- The Medallions
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The Medallions were a rhythm and blues band led by Vernon Green (1937-2000). They were the first doo-wop group to record for Dootone Records. Their first release, "Buick 59," (based on Todd Rhodes's double-entendre R&B hit "Rocket 88") was backed with a ballad called "The Letter." "The Letter" contained the nonsense lyric, "the 'puppetutes' of love," which was later picked up by the Steve Miller Band as "the pompatus of love" and used in their song "The Joker".[1]
Frank Zappa (interviewed on the Pop Chronicles documentary)[2] expressed respect for their song, "Edna".[3]
Since the death of Vernon Green, in 2000, the group has been "reconstituted" by several musicians and singers who backed up, and/or recorded with Green prior to his death.
The song "Annie Had A Baby", written by Hank Ballard, was released by Edwards & Wilson Entertainment Inc., and received "Song of the Year", and "Group of the Year" 2007-08, by a vote of over 50,000 musicians/artists worldwide who are members of Music Forte.
A second single, written by William A. Collins, "Watcha Gonna Do?", was released to Secondary Market Radio Stations on February 28, 2008.
References
- ^ In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love", The Straight Dope, October 25, 1996
- ^ Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4] : UNT Digital Library
- ^ Youtube - Vernon Green & The Medallions - Edna
Categories:- American rhythm and blues musical groups
- Apex Records artists
- United States R&B musical group stubs
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