Ronnie & Roy, "Get Up And Let's Dance" c/w "You're Gonna Be Sorry," Capitol F4246 (rel. 7/1959)
No photos of today's performers could be found, save "Plas" Johnson, Capitol Records' top session saxman of the 1950s who's best-known for his slinky performance on Henry Mancini's iconic "Pink Panther Theme." Any time a child is near a piano, there is an 87.2% probability that a halting performance of that tune will occur.
Ronald J. Saunders and Roy Lee Lyons made two rockin' r&b singles for Capitol Records in 1959. Their debut, "Big Fat Sally," got a stereo release on 45 and has been included on compilations of rockabilly records. It was a bold move for Capitol, whose intuitions on rock 'n' roll were often not so keen. Perhaps someone with pull suggested them. Capitol gave them two chances to hit the charts, then let them go. No promotional photos have surfaced; perhaps none were taken. All we have are the records.
Ronald J. Saunders and Roy Lee Lyons made two rockin' r&b singles for Capitol Records in 1959. Their debut, "Big Fat Sally," got a stereo release on 45 and has been included on compilations of rockabilly records. It was a bold move for Capitol, whose intuitions on rock 'n' roll were often not so keen. Perhaps someone with pull suggested them. Capitol gave them two chances to hit the charts, then let them go. No promotional photos have surfaced; perhaps none were taken. All we have are the records.
Here's the duo's second Capitol single, which delivers the rockin' goods. "Get Up And Let's Dance" has a percolating beat, Johnson's solid sax and an alla-the-sudden tempo change for the second verse which ups the excitement with style. Johnson blows a fine solo; when Ronnie and Roy return, Capitol's studio reverb impresses with its buoyancy. It's over before you know it.
The swagger of its mid-tempo beat is engaging, and the two voices sing in fervent, solid harmony on an excellent DJ-friendly side that, alas, went nowhere.
The swagger of its mid-tempo beat is engaging, and the two voices sing in fervent, solid harmony on an excellent DJ-friendly side that, alas, went nowhere.
Cash Box deemed this one chart-worthy; review has an AI feel, decades before its time.
"You're Gonna Be Sorry" is more a ballad, with the results much like those of Specialty Records' Don and Dewey or the early recordings of Sam and Dave. Plas Johnson's sax plays a major part in its arrangement, with a lilting beat that moves this lost-love plaint along well. Though touted as the A-side, this is more a B; "Get Up..." would have proved a better pick for radio exposure. Easy to say 67 years after the fact!
Roy Lee Lyons resurfaced in the early 1980s with his sought-after imprint Lyons Den. Its funk and hip-hop releases, such as "Party Down" by Byron Blue and "Street Talking" by Soulful Ernie and The Royalettes, fetch triple-digit prices 40 years after their brief, unheralded release and may be rarer than many 1950s rockers. Ronald Saunders made no more music after these two 1959 singles. And that's all for this one!
Tomorrow: Texas rockabilly with great harmonies from The Strikes, via a classic 1957 Imperial Records platter.
Tomorrow: Texas rockabilly with great harmonies from The Strikes, via a classic 1957 Imperial Records platter.
"Get Up..." has a Coasters' "Charlie Brown" fun vibe. "You're Gonna Be Sorry" is fun too—a doo-wopper where a stand-up base or a saxophone does the doo-wopping for Ronnie and Roy as they sing their hearts out.
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