Little Caesar & the Romans
Encyclopedia
Little Caesar & the Romans were an American musical group from Los Angeles
active briefly in the 1960s.
The group began recording in 1959 as The Cubans, but changed their name to The Upfronts after the political crisis in Cuba
. They had three hits: the first and biggest was the nostalgic
tune "Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You)", a #9 Pop
and #28 R&B hit in 1961. "Those Oldies But Goodies" was written by Paul Politi. The follow-up, "Hully Gully Again", hit #54, and subsequent release "Memories of those Oldies but Goodies" Bubbled Under at #101. They also released a full-length album on Del-Fi Records
.
The group's live act sometimes included wearing toga
s on stage. They broke up in 1962, at least partly due to an argument between lead singer Carl Barnett and member David Johnson (who performed the spoken-word portion of "Those Oldies but Goodies") as to which of them was Little Caesar. In 1975, Johnson put together a new Little Caesar And The Romans and recorded a single called "Disco Hully Gully". For a while they toured as Marvin Gaye
's opening act.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
active briefly in the 1960s.
The group began recording in 1959 as The Cubans, but changed their name to The Upfronts after the political crisis in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. They had three hits: the first and biggest was the nostalgic
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
tune "Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You)", a #9 Pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #28 R&B hit in 1961. "Those Oldies But Goodies" was written by Paul Politi. The follow-up, "Hully Gully Again", hit #54, and subsequent release "Memories of those Oldies but Goodies" Bubbled Under at #101. They also released a full-length album on Del-Fi Records
Del-Fi Records
Del-Fi Records was a record label based in Hollywood, California and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was no 4101 "Caravan" by Henri Rose released in 1958; however, the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. Valens' first single for the label was "Come On Let's Go"...
.
The group's live act sometimes included wearing toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
s on stage. They broke up in 1962, at least partly due to an argument between lead singer Carl Barnett and member David Johnson (who performed the spoken-word portion of "Those Oldies but Goodies") as to which of them was Little Caesar. In 1975, Johnson put together a new Little Caesar And The Romans and recorded a single called "Disco Hully Gully". For a while they toured as Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's opening act.
Members
- David Caesar Johnson
- Leroy Saunders
- Johnny O'Simmons
- Early Harris
- Carl Barnett