The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The follow-up single, 1959's "Believe Me", hit #26. They recorded two albums, and broke up in 1972.
The term "Short Shorts" was a description Bob Gaudio and Tom Austin had given to the cutoff jeans teenage girls were wearing during the summer of 1957. On that musically fateful afternoon, Gaudio and Austin were driving up Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey in Tom Austin's red and white 1957 Ford Fairlane 500, trying to figure out what to call the latest song they had written for their Rock and Roll band then known as The Royals, later renamed the Royal Teens by record producer and owner, Leo Rodgers. Just then, two girls came strutting out of Luhmann's (the local teenage sweet shop) wearing cutoff jeans that were cut so short they were almost illegal. At that point, the song "Short Shorts" was born.
On the original recording, Tom Austin did the whistle, Billy Dalton mimicked the whistle on guitar, and Billy Crandall said “Man, dig those crazy chicks.” With Tommy on drums, Bobby on piano, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Crandall on sax, along with the female vocal provided by Diana Lee a girl from Leo's stable of talented youngsters, the Royal Teens became a success.
Leo Rogers owned a label named Power Records with Lee Silvers. Before the record was released on Power, Leo made The Royals change their name to Royal Teens because there was another group called The Royals. The Royals reluctantly added Teens to their name.
Before the first rock and roll tour was launched which included The Royal Teens, Billy Crandall had to leave the group because his parents would not allow him to leave school (Crandall was only fourteen years old at the time). Tommy had just graduated from Fort Lee High School, Bob Gaudio's parents decided to allow their son to "temporarily" drop out of school to pursue his dream, and Billy Dalton took a leave of absence from All Hallows High in Manhattan.
Larry Qualiano, a 17-year-old sax player from North Bergen, New Jersey, took Billy Crandall's place and The Royal Teens became whole again, touring with greats like Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Frankie Avalon.
Over the years there have been a number of members of the Royal Teens. One long lasting combination played extensively throughout the New York metropolitan area and was co-managed by band members Bob Baran and James "Dino" Cusumano. The group traveled the U.S. with the early pioneers of rock and roll including those mentioned above and many more. It was put together by Leo Rodgers in 1961 after the original group disbanded. It consisted of Bob Baran on guitar, James "Dino" Cusumano on piano and lead vocalist, Tony Federico on bass, Jack Kopchinski on sax, and Art Perlman on drums. In 1962, they recorded “Short Shorts Twist,” for Jubilee Records as a play on "Short Shorts" and The Twist (song) by Chubby Checker. It was voted hit of the week on Alan Freed's evening show on WINS (AM) radio in New York City, but lost momentum after Freed was forced by WINS management to change from rock and roll to Sinatra music and a similar genre. The group worked major nightclubs in Manhattan, especially the famous Wagon Wheel and rock mogul Morris Levy's Camelot Lounge, often fronted by Alan Freed before he was deposed to California for his alleged involvemnet in the payola scandal.
The group made a comeback in 1969 after changing some members—Sonny Bongiorno to sax, Gene Wasylick to guitar, Bob Baran moved to bass, and Joe Loria to drums. Dino remained as lead vocalist. Executives at Musicor Records impressed with the musical and vocal drive of “Short Shorts Twist,” offered the group a contract to record an album called “Newies But Oldies.” It was produced by Les Paul, Jr., son of Les Paul, jazz guitarist and inventor of the solid-body electric guitar.
The album concept was created by co-producers, Bill and Steve Jerome. It was a compilation of sensational hits of the 1960s sung to melodies of songs that were big hits in the 1950s. The concept had never been done before so the producers were intensely concerned about the group discussing the album with anyone until its release.
In early 1970, “Newies But Oldies” was released with a single from the album, as well. The “A-side” was Hey Jude by the Beatles sung to the melody of In the Still of the Night by the Five Satins. The “B-Side” was “Smile A Little Smile for Me, Rosemarie,” done like Little Darlin by the Diamonds. In many ways, like "Short Shorts" and “Short Shorts Twist,” the album concept was a novelty and was played heavily by DJs in the New York metropolitan area.
In 1972, members of the group having long since left their teen years, changed the group's name to Dino—Take Five, and in 1973 to Take Five, when Dino left the group and moved to California. Subsequently, Bob Baran left the group to practice law as a corporate patent attorney, and the group continued to play for some years as Take Five.
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Famous quotes containing the words royal and/or teens:
“Vanessa wanted to be a ballerina. Dad had such hopes for her.... Corin was the academically brilliant one, and a fencer of Olympic standard. Everything was expected of them, and they fulfilled all expectations. But I was the one of whom nothing was expected. I remember a game the three of us played. Vanessa was the President of the United States, Corin was the British Prime Minister—and I was the royal dog.”
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“Traditionally parents have wondered what their teens were doing, but now teens are much more likely to be doing things that can get them killed.”
—Mary Pipher (20th century)