The Rocketones: (Brooklyn, New York)
Biography:
The Rocketones were an R&B group started at Junior High School in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Bill Witt (lead), Allen Days (first tenor), Ronald Johnson (second tenor), Harold Chapman (baritone) and Arthur Blackman (bass) originally titled themselves the Avalons, and practiced hard to perfect their vocal blend.
After numerous attempts the group finally found a sympathetic hearing at Melba Records, who signed the band in 1956. However, it took some time before their sole single, ‘Mexico’/‘Dee I’, was released, and when it was they discovered Melba Records’ boss Marty Croft had credited the band as the Rocketones. With its distinctive bull-fighting intro, ‘Mexico’ proved popular on New York radio, but was never followed up. Both Days and Johnson were later drafted while Witt joined the Paragons. The Rocketones’ solitary recording is now something of a legend in doo-wop nostalgia circles.