Before Tamla/Motown, there was Cameo/Parkway. A groundbreaking Philadelphia imprint, the label churned out an astonishing number of huge hits (most written in-house) during its 12-year heyday and turned a gaggle of unknown young locals into stars. Sound familiar?

Although primarily remembered for its myriad dance craze hits, the catalogue actually encompasses the whole of rock’s golden era: instrumentals, novelties, doo wop, girl groups, soul, teen idols, British Invasion, garage bands and bubblegum, etc. Label honchos Bernie Lowe, Kal Mann and Dave Appell spared no expense, releasing singles with beautiful colour picture sleeves and flooding the market with an unprecedented torrent of LPs.

Cameo-Parkway material has been unavailable for decades, and collectors have waited impatiently for many years for the hits to make their digital debut. A label overview in 2005 and a few subsequent hits packages skimmed the surface. Out this month on Ace are 10 full albums on five CDs, along with a compilation of vocal group classics. The floodgates are now open, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Cameo/Parkway’s contributions to the doo wop songbook included hits by classic groups the Dovells, the Tymes and the Rays, but the label also provided a home for genre stars such as the Skyliners, Lee Andrews, the Turbans, the Roomates, the Gainors (with future soul luminary Garnet Mimms) and Pookie Hudson & the Spaniels. “Remember Me Baby: Cameo/Parkway Vocal Groups Vol 1” features those groups and more, a treasury of harmony jewels.

By Dennis Garvey (Ace Records)

1 LET IT PLEASE BE YOU
Rick & The Masters
2 THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN
The Skyliners
3 THE MOUNTAINS
The Sequins
4 THERE GOES THE BOY
The Lydells
5 I DON'T WANT YOUR LOVE
Rick & The Masters
6 SHORT ON BREAD
The Dovells
7 I LAUGHED SO HARD
The Defenders
8 SANDRA BABY
The Gleems aka The Jaynells
9 GOLDEN RINGS
The Turbans
10 SUNDAY KIND OF LOVE
The Roommates
11 TEARS IN MY HEART
The Impacs
12 REMEMBER ME BABY
Billy & The Essentials
13 DID YOU EVER GET MY LETTER?
The Tymes
14 WHEN YOU DANCE
The Turbans
15 RAINING TEARDROPS
The Anglos
16 YOU MUST BE AN ANGEL
The Gainors
17 TURN OUT THE LIGHTS
Pookie Hudson & The Spaniels
18 GEE, BUT I'M LONESOME
Lee Andrews
19 EVERYONE BUT YOU
The Skyliners
20 TRIANGLE
The Rays
21 A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING
The Roommates
22 FLAME OF LOVE
Rick & The Masters
23 TO CRY
The Expressions
24 DOWN BY THE OCEAN
The Exceptions

17.00 €