Initially formed in 1955 as The Juvenairs, their song, “Do the Bop,” came to the attention of Dick Clark, who suggested that they rename it “At the Hop”. The song was not initially a success, but after being played on Clark’s Bandstand, it was picked up by ABC-Paramount Records, and stayed at the top of the U.S. charts for seven weeks. It went on to sell over two million copies worldwide. The song was followed by the similar sounding “Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here To Stay,” which also made it into the Top 20. In 1960, Danny and the Juniors were 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. In 1976, “At the Hop” was re-issued, and it made its way into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. After a few quiet years, Danny Rapp was found dead in a hotel in Arizona on April 5, 1983, of an apparent suicide. |
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