The Hollywood Flames were a doowop and R&B vocal group, who formed in Los Angeles in 1949, and remained active under a variety of names and with evolving line-ups through into the early 1960s, enjoying a major pop and R&B hit with “Buzz Buzz Buzz” in 1957, and with Bobby Day as featured singer had big hits as Bobby Day & The Satellites. With Robert Byrd (aka Bobby Day), David Ford, Gaynel Hodge and Earl Nelson as long serving key members among the changing personnel, they recorded variously as the Flames, Hollywood Four Flames, The Jets, The Question Marks, The Satellites, The Ebbtides, and The Turks, their records being released on an equally bewildering array of labels.
This great-value 78-track 3-CD set comprises most of their A & B sides of their releases under those names on the Selective, Unique, Fidelity, Specialty, Recorded In Hollywood, Spin, 7-11, Swing Time. Lucky, Aladdin, Money, Cash, Class, Ebb, Chess, Goldie and Coronet labels during these years. It features their pop No. 11 and R&B No. 5 “Buzz Buzz Buzz”, and R &B No. 26 “Gee”, plus the pop No. 2 and R&B No. 1 “Rockin’ Robin”, and the pop chart entries “Little Bitty Pretty One” and “Over And Over”. As a group whose music had to compete a dynamic and rapidly evolving market, it encompasses old-school doowop, R&B, and in the later years pure rock ‘n’ roll, and this substantial collection is thoroughly entertaining showcase for their talent and versatility.
