The Playmates


The Playmates were an American late 1950s vocal group led by the pianist Chic Hetti, drummer Donny Conn, and Morey Carr, all from Waterbury, Connecticut, United States.

Career

The Playmates—Donald Claps, drummer and lyricist; Carl Cicchetti, pianist music composer; and Morey Cohen, lead vocalist—were an instrumental and vocal trio, from Waterbury, Connecticut, and, in the early 1950s, at the University of Connecticut. After graduation in 1952, they began touring small lounges and night clubs in the United States and Canada, originally as "the Nitwits", later as the Playmates.
Signed to Roulette Records in 1958 as the label's first vocal group, and anticipating a Calypso craze, the group recorded an album called Playmates Visit the West Indies. They then released two notable Top 40 singles—"Jo-Ann" and "Don't Go Home"—before having a number 4 hit with the tempo-changing novelty song "Beep Beep", which became a regular feature for Dr. Demento.
The "Beep Beep" song was on the Billboard Top 40 chart for twelve weeks. It sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Concurrently with the popularity of "Beep Beep", American Motors Corporation was setting production and sales records for the Rambler models. Because of a directive by the BBC at the time that songs did not include brand names in their lyrics, a version of "Beep Beep" was recorded for the European market, replacing the Cadillac and Nash Rambler with the generic terms limousine and bubble car.
The group followed up with a chart listing single in 1959 with "What Is Love" and then again in 1960 with "Wait For Me". After four albums for Roulette, the novelty group—known for its between-song comedy and banter as much for its repertoire—broke up in 1965. Morey Carr died from lung cancer in 1987. Donald Claps died in Malibu, California, on September 2, 2015, at the age of 85.

Discography

Singles

Album
;Side one
  1. "Jo-Ann" – 2:35
  2. "Your Love" – 2:09
  3. "Darling It's Wonderful" – 2:35
  4. "Substitute for Love" – 2:13
  5. "Magic Shoes" – 2:10
  6. "While the Record Goes Around" – 2:10
;Side two
  1. "Beep Beep" – 3:01
  2. "The Day I Died" – 2:20
  3. "Give Me Another Chance" – 2:25
  4. "Lovable" – 2:16
  5. "Intimate" – 2:20
  6. "Don't Go Home" – 2:30