Here is an absolute Northern Soul Anthem “Baby Do The Philly Dog”, by The Olympics. This was first recorded in 1967 and we recut it in 1998 when we were filming our marathon six disc, twenty four hour documentary about the entire history of the Northern Soul scene. It has 131 specially recorded performances of all the classics, and is still available on a six disc box set now. The Olympics were a doo-wop group formed in 1957 by lead singer Walter Ward. The group included Eddie Lewis, Charles Fizer, Walter Hammond and Melvin King. They recorded “Western Movies” in the summer of 1958 and made it to No. 8 on the Billboard chart. The song reflected the nation’s preoccupation with western themed movies and television programs. It told the story of a man who lost his girl to TV westerns, and it included doo-wop harmonies as well as background gunshots and ricochet effect. In 1960 the group recorded “(Baby) Hully Gully” which initiated the hully gully dance craze. “Big Boy Pete” which the group also released in 1960, served as inspiration for The Kingsmen’s “Jolly Green Giant”. Over the next 10 years The Olympics recorded upbeat R&B songs, often about dances popular at the time. Fizer was shot and killed during the Watts Riots in 1965. Shortly thereafter, King left the group after his sister died in an accidental shooting. A revamped group continued to record into the early 1970s, but were unable to attain popular chart success after the mid 1960s. They continued to perform on the “oldies group” circuit in the United States and other countries. In 1998, after much searching, we tracked them down to do a one time performance especially for us, for our ground breaking Encyclopaedia Britannica of Northern Soul, and I am so glad that we did. Especially as lead singer Walter Ward passed away since.
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