Danny & the Juniors

Danny & The Juniors are a doo-wop quartet from Philadelphia comprising Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most widely recognized for their hit single "At the Hop", which was released in 1957. They are sometimes erroneously stated as being an Italian-American band (lead singer Danny Rapp was actually of Irish extraction).

The 1960s[]

Danny & the Juniors appeared early in their career on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.

In 1960, the band was signed to Dick Clark's Swan Records label, and they released one more record, "Twistin' USA". It made it into the Top 40, and became their final hit single. They went on to release several more singles, but were not able to repeat their earlier successes.

Dave White left the group in the early 1960s to concentrate on writing and production. White was very successful in this venture, composing a number of hits, including "You Don't Own Me" for Leslie Gore, and "1-2-3" and "Like A Baby" for Len Barry.

In the late 1960s, the Juniors also appeared on Guyden Records, Mercury Records, and Capitol Records, where they re-recorded "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay" in 1968.

The 1970s to the present[]

In 1976, "At the Hop" was re-issued, and it made its way into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. The single was commercially used for the Canadian National Exhibition, changing the words to "Let's go to the Ex" rather than "Let's go to the hop." It was parodied by the band Dash Rip Rock with their single entitled “Let’s Go Smoke Some Pot”, and by NRBQ during the 1973 energy crisis under the title, "Get That Gasoline."

After a few quiet years, Danny Rapp was found dead in a hotel in Arizona on April 5, 1983, of an apparent suicide.

Danny & The Juniors featuring Joe Terry currently tours, with Maffei singing lead, along with Terranova and Maffei's brother, Bobby Maffei.

Frank and Joe currently (from 1 September 2011) present an hour-long Rock'n'Roll radio special for London's Covent Garden Radio in the UK. The Canadian pop group Finrod and the Juniors apparently were inspired by the 1950s doo-wop group Danny and the Juniors, with their style being very similar, including heavy use of harmony background vocals, rolling piano and saxophone fills.

Members[]

Danny Rapp (born Daniel Joseph Rapp, May 9, 1941, Philadelphia - died April 5, 1983) - Lead Tenor vocalist.
Joe Terranova (born Joseph Terranova, January 30, 1941, Philadelphia) - Baritone / Bass vocalist.
Dave White (born Dave White Tricker, September 1, 1939, Philadelphia) - Tenor vocalist.
Frank Maffei (born December 15, 1939 Philadelphia) - Second Tenor vocalist.
Bobby Maffei - Tenor vocalist.