Danny And The Juniors



Philadelphia high school students Danny Rapp, Dave White, Joe Terranova, and Frank Maffei started singing together in 1955 as The Juvenairs. The boys were fans of the local Rhythm And Blues radio stations where they heard the first stirrings of a new music soon to become known as Rock 'n' Roll. The four teens quickly decided to become part of the new movement and began to perform the new songs as well as their own original material at school dances, local clubs and restaurants. At one such dance party in 1957, Dick Clark heard them perform a song they called "Do The Bop", a tune about the latest dance craze. Clark told the boys that the dance would soon be on the way out and persuaded them to change the words to "At The Hop". Clark had the group perform it on his TV show, American Bandstand, which gave the song national exposure. That appearance resulted in a recording deal with ABC-Paramount. Before long "At the Hop" had topped the U.S. charts for five weeks and sold 2 million copies around the globe. It quickly became a hit on five continents, reaching #1 on the Pop, Country and Rhythm And Blues charts. It stands today as the #23 all-time biggest record according to The Billboard Magazine List Of #1 Hits.

With the success of "At The Hop", Danny And The Juniors began touring with the other early founders of American Rock In Roll such as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Platters in the famous Alan Freed Big Beat Show, as well as appearing at many of the nations top nightclubs, arenas and fairs. The follow up to "At The Hop" was "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay", which became a Rock 'n' Roll anthem in the '50s. The song was written in response to attacks against Rock 'n' Roll music that included a Rock record smashing party sponsored by St Louis radio station, KWK. The tune rose to number 19 and was the group's only other US Top Twenty hit. They did however, place nine more songs on Billboard's Hot 100, including "Dottie" (#39 in 1958) and "Twistin' USA" (#27 in 1960.

When the '60s brought the British Invasion, the group struggled to gain another hit. They even tried to capitalize on their early success with a track called "Back to the Hop", but by then, time had passed them by. Dave White left the group and concentrated on producing and songwriting. He composed a number of hits, including "You Don't Own Me" for Lesley Gore and "1-2-3" and "Like a Baby" for Len Barry. He released an album of his own called "Pastel, Paint, Pencil and Ink" in 1971, but couldn't mount a successful solo career. Danny And The Juniors played the oldies circuit and continued to record for Guyden Records, Mercury Records, and Luv Records, where they re-recorded "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay" in 1968. In 1973, they re-did "At The Hop" for Crunch Records, which was owned by the same company that owned their ABC-Paramount Records master recordings.

After experiencing the highs and lows of the Rock 'n' Roll business, Danny Rapp's life came to a tragic ending. On Saturday, April 2nd 1983, he checked into the Yacht Club Motel in Quartzsite, Arizona and was seen drinking heavily in one of the two bars in town. Sometime later, he bought a .25-caliber automatic from a private individual. Danny was found in his hotel room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head on Sunday, April 3rd. He was just 41 years old, and left behind a wife and two sons.

In 1992, MCA' released "Rockin' With Danny And The Juniors" and in 1997, Collectibles released "Danny And The Juniors - Classic Golden Greats". The Juniors kept on recording, and in 1995 found success when "Stranger On The Shore" received air play on many radio stations. Subsequently they released six more singles, three of which charted on Cashbox. "Queen Of The Hop" climbed to #32, and in 2010 they reached #3 with a John Cafferty song, "House On Fire". All the while, the group still appeared at theatres, clubs, casinos, fairs and festivals. Their wholesome, fun-loving stage show consisted of comedy, impressions, bright costumes and audience participation, while still preserving their rich history.

On May 23rd, 2011, 53 years after they scored with "At The Hop", The Juniors amazed everyone in the industry by scoring a number one record on the Cashbox Magazine Beach Music chart with "First Kiss To The Last". On September 1st of that year, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova started an hour-long Rock 'n' Roll radio special for London's Covent Garden Radio in the U.K. Danny And The Juniors featuring Joe Terry were still touring in the Summer of 2011, with Maffei singing lead, along with Terranova and Maffei's brother, Bobby Maffei. Danny And The Juniors were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003, and into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame on November 22nd, 2013.

David White died on March 16th, 2019, at the age of 79. Joe Terry died on April 15th, 2019. He was 78.

For an in depth look at the group, be sure to read Gary James' interview with
Joe Terranova of Danny And The Juniors.