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Tuesday, September 27, 2022

The Cadillacs - "Speedoo" (1955 Doo Wop Classic Sound File, Film Clips, Information, & Lyrics)


GNRSlashLover, Jul 18, 2011 **** Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post showcases The Cadillac's 1955 Doo Wop song "Speedo". Information about The Cadillacs is included in this post along with information about that song. This pancocojams post also includes the lyrics to the song "Speedo" and YouTube examples of the Cadillacs performing that song. The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertaiment, and aesthetic purposes. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to Esther Navarro for composing this song and thanks to The Cadillacs for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these sound file and film clips on YouTube.

**** SHOWCASE FILM CLIP #1: Speedo- Cadillacs (ACTUAL film segment from 1955)

TCSguy, March 20, 2011

Rare film footage of the Cadillacs singing "Speedo" at an Alan Freed Show at the Brooklyn Paramount in 1955. Found in a rock documentary that aired in the 70s. At this time, the group consisted of: Earl Carroll, LaVerne Drake, Bobby Phillips, Earl Wade, and Charles Brooks. -snip- Here's a comment about this film clip from PJ Riverdale, published in 2015 in that YouTube video's discussion thread:
"From an ABC TV RNR documentary aired in the 1970's. The primary film footage was shot by CBS News for a negative report on Rock music and its fans,c.1956 . Look carefully at the audience shots, you can see where they were probably going with this.

From that same footage,a clip of a Chuck Berry duck walk also exists and has been shown  here and there. It is believed that the original CBS footage was shot silent,any audio has been dubbed.

Almost any footage of early rock music exists solely to incense adult audiences particularly in the South where all manner of racial rhetoric and associations were added to negatively portray this phenomenon as the newest danger to [white] youth and the American[White] way of life."...
**** SHOWCASE FILM CLIP #2: Speedo & The Cadillacs (Live)~ Speedoo, Gloria,Peek A Boo,The Girl I Love

worldwidepromoters2, Feb. 9, 2011
-snip- The Cadillacs perform the song "Speedoo" from .031 to 3:44 in this film clip. -snip- Here's a comment written by
Al D'Antonio in 2014 from this video's discussion thread: "The first two performances of 'Speedoo' & 'Gloria' were on the Clint Holmes' 'NY at Night' show that aired between 1987-88 while the last two performances herein are of Earl & the Cadillacs a few years later on the Harvey Holiday Doo Wop Show which also had Jocko Henderson introducing the Cadillacs as they sang 'Peek-A-Boo' and 'The Girl I Love' with Earl's hair being just a little greyer than in the first two performances!"

**** INFORMATION ABOUT EARL CARROLL LEAD SINGER OF THE CADILLACS From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Carroll_(vocalist) "Earl "Speedo" Carroll (November 2, 1937 – November 25, 2012) was the lead vocalist of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs.[1] The group's biggest hit was "Speedoo", which with a minor spelling change became Carroll's subsequent nickname. It was released in 1955. He joined The Coasters in 1961, leaving the group in the early 1980s to permanently reform The Cadillacs.

In 1982, Earl took a job as a custodian at the PS 87 elementary school in New York City and worked there until retiring in 2005. A popular figure with the students, he was chosen to be the subject of a children's book, That's Our Custodian, by Ann Morris (Brookfield, Connecticut: Millbrook Press). The publicity helped him to revive his career. He became a mainstay of the PBS series honoring doo wop, hosted by Jerry Butler and continued performing until the early 2010s when deteriorating health forced him to retire."...

**** MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CADILLACS From https://extras.denverpost.com/scene/soundcheck0908.htm Sound Check By G. Brown, Sept. 8, 2000 ..."
Look at that Cadillac

The Cadillacs were one of New York's first and very best doo-wop groups - in 1956, the joyful closeharmony street-corner sound of "Speedoo" hit big for the Harlem quintet: "They often call me Speedoo but my real name is Mr. Earl ... " It was written about smooth-assilk lead singer Earl "Speedoo" Carroll.

