When I was a kid growing up in North St. Louis—I would often hear the young girls sing and dance, and it seemed like everyone wanted to be in a singing group. This is what I think about, when I hear the young adolescent voice of Frankie Lymon, who I consider to be one of the greatest rock n roll singers. The thirteen year old Frankie Lymon had such an incredible vocal range for a boy of his age, and his ebullience for singing has been rarely matched. There were a lot talented kids in that neighbourhood then - there was often a lot of sing and dancing contests, and the kids - both boys and girls, were often praised for having “talent.” It was the early to mid eighties were just about every young boy wanted to be like Michael Jackson, and dance like him. But as great as he was, Lymon too influenced him.

Frankie Lymon was born in 1942 in Spanish Harlem. His family struggled, and began working in a grocery store at the age of ten, and pimped girls on the side, unbelievably. He was latter invited to join a doo wop group called, “The Teenagers.” At the time he was not the lead singer; but when it came time to record their first and biggest hit, “Why do Fools Fall in Love,”the lead singer Herman Santiago became sick, and Lymon was asked to sing lead.” The song was a huge hit in 1956 and went to number—three on the billboard charts. This made him the first African American teen idol. At thirteen he helped write the song.

Why do birds sing so gay
And lovers awake to the break of day?
Why do they fall in love?
Why does the rain fall from above?
Why do fools fall in love?
Why do they fall in love?

He lost his voice at around sixteen and began singing in a falsetto; also around this time began using heroin. Even though he kept making good songs, was never able to have a hit as big as, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.”

He was a precursor to the girl group sound—because of his high voice, an influence on The Ronettes, The Chiffon’s, Smokey Robinson, the Motown sound which modelled many of its’ artists after Lymon and his group. Being one of the first groups who sang as well as danced in their acts, their choreographer latter worked with The Temptations.

Frankie Lymon had a short, yet powerful and influential career. “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” is an incredibly difficult song to sing—as a testament to its difficulty? Diana Ross—a great singer in her own right tried to cover it the eighties and the song didn’t have a tenth of the power of the original.

After dropping out of the music for some time, he attempted a comeback, in 1968 manager Sam Bray signed him to his Big Apple label in 1968. Lymon celebrated the occasion by taking an accidental overdose of heroin. He was only twenty-six years old when he died, and one of the greatest rock n roll singers who ever lived.

Damion Hamilton lives in St. Louis Missouri. He works in a warehouse you know, so that he can pay for stuff. He had few friends in high school; so he would spend his lunch hour in the school library reading Edgar Allen Poe and encyclopaedias. He didn't really become serious about writing poetry until he was twenty. That's when he read Arthur Rimbaud's, ‘A Season In Hell’ and he's been writing poetry ever since. He walks the streets, or drives around the streets of this city at night: seeing, hearing, feeling and thinking about things. Sometimes he's fortunate enough, to get these things down in a notebook or on a typewriter. To read a selection of Damion’s poetry on the showcase section of this site, click here.

© 2007 Laura Hird All rights reserved.