Released on: August 22, 2008, 2:03 am

Press Release Author: Grant Williams

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: Those Oldies But Goodies soared in popularity to ninth place
in the national billboard rankings in 1961.

Press Release Body: Los Angeles, CA, August 22, 2008 -- Grant Williams CEO of Memory
Lane Concert Cruises today announced. The prestigious Little Caesar and the Romans
will be among the twelve groups appearing on the legendary West Coast Doo Wop
Cruise. Songwriter Paul Politi originally wrote and intended vocalist Sonny Knight
to released Those Oldies But Goodies. said Williams.

Little Caesar and the Romans where first called the Cubans. Featuring David Caesar
Johnson, Leroy Sanders, Johnny O\' Simmons and Early Harris. The group first recorded
in 1959 but when Cuba underwent a political revolution that same year the group
changed their name to the Upfronts. Carl Burnett than a close friend of Johnson's
recalls his days at Virgil Junior High and later at Los Angeles Fremont High. I also
had a group of my own, singing with the Donald and Dwayne Haddegs and a good friend
of ours whose last name was Stokes, we called him Stokeabean.\" (said Burnett }The
group performed mostly past R&B hits like \"Over the Mountain\" \"A Thousand Miles
Away\" and \"In the Still of the Night.\"

Although they never recorded another Fremont High student, Cad Coates, and his group
The Marathons gave Burnett and Johnson encouragement watching them performing at the
school's track meets. While still in high school, Burnett and his friend David
Johnson attended a party at the home of songwriter Paul Politi who wrote \"Those
Oldies But Goodies.\" Who was trying everybody out to record it but just could not
come up with anyone he wanted yet. I knew David also loved singing Doo Wop and I
said to Politi let my friend try it with me also. Although David was talking to a
girl and appeared vary involved at the time. I finally managed to drug him over to
the microphone to sing the song with me. When we started everyone started clapping\".
(said Burnett). Politi went to the studio the next day, and a week later, they
invited Carl and David and some of the girls from the party to do that song and
called our background group The Romans.' (The \"Little Caesar' part would be a later
addition).

Paul Politi originally wrote and intended vocalist Sonny Knight to released "Those
Oldies But Goodies who Politi admired. A friend mentioned to Politi the song would
be great for Art Laboe. Who was a deejay who was then airing many tunes which were
originally popular on the West Coast between 1953 and 1957 who would refer to them
as his \"oldies but goodies. A year or two passed by before the party at Polite 5
house, which again brought Poiiti with Carl Burnett together again. Eventually
resulted in the first auditions of the tune for Laboe. But there were a couple of
key changes in the song, according to Poiiti. \"I recorded the first demo with the
feel of in the \"Still of the Night\". But it didn't have the bridge or talking part I
like it, but I don't like the group.\" (Said Laboe) and than requested Politi to try
to get Sonny Knight. While Laboe procrastinating, Politi instead took the song to
Lew Bedell of Dare Records. He, too, liked the song but thought it sounded too much
like \"Dedicated to the One I Love,\"

They finally brought the song to Del-Fl label owner Bob Keane, who \"went crazy over
it,\" recalled Carl Burnett, Who by this time had been with ex-Cubans David Johnson,
Simmons and Saunders. They rushed into the studio that evening to record the number.
The backup musicians assembled and laid down their track separately. With Bruce
Johnston arranging, the band included Charles Wright on piano and overdubbed bass
guitar and Paul Politi on drums. Barry White was to be on piano, but he did not show
up for the session. The songs release was in the early spring of 1961, and it took
off like a rocket. One of the first deejays to plug it was Dick \"Huggy Boy\" whose
radio show then emanated from the Flash Record Shop on L.A's East Vernon Avenue.
Fittingly, it had had been Flash's owner, Charlie Reynolds, who had first recorded
The Cubans in 1959. In the east, Pittsburgh deejay Porky Chedwick was instrumental
in breaking the record nationally. It reached number 9 on Billboard's national
chart.

Little Caesar and the Romans shortly after charting again to number 54 with \"Hully
Gully Again.\" But it was to be their last fling at fame before the group disbanding
in 1962. Except for an LP by the group entitled \"Memories of Those Oldies But
Goodies\", produced by Fred Smith. The album featured the group's two hits and a
series of remakes of songs made famous by other artists including \"Work With Me
Annie,\" \"I Need You So, \"CC. Rider\" and \"Little Star\". By this time, however,
frequent quarrels between Johnson and Burnett over who should take the name of
'Little Caesar\" ended in the group's breakup. (Johnson thought he merited the name
because of his spoken bridges in various songs, though Burnett was the group's main
lead singer.) In 1975, Johnson put together a new Little Caesar And The Romans and
recorded a single called \"Disco Hully Gully\". For a while, they toured as Marvin
Gaye\'s opening act and in the late 70s, one of the backing singers for the group was
Rickie Lee Jones. Carl and David are now performing again as Little Caesar and the
Romans.

On April 19 2009, Little Caesar and the Romans will perform on Carnival cruise lines
newest and most innovative ship in the world the Splendor. Sailing from Los Angeles
to the Mexican Riviera on a 7-day cruise. There has never been a Doo Wop event this
spectacular on the West Coast in over fifty years.

Memory Lane Concert Cruises is musical theme cruise operator. Offering world-class
concerts of performing artists in an array of music styles aboard luxury liners.
http://www.mlccruises.com
Press release Submission by PressReleasePoint(http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/)

Contact:
Grant Williams
Memory Lane Concert Cruises
Los Angeles, CA,
44222656
grant@cognifast.com
http://www.mlccruises.com

Web Site: http://www.mlccruises.com

Contact Details: Memory Lane Concert Cruises
Los Angeles, CA,