Norman Fox & The Rob Roys

Originating in Manhattan, New York City, the rock ‘n’ roll vocal group scored their lone hit with the 1957 single ‘Tell Me Why’. Its five members—lead tenor Norm Fox, tenor Bobby Troutman, second tenor Andre Lilly, baritone Bobby Thierer, and bass Buzz Halfan—all attended Dewitt Clinton High School. Their recordings were issued, unexpectedly, on Backbeat, the Houston, Texas imprint that functioned as a subsidiary of Don Robey’s Duke label. The 1958 follow-up ‘Dance Girl Dance’ made no commercial impression, and a 1959 Hammer release, ‘Pizza Pie’ (later reissued on Capitol), likewise failed to attract listeners, leading to the group’s dissolution soon afterward. In the late 80s Fox and Thierer reassembled the Rob-Roys with three new singers and cut several a cappella sides for the Starlight label.