston responded, “NOOOOO! NOOOOO! I tell ya man, the name Danny Webb is on ‘One
Summer Night’ as writer. I wrote it, not him. But I was a young boy and Danny was such a sweet talker. I
went along with it. At the time, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I just wanted to sing; you understand!”
,
On July 23, 1988, the original Danleer’s sang together for the first time in nearly 20 years at the Westbury
Music Fair on Long Island. Jimmy Weston continued to front the Danleers, with varying line-ups
into the ’90s.
.
Jim Weston died one summer night, June 10, 1993.
£1£ d
name Danny Webb ilon ‘One Summer Night’ a. writer.
I wrote it, not him. But I WJU a )'(lung boy and Danny was suth a sweet tallo:r. I went along with it. At the time, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I just wanted to oing; )'(Ill understand!”
On July 23, 1988, the original Danl””‘s sang togeth
er for tho fint time in nearly 20 )'<111’$ at the w..tbury
Music Fair on Long Island.Jimmy Weston continued to
front the Danleers, with varying line-ups into the ’90s. Jim died on June 10, 1993.