"Alley Oop" is a song written by Dallas Frazier. The song, heavily inspired by the V. T. Hamlin-created comic strip of the same name, was first recorded by Frazier as a country tune in 1957.
The Hollywood Argyles recorded the song in 1960 and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was produced by Gary S. Paxton. The lead vocalist on the track was Norm Davis. He was paid a one-time fee of $25 for his work on the single. He is currently a poet...
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"Alley Oop" is a song written by Dallas Frazier. The song, heavily inspired by the V. T. Hamlin-created comic strip of the same name, was first recorded by Frazier as a country tune in 1957.
The Hollywood Argyles recorded the song in 1960 and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was produced by Gary S. Paxton. The lead vocalist on the track was Norm Davis. He was paid a one-time fee of $25 for his work on the single. He is currently a poet and poetry teacher in Rochester, New York.
This version of the story is contested by Gary Paxton on his website at this writing. According to his "liner notes" on the site, Paxton writes:
"There were NO Hollywood Argyles at the very beginning. I [Paxton] was the only lead singer. Kim Fowley helped me produce it, because we were partners in Maverick Music International/BMI at the time... The drummer was Ronnie Silico (Lloyd Price's road drummer). The piano player was Gaynel Hodge of the Penguins. The bass player was Harper Cosby, a jazz...
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