Biography
The Danderliers, unrelated to the Danleers, invented their name as a nod to the dandelion in an effort to distinguish themselves from the many doo wop acts then using car or bird titles. James Campbell, who sang lead on the slower material, Dallas Taylor, who handled the uptempo leads, Bernard Dixon on first tenor, Walter Stephenson on baritone, and Richard Thomas on bass first assembled near Cottage Grove between 60th and 68th Streets on Chicago’s South Side in early 1955. All had attended either Chicago Vocational High School or Englewood High School; after graduation they rehearsed in nearby Washington Park. Their early influences included the blues-leaning R&B of the Dells, the Du Droppers, and the Dominos, and later the Moroccos, who shared their label.
Repeated visits to United Records produced only rejections. After one such dismissal the members gathered in the park to rehearse a number that evolved into “Chop Chop Boom.” Passing by, Sam Smith of United Records overheard them and took the singers to his brother Al Smith’s basement rehearsal space. There they refined both that song and the ballad “My Autumn Love,” both written by Dallas Taylor; the pair became the group’s debut release on United’s States imprint.
By the first week of April 1955 “My Autumn Love” reached Chicago radio, and many disc jockeys also turned over the record to play “Chop Chop Boom.” Both sides entered the Billboard R&B charts, peaking at number ten on the Disc Jockey list and number 14 on the Best Seller list. Mercury Records had the Crew-Cuts record their own version, issued as the flip of “Don't Be Angry,” which reached number 14 on the R&B charts in spring 1955. The Danderliers performed the minor hit throughout Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, and Ohio, supplementing it with covers such as “Glory of Love” by the 5 Keys, “Jump Children” by the Flamingos, and “Pardon My Tears” by their former schoolmates and current labelmates the Moroccos.
States issued the group’s second single, “New Way,” in the third week of July. On this cha-cha rocker Taylor and the others repeated the line “Dally’s got a new way,” Dally being Dallas Taylor’s nickname. When a label employee inquired what the phrase meant, the reply created controversy; to forestall further questions States retitled the track “Shu-Wop.” Although it received considerable Chicago airplay, the record remained a regional item.
Neither the gospel doo wop ballad “May God Be With You” nor the later ballad “My Love,” the group’s final single, traveled beyond the local market. Without management the Danderliers disbanded. A few unreleased Mercury demos followed, and Dallas Taylor appeared on one 1961 release with a revised lineup of the Dells, “Swingin’ Teens” on Vee-Jay. The original members reconvened in 1967 to record “All the Way” for Midas Records. Dallas Taylor died on November 14, 1986; at his funeral the former Danderliers performed “May God Be With You.”
Repeated visits to United Records produced only rejections. After one such dismissal the members gathered in the park to rehearse a number that evolved into “Chop Chop Boom.” Passing by, Sam Smith of United Records overheard them and took the singers to his brother Al Smith’s basement rehearsal space. There they refined both that song and the ballad “My Autumn Love,” both written by Dallas Taylor; the pair became the group’s debut release on United’s States imprint.
By the first week of April 1955 “My Autumn Love” reached Chicago radio, and many disc jockeys also turned over the record to play “Chop Chop Boom.” Both sides entered the Billboard R&B charts, peaking at number ten on the Disc Jockey list and number 14 on the Best Seller list. Mercury Records had the Crew-Cuts record their own version, issued as the flip of “Don't Be Angry,” which reached number 14 on the R&B charts in spring 1955. The Danderliers performed the minor hit throughout Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, and Ohio, supplementing it with covers such as “Glory of Love” by the 5 Keys, “Jump Children” by the Flamingos, and “Pardon My Tears” by their former schoolmates and current labelmates the Moroccos.
States issued the group’s second single, “New Way,” in the third week of July. On this cha-cha rocker Taylor and the others repeated the line “Dally’s got a new way,” Dally being Dallas Taylor’s nickname. When a label employee inquired what the phrase meant, the reply created controversy; to forestall further questions States retitled the track “Shu-Wop.” Although it received considerable Chicago airplay, the record remained a regional item.
Neither the gospel doo wop ballad “May God Be With You” nor the later ballad “My Love,” the group’s final single, traveled beyond the local market. Without management the Danderliers disbanded. A few unreleased Mercury demos followed, and Dallas Taylor appeared on one 1961 release with a revised lineup of the Dells, “Swingin’ Teens” on Vee-Jay. The original members reconvened in 1967 to record “All the Way” for Midas Records. Dallas Taylor died on November 14, 1986; at his funeral the former Danderliers performed “May God Be With You.”