The Rock-A-Teens Explained

The Rock-A-teens
Alias:	Boo Walke & the Rockets
Background:	group_or_band
Years Active:	1956–c. 1960
Genre:	Rockabilly, rock and roll
Origin:	Richmond, Virginia, United States
Label:	Doran Records, Roulette Records
Past Members:	Vic Mizelle (vocals, guitar), Milton "Boo" Walke (guitar), Bill Cook (guitar), Eddie Robinson (saxophone), Paul Dixon (bass), Bill Smith (drummer)

The Rock-A-Teens were a short-lived United States rockabilly group from Richmond, Virginia, active in the late 1950s, led by Vic Mizelle.^[1]

The Rock-a-Teens were one-hit wonders whose lone hit record was "Woo Hoo", written by George Donald McGraw and backed with "Untrue", released on Roulette Records R 4192.^[2] The song hit No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[3]

Career

The Rock-A-Teens formed in 1956 as Boo Walke & the Rockets while still in high school.^[4] After the initial success of "Woo-Hoo", they cut an album of the same name. Meanwhile Roulette Records issued a follow-up single of "Twangy" and "Doggone It Baby". Neither the album or follow-up single was successful. The group broke up shortly after and none of the members continued in the music business. Vic Mizelle went on with other Richmond groups for years.

Discography

Album

• Woo Hoo (1960) Roulette Records SR 25109 - Recorded November 1959 and Spring 1960.^[5]

Track Listing

1. "Woo-Hoo" (George Donald McGraw) - 2:05
2. "Doggone It Baby" (Victor Mizelle) - 2:23
3. "I'm Not Afraid" (Mizelle) - 2:15
4. "That's My Mama" (Billy Smith) - 1:41
5. "Dance To the Bop" (Floyd Edge) - 2:23
6. "Story Of A Woman" (Mizelle) - 2:00
7. "Twangy" (Bobby "Boo" Walker) - 2:00
8. "Janis Will Rock" (Mizelle) - 2:27
9. "Pagan" (Mizelle) - 2:08
10. "Lotta Boppin'" (Mizelle) - 2:23
11. "Oh My Nerves" (Walker) - 2:07
12. "I Was Born To Rock" (Mizelle) - 2:32

Technical Staff

• Producer – Joe Reisman

Singles

• "Woo Hoo" (McGraw) / "Untrue" (Mizelle), Roulette R-4192 - 1959^[5]
• "Twangy" (Walker) / "Doggone It Baby" (Mizelle), Roulette R-4217 - 1959^[5]

Original members

• Vic