| THE
ROOFTOP SINGERS (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
The Rooftop Singers were a progressive folk singing
trio in the early 1960s, best known for the hit ”Walk Right In”.
The group was composed of Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe (vocals,
guitar) with former jazz singer Lynne Taylor (vocals). Darling put
the group together in 1962 specifically to record an updated and
uptempo version of a 1920s Gus Cannon folk blues song, ”Walk Right
In”. The trio recorded the song for Vanguard Records, with updated
lyrics and an arrangement featuring paired 12-string acoustic
guitars. The record became the most successful in Vanguard’s history,
reaching # 1 on the US pop charts in January 1963, and # 10 in the
UK.
The group released several further singles including the minor hit
”Tom Cat”, played at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, and released
two albums, but their popularity was relatively short-lived and they
split up in 1967. |