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a brief history
One night in 1956, an event
occurred in Southwest Philly that would prove to have a profound
impact on the world of rock and roll. Johnny Madara, a recording
artist with a chart record, heard the compelling voices of
some street corner singers as they drifted through his bedroom
window. By the next day, he’d discovered that the group
was called “The Juvenaires,” that they were formed
and headed by Dave White, and that they were already performing
at local church dances, nightclubs and talent shows. A partnership
was quickly formed between Madara and White,
and history was in the making.
That same year, John and Dave wrote a song called “Do
The Bop.” On the advice of Dick Clark, who had just gone
national with American Bandstand, the title and the lyrics
were changed to “At The Hop," Dave and his renamed
group, “Danny and the Juniors,” recorded it, and
by Christmas of 1957, it has reached the top of the charts.
The song had an astounding impact on the youth of the 50s,
and has had a compelling effect on every generation since.
Even today, the mere mention of “At The Hop” conjures
instant worldwide recognition of all that the song symbolizes
– the birth of rock and roll…the innocence of youth…the
carefree, magical days of the 50s.
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John's memories
When I met Dave White I was 19 years
old and he was 16 years old. We hit it off right away.
We used to sing hit songs together, getting to know each other
musically and what we liked. We were two young boys with
fertile minds. Dave was like a younger brother to me.
I think he respected the fact that I had a hit record out.
When I was married, he would come over to our house, hang
out, and have dinner with us. One thing I remember about
Dave in those early years was that he always needed shoes.
After Danny and the Juniors' success, Dave went on the road
for two years. I opened up a record shop in the black
section of town. I would go out to promote records at
local record hops, which is where Dave and I met up again.
Dave was tired of going on the road and wanted to stay put
for a while. He began coming to my record shop and we
started to write songs together. I had a piano in the
back room. I would bring artists in and Dave and I would
write songs for them. This is where we met Maureen Gray.
There was a group called Carl and the Commanders who was our
house band. They did back-up for Maureen and also played
on many of our other songs.
Dave
and I wrote over 280 songs together. We complimented
each other and respected each other's individual talents and
contributions. Although our careers would go in different
directions, Dave and I have continued to keep in touch.
It's impossible to express my deep affection and respect that
I have for Dave. We could never have had the success
we had without each other. I am grateful for that and
proud to call him my friend.
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what happened next?
What
followed “At The Hop’s” enormous success were
years of other hit songs that would be recognized not just
for their meteoric rise in the charts, but also via inclusion
in many feature films and TV shows and through the performances
and recordings of other artists and celebrities. Among the
many mega-hits contributing to more than 200 million in sales
of Madara/White records have been
“Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay” (Danny and The Juniors),
“The Fly” (Chubby Checker), “1-2-3”
(Len Barry) and “You Don’t Own Me” (Lesley
Gore). And while the Madara/White
songs have appeared on some of the biggest grossing soundtrack
albums ever via such feature films as “American Graffiti,”
“Grease,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Hairspray,”
“Woodstock”, and “Mr. Holland’s Opus,”
it was the 1996 hit film “The First Wives Club”
that paid the contemporary power of their talent the ultimate
compliment by not only featuring “You Don’t Own
Me,” but by making it the theme of the movie.
John Recently produced an album for Tony Danza, "The
House I Live In," which combined Big Band and Swing,
and was arranged by the great Artie Butler. He continues to
work with young artists, writing and producing music and maintaining
the sound that is uniquely his own.
In 1992, as an original member of Danny and The Juniors, Dave
was inducted into the Hall of Fame and the Walk of Fame in
his hometown by the Philadelphia Music Alliance. In 2003,
Danny and The Juniors were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall
of Fame. Dave continues to work with young artists,
producing albums with songs written by him and his wife,
Sandra.
John
and Dave are currently working on a feature film, "At
The Hop," as well as "At The Hop -- a musical featuring
the songs of Madara/White."
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