In the early days of rock n' roll, the core audience was kids. The artists they listened to and followed tended to be older. Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino were all in their 20's. Bill Haley had passed the 30 year mark.

Enter Frankie Lymon. Lymon was a street-wise kid at the ripe old age of thirteen. In his thirteen years, Lymon had lived a hard life in Harlem. Histories of the young artist state that he hustled money for booze and drugs by working as a bagger at a grocery store. He also was purported to be a young pimp for prostitutes.  

You will probably remember the song that made him famous. It is one of the most famous doo-wop songs ever recorded and it is the first hit song that was recorded by a "kid" for the kid audience. The recording was made by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. You will recognize it the minute you hear it. I will guess that you probably did not know that the lead singer was a thirteen year old boy and that he was backed by his classmates, some of whom were older. This will take you back to 1956.

This story behind the music does not have a happy ending. Lymon and the group had a few other recordings but nothing that was even close in popularity to Why Do Fools Fall in Love.  The audience lost their interest in his singing and songs and he became more interested in the wild side of life. When his voice changed to that of a man, it did not help matters either. Lymon's career was over by age twenty and he died of a drug overdose in Harlem at age twenty-five. Although he had claimed to have written this hit song, years later it was determined in court that it was actually written by other members of his group.

For more "Stories Behind the Music" click on the guitar

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections