Donny Conn (born Donald Claps, 29 March 1930 – September 2, 2015) was a singer and drummer of the late 1950’s music and comedy trio The Playmates. Other members were pianist and arranger Chic Hetti (born Carl Cicchetti, 26 February 1930) and Morey Carr (31 July 1932 – 1987).
Donny Conn, Morey Carr and Chic Hetti rank among the most
outstanding popular singers of the mid-20th century. Their individual vocal
chops were impressive enough; when it came to harmonizing, this trio from
Waterbury, Connecticut approached perfection. A popular touring act in Canada
in the early '50s they staked a claim early as a novelty act, going by the name
The Nitwits, singing silly songs or humorously altering existing hits while
acting up in front of audiences.
They started out as The Donny Conn Trio while attending
the University of Connecticut . Chic, whose real name was Carl Cicchetti,
played piano; Donny, whose real last name was Claps, played drums. Going
largely unnoticed, they started doing funny bits to attract attention. Attempts
at landing a recording contract went unfulfilled until Conn's trio joined Roulette
Records as The Playmates (the labels first vocal group). Switching to a more
"normal" name than Nitwits was a smart move, but it was not without
certain drawbacks as a rhythm and blues girl group from Newark were also called
the Playmates (Gwen Brooks and sisters Lucille and Alma Beatty) and appeared
on Savoy at the same time Roulette's guys put out their first single.
on Savoy at the same time Roulette's guys put out their first single.
Easing off on the silly stuff, Donny and Chic composed a
light little ditty called "Pretty Woman" for the group's debut. Next
they went totally romantic with a cover of The Lovers' late-'57 R&B hit,
"Darling it's Wonderful." Neither song caught on. The third single
was "Jo-Ann," a rock and roll ballad” that hit the top 20 in February
1958, Savoy's Playmates, meanwhile, changed
their name to The Three Playmates.
The trio confidently began moving in a slightly more
wacky direction as their Nitwit background was difficult to shake. The most
famous of all Playmates records (and, unfortunately, the only one many people
are familiar with) is "Beep Beep."
The popularity of this late-'58 top ten hit caused an unintentional windfall for American Motors, the manufacturer of the Nash Rambler. As soon as the record became a hit, sales of the Rambler American increased sharply. In England, though, the BBC denied airplay to songs with brand names, so the Playmates rerecorded it, changing the Cadillac and Nash Rambler references to "limousine" and "bubble car," obscuring much of the song's humour in the process.
The popularity of this late-'58 top ten hit caused an unintentional windfall for American Motors, the manufacturer of the Nash Rambler. As soon as the record became a hit, sales of the Rambler American increased sharply. In England, though, the BBC denied airplay to songs with brand names, so the Playmates rerecorded it, changing the Cadillac and Nash Rambler references to "limousine" and "bubble car," obscuring much of the song's humour in the process.
The group then teamed up with composers Pockriss and Paul Vance, the creators of Perry
Como's top-selling "Catch a Falling Star." The fresh new songwriting
team with a knack for penning pop-rock songs that teens could relate to would
be behind all of the group's remaining hit singles. The breaking point came in
the summer of '62 with "Keep Your Hands in Your Pockets" kooky way to kiss!'), the group's final single
to appear on the national charts.
Leaving Roulette in early 1963, they signed with
ABC-Paramount and continued putting out semi-novelties. A couple of singles for
Colpix in 1964 and '65 preceded a novelty 45 on Congress. By this time their
records proved too dated to sell and "The Ballad of Stanley the
Lifeguard," composed by the trio, ended their recording endeavours for
several years.
After four albums for Roulette, the novelty group broke up. They performed together off and on, then in 1971 produced a single "Dayenyu (That Would Be Enough For Me)," released by Bell Records. A permanent split occurred at some point resulting in Chic Hetti becoming a school teacher and Morey Carr going into real estate.
After four albums for Roulette, the novelty group broke up. They performed together off and on, then in 1971 produced a single "Dayenyu (That Would Be Enough For Me)," released by Bell Records. A permanent split occurred at some point resulting in Chic Hetti becoming a school teacher and Morey Carr going into real estate.
Donny Conn worked in sales while keeping one foot in show
business, singing and doing stand-up comedy and occasionally appearing on
television. One of his routines was a take-off of a typical pompous speaker who
says nothing, but with great authority. An association executive caught his act
one night and asked him to appear at a convention. The success of that
appearance opened up a new frontier for Donny Conn who became a professional
speaker. He died in Malibu, California on September2, 2015 at the age of 85.
As for the other Playmate members; Morey Carr died from
lung cancer in 1987. I am unable to find any news regarding Chick Hetti who was
90 this year.
(Edited mainly from Way back Attack)
1 comment:
For “The Playmates - Having A Fun Time With…” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/11361737/The_Playmates.rar.html
1. JO ANN
2. BEEP BEEP
3. LET'S HAVE A PARTY
4. THE MACARONI SONG
5. WORRY
6. OUR FRIEND
7. THE LADY OR THE TIGER
8. THE THING - A - MA - JIG
9. WHAT A DREAM I HAD
10. WOMEN DRIVERS
11. EGYPT
12. MODERN SCIENCE
13. BAG OF SAND
14. WHAT IS LOVE
15. GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME
16. HERNANDOS' HIDEAWAY
17. YOU'RE JUST IN LOVE
18. JUBILATION T. CORNPONE
19. ONCE IN LOVE WITH AMY
20. THERE IS NOTHIN' LIKE A DAME
21. LUCK BE A LADY
22. SEVENTY - SIX TROMBONES
23. HEART
24. STANDING ON THE CORNER
25. I WHISTLE A HAPPY TUNE
26. YOU CAN FLY! YOU CAN FLY! YOU CAN FLY!
Donny, Morey and Chic of The Playmates have a zest for life! They enjoy what they have been doing and they do it well. Bridging the gap between the younger teenage market and the more conservative adult set The Playmates strike a fine balance with their fun ditties and with great songs like 'Jo Ann' and their novelty 'Beep Beep' kicking off this great collection you can see why.
Novelty act, maybe, but The Playmates were accomplished musicians and on tracks 15 to 26 they turn with ease to Broadway showstoppers such as 'There is Nothin' Like a Dame' and 'Get Me To The Church On Time'.
All the songs on this collection have one thing in common - they are tailor made for these three highly talented young men. These are the types of tunes they have a good time singing and we think that you will have a good time listening to them too! (Jasmine notes)
Post a Comment