In his recollection, "We were playing an armory up in Boston, and after the gig Bobby Phillips, the little bass singer and the ham of the group, saw a great big torpedo shell outside. My head is kinda pointy - they used to tease me about it all the time - and he looked over at me and said, "Hey, Speedoo, there's your torpedo!" "And the guys just rolled on the ground - they thought that was the funniest thing ever. I was so upset, I said, "Listen, man, my name is Earl - Mr. Earl - as far as you're concerned, you little bum.' So we got in the car, and they kept teasing me all the way back to New York unti we wrote the song. And the rest is history!" The Cadillacs became known for humorous jump material, and they were the first R&B vocal group to extensively use hot choreography in their stage routines.

"I remember playing the Fox Theatre in Detroit when we first went there. We looked in the wings, and there was Smokey (Robinson) and the Temptations and everybody from Motown looking at what we were doing. We started five guys stepping together. I'm proud of that." In recent years, Carroll's favorite audience has been children - he still works as the head custodian at P.S. 87 in Manhattan.

"I've been there since 1982. I was thinking about retirement this year at 62, but they talked me into going to 65 and getting the full benefits. It's such an easy, beautiful job, and I love what I'm doing with the teenie-weenies. They're something else, they keep me young. It's like a family." But doo-wop got a big boost recently from the TV special "DooWop 50," the most lucrative fundraiser in public TV history. The program revived the Cadillacs' career in a way Carroll never thought possible.

Rhino Records has issued a third doo-wop boxed set, and "The Legends of Doo-Wop" as seen on PBS is on tour and will visit University of Denver's Magness Arena tonight. What is it about doo-wop that brings forth such excitement?

"A couple of years ago, I was saying, "Well, I guess this doo-wop rock 'n' roll thing is all over.' And it just seems to get bigger and bigger. It really is amazing to me. I thought it would be long gone like disco, but it's never going to die. Anybody who counts out '50s music evidently can't count!" The Cadillacs with the Marcels, Del Vikings, Gene Chandler, Chantels, Spaniels, Penguins and the Monte Carlos: 7:30 tonight; Magness Arena; $58.50, $48.50, $38.50 and $33.50; Ticketmaster"...

**** INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "SPEEDOO" From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedoo 
"Speedoo" is a song written by Esther Navarro and performed by The Cadillacs featuring the Jesse Powell Orchestra. It reached number 3 on the U.S. R&B chart and number 17 on the U.S. pop chart in 1955.[1] The song was featured on their 1957 album, The Fabulous Cadillacs.[2]

Lyrically, the song tells of Mister Earl who acquired the nickname "Speedoo" because, when it comes to his pursuit of pretty girls, "he don't believe in wastin' time" and "he don't never take it slow".

[...]

The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 1990 film Goodfellas.[12]

The song was performed by The Cadillacs in the beginning of the 1998 miniseries The Temptations

The song was featured on the 2001 episode "Employee of the Month" of the show The Sopranos."....

****
LYRICS - SPEEDOO

Boom boom boom boomBoom boom boomBoom boom boomBoom boom boom
Well now they often call me SpeedooBut my real name is Mister EarlUmm-hmm-hmm
Well now they often call me SpeedooBut my real name is Mister EarlUmm-hmm-hmm
All for meetin' brand new fellasAnd for takin' other folk's girlUmm-hmm-hmm
Well now they often call me Speedoo'Cause I don't believe in wastin' timeUmm-hmm-hmm
Well now they often call me Speedoo'Cause I don't believe in wastin' timeUmm-hmm-hmm
Well I've known some pretty womenAnd that's caused them to change their mindUmm-hmm-hmm
Well, now some may call me JoeSome may call me MoeJust remember SpeedooHe don't never take it slow
Well now they often call me SpeedooBut my real name is Mister EarlUmm-hmm-hmm
Well now they often call me SpeedooBut my real name is Mister EarlUmm-hmm-hmm
Well now, some may call me MoeSome may call me JoeJust remember SpeedooHe don't never take it slow
Well now they often call me SpeedooBut my real name is Mister EarlUmm-hmm-hmm
Well now they often call me SpeedooBut my real name is Mister EarlUmm-hmm-hmm
And now they gotta call me Speedoo'Till they call off makin' pretty girlsUmm-hmm-hmm
Umm-hmm-hmm-hmmUmm-hmm-hmm-hmmUmm-hmm-hmm-hmmFADESUmm-hmm-hmm-hmm
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Esther Navarro
Speedoo lyrics © Emi Longitude Music

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