Five years after their rock ‘n roll classic “At the Hop,” Danny and the Juniors recorded “Oo-La-La Limbo” and “Now and Then” (Guyden 2076) with producers Johnny Madara and Dave White, the original team that put them into rock ‘n roll immortality. Dave White was also a Junior singing tenor along with tenors Bobby and Frank Maffei and baritone/bass Joe Terranova and lead tenor Danny Rapp. Johnny Madara was scheduled to record the song but already had a label deal and turned “At the Hop” over to his mates. It was originally called “Do the Bop,” but Dick Clark suggested latching on to the new local Philadelphia dance phenomenon, the weekend record hop, where high-school kids gathered to dance to the latest sounds.
Like numerous other local disc jockeys like Joe Niagara, Hy Lit, Jerry Stevens and Bill Wright, Sr., of WIBG, Dick Clark used the record hops to test new music for his American Bandstand show as well as keep up with the latest trends and enthusiasms of Philly teenagers. Madara and White teamed up to become a fabled producing and writing duo. They got their start on Jamie and Guyden records, where they were inhouse producers for the Sherrys, Maureen Gray, Little Billy and the Essentials and other early 60s groups. At the time they ploughed the fertile field of new dances that fed American Bandstand and local record hops, but were able to move on to more meaningful songs, like “You Don’t Own Me” for Lesley Gore.
