The Rocky Fellers
Encyclopedia
Stanley Kahn discovered The Rocky Fellers, a pop
/rock
band
in the 1960s, and signed them to Scepter Records
. The group was composed of four Filipino
brothers: Tony, Junior, Eddie, and Albert Maligmat, and their father, Doroteo "Moro" Maligmat. They had a hit single
called "Killer Joe", written
by Bert Russell and Bob Elgin in 1963. The song was inspired by famed dance instructor and "King of the Discotheque," Killer Joe Piro
. It has many similarities to the chorus of the Mickey and Sylvia hit, "Love is Strange
."
"Killer Joe" reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
in April 1963. They followed up with another Bob Elgin song called "Like the Big Guys Do". Among their other recordings was a Christmas novelty song, "Santa, Santa", written by a then-unknown songwriter, Neil Diamond
. The Rocky Fellers faded quickly from the music scene in the mid-1960s, due primarily to the arriving British Invasion
bands.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
in the 1960s, and signed them to Scepter Records
Scepter Records
Scepter Records is a record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. She had just sold Tiara Records with The Shirelles for $4000 to Decca Records. When The Shirelles didn't produce any hits for Decca, they were given back to Greenberg, who promptly signed them. By 1961 Greenberg launched a...
. The group was composed of four Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
brothers: Tony, Junior, Eddie, and Albert Maligmat, and their father, Doroteo "Moro" Maligmat. They had a hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
called "Killer Joe", written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Bert Russell and Bob Elgin in 1963. The song was inspired by famed dance instructor and "King of the Discotheque," Killer Joe Piro
Killer Joe Piro
Frank "Killer Joe" Piro was a dance instructor to high society and popularized steps of the discotheque era of the 1960s and 1970s.- Early life :...
. It has many similarities to the chorus of the Mickey and Sylvia hit, "Love is Strange
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The co-writers of the song are of some dispute...
."
"Killer Joe" reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
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...
in April 1963. They followed up with another Bob Elgin song called "Like the Big Guys Do". Among their other recordings was a Christmas novelty song, "Santa, Santa", written by a then-unknown songwriter, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
. The Rocky Fellers faded quickly from the music scene in the mid-1960s, due primarily to the arriving British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
bands.