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Danny and the Juniors
Danny & The Juniors, individually Frank Maffei,
Danny Rapp, Joe Terranova and Dave White, began singing together in the early 1950's at
ages 13 and 14 in Philadelphia where they were fans of the local rhythm and blues radio
stations. it was there they heard the first stirrings of a new music soon to become
known as Rock 'n Roll. The Juvenaires, as they were called then, quickly decided to
become part of the new movement and began to perform the new songs as well as their own
original material at school dance, local clubs and restaurants.
At that time, record companies were engaged in a frenzied
search for young people who could perform the new music. It wasn't very long before they
discovered the youths, re-named them Danny & The Juniors and recorded them singing one
of their own original songs called At The Hop.
 The song quickly became a
monumental hit on five continents reaching #1 on the pop, country and rhythm and blues
charts. It stands today as the #23 all-time biggest record according to The Billboard
Magazine List Of #1 Hits. The Group immediately followed with another hit, Rock And Roll
Is Here To Stay, which became an anthem of the era, plus dance classics Twistin' USA and
Pony Express. These were the first of a string of eleven charted recordings.
Early in 1958 Dick Clark presented Danny And The Juniors with a
gold record for At The Hop on American Bandstand, the first of many awards and accolades
they would receive over their career, including Best New Group of 1957 and, more recently,
the prestigious Philadelphia Music Alliance Achievement Award.
With the success of At The Hop, Danny And The Juniors began
touring with the other early legends and founders of American Rock In Roll such as: Fats
Domino, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Platters
in the famous Alan Freed Big Beat Show, as well as appearing at many of the nations top
nightclubs, arenas and fairs. To this day they have traveled millions of miles and
entertained millions of people in all fifty states, Canada, Europe, South America and
Asia.
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