The Playmates
Encyclopedia
The Playmates were a late 1950s vocal
group, led by the pianist
Chic Hetti (born Carl Cicchetti, 26 February 1930), drummer
; Donny Conn (born Donald Claps, 29 March 1930); and Morey Carr (born 31 July 1932), all from Waterbury
, Connecticut
.
, After graduation began touring The USA and Canada small lounges and night clubs in 1952 originally as the "Nitwits" later as the Playmates.
Signed to Roulette Records
in 1958 as the label's first vocal group,Anticapting 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 surprise #4 hit
(July 9, 1958) with the tempo-changing novelty record "Beep, Beep" - which became a regular spin for Dr. Demento
.
The "Beep, Beep
" song was on the Billboard
Top 40
chart
for twelve weeks. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. Concurrently with this song, American Motors
(AMC) was setting production and sales records for the Rambler models. Because of a directive by the BBC
that songs do not include brand
names in its lyrics
, a version of "Beep Beep" was recorded for the Europe
an market replacing the Cadillac
and Nash Rambler
with the generic terms limousine
and bubble car
.
They followed up with a chart listing single in 1959 with "What Is Love" and then again in 1960 with "Wait For Me". After four album
s for Roulette, the novelty group — which was known for its between-song comedy
and banter as much for its repertoire — broke up in 1965.
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
group, led by the pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Chic Hetti (born Carl Cicchetti, 26 February 1930), drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
; Donny Conn (born Donald Claps, 29 March 1930); and Morey Carr (born 31 July 1932), all from Waterbury
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Career
The Playmates, Donald Claps (a/k/a Donny Conn) drummer and lyricist, Carl Cicchetti (a/k/a Chic Hetti) pianist music composer and Morey Cohen (a/k/a Morey Carr) lead vocalist were an instrumental and vocal trio all from Waterbury Connecticut and in the early-1950s at the University of ConnecticutUniversity of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, After graduation began touring The USA and Canada small lounges and night clubs in 1952 originally as the "Nitwits" later as the Playmates.
Signed to Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
in 1958 as the label's first vocal group,Anticapting a Calypso craze the group recorded an album called Playmates Visit the West Indies. They then released two notable top 40 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
— "Jo-Ann" and "Don't Go Home" — before having a surprise #4 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
(July 9, 1958) with the tempo-changing novelty record "Beep, Beep" - which became a regular spin for Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
.
The "Beep, Beep
Beep Beep (song)
"Beep Beep" is a song by The Playmates. The song describes a duel between the drivers of a Cadillac and a Nash Rambler on the road.The song is an example of accelerando, in which the tempo of the song gradually increases throughout the song.-Charts:...
" song was on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top 40
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...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
for twelve weeks. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. Concurrently with this song, American Motors
American Motors
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
(AMC) was setting production and sales records for the Rambler models. Because of a directive by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that songs do not include brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
names in its lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, a version of "Beep Beep" was recorded for the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an market replacing the Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
and Nash Rambler
Nash Rambler
The Nash Rambler was a North American automobile produced by the Nash Motors division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation from 1950–55.The Nash Rambler established a new segment in the automobile market and is widely acknowledged to be the first successful modern American compact...
with the generic terms limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
and bubble car
Bubble car
Bubble car is a subjective term used for some small, economical automobiles, usually produced in the 1950s and 1960s.- Varieties :The Messerschmitt KR175 and KR200, and the FMR Tg500, had aircraft-style bubble canopies, giving rise to the term bubble car to refer to all these post-war microcars...
.
They followed up with a chart listing single in 1959 with "What Is Love" and then again in 1960 with "Wait For Me". After four album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s for Roulette, the novelty group — which was known for its between-song comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and banter as much for its repertoire — broke up in 1965.