Frankie Lymon - August 1960

Frankie Lymon was in São Paulo a whole week from 22 to 28 August 1960, singing every night at Teatro Record at 8:30 PM. On Thursday he sang at 4:00 PM and on Saturday at 5:00 PM and at 9:00 PM.

Frankie had been the second part of the Rock'n'roll Fortnight promoted by TV Record, Channel 7. The first week had been filled by New Jersey's own Johnny Restivo who performed from 15 to 21 August.

Frankie Lymon was obviously the best of the two, but due to local demographics things turned out differently. You see, Frankie was black and Johnny Restivo was white and terribly good looking even though he hardly sang at all. But, who cared? The paying public were the upper-middle-class youngsters who had parents who could afford to buy them tickets of an international act.

Frankie hadn't had a hit in Brazil which didn't help much. But Johnny Restivo hadn't had a hit either. But still Brazilian girls would swoon just looking at such a handsome Yankee youth!

As Brazilians didn't know much about Frankie Lymon, they tended to compare him with Sammy Davis, Jr. Frankie's voice was actually better (more agreeable and potent) than Sammy's but who would have known?

Vander Loureiro, who sang with The Beverlys, a Brazilian Black vocal group that opened for the Rock'n'roll Fortnight as part of a revue called 'Um gaiato in New York' (A jester in N.Y.), told me he was flabbergasted by Frankie's performances. Frankie was a devil on the stage. He would tap-dance, he would play drums, clap, shout and move all around always having the audience mesmerized. 

On the Saturday matinee, 27th August 1960, The Beverlys and all the Young Records acts who opened for Lymon were upset because they were already near the end of the revue and Frankie hadn't showed up yet. Nobody knew what to do. Just before the last song was done they saw Lymon running around the wings preparing himself to get on the stage. He had been invited to have a 'feijoada' a typical Brazilian Saturday lunch with some Brazilian friends and lost track of time. Lunch consisted of a stew of black beans with a variety of salted pork trimmings as ears, tail, feet, knees etc. Such a heavy meal didn't cramp Frankie's style. Just before going on stage he asked for an iced cold bottle of bear which he sipped with gusto. Frankie Lymon did everything wrong but he was a complete show-man and a happy-go-luck until he got down on his luck 7 years later on a cold February day in 1968.

Franklin Joseph 'Frankie' Lymon

* 30 September 1942 in Harlem, NY

+ 27 February 1968 in Harlem, NY.

Programa do Teatro Record de São Paulo - Agosto 1960. 

FRANKIE  LYMON  NO TEATRO RECORD EM AGOSTO  1960

reportagens do jornal “Ultima Hora” - 22 Agosto 1960 – 2a.

Frankie Lymon no Teatro Record como parte da II Quinzena do Rock’n’roll.

Esse Lymon é um perigo: o jovem Frankie com seus 18 anos apenas e já foi o artista mais aplaudido no Palladium de Londres. Magro, inquieto, extremamente simpático, com sua roupa marrom, de paletó curto, apareceu no palco debaixo de uma saraivada de palmas. Sorriu, e muita gente não queria acreditar, naturalmente, que um garoto como ele, fosse agradar tanto uma platéia, sempre tão exigente como a paulista.  (nota do redator:  “garoto como ele” é eufemismo para “negrinho”).  Foi aí que a coisa esquentou:  começou o desfile de números vibrantes, cantados por uma voz ultra-afinada e comunicativa; ao mesmo tempo que o palco ficou até pequeno para as movimentações do rapaz.  Ora dançando enquanto cantava, ora comunicando-se com o público, respondendo simpaticamente em p. arrevesado, Frankie Lymon lembrou imediatamente Sammy Davis Jr.  Fossem os camera-men da TV Record menos vivos, e não conseguiriam captar todos os movimentos do rapazola, ágil como ele só. Claro que Frankie Lymon dominou a platéia de ponta a ponta. Cantou clássicos norte-americanos, intercalando-os com populares mais movimentados em que o público acompanhava com palmas.  Em todos os números esteve soberbo.

(relato sobre a estréia de Frankie Lymon foi publicado na coluna “Discos” do Miguel Vaccaro Neto em 24 Agosto 1960 – 4a. feira).

FRANKIE  LYMON  se apresentou no TEATRO RECORD as 20:30 horas em:

22nd Aug, Mo; 23rd Aug, Tue;  24 Aug, Wed;  25 Aug, Thu at 4:00 pm; 26 Aug Fri; 27 Aug, Sat and 28, Sunday. 

26 AGO 1960 – 6a. – Roma:  desfile Olímpico.  Começam as Olimpíadas de 1960, em ROMA.

27 AGO 1960 – Sáb. – Teddy Reno chegou para cantar! [na pág.  2].  Coração aberto a um novo amor.  Teddy diz que conseguiu o 2º lugar no Festival de San Remo, descendo do avião com uma bonequinha de pano em uma das mãos e uma lata vazia [“Il baratollo”, nome de um de seus sucessos] na outra.

Phil Everly, Clyde McPhatter & Frankie Lymon in 1957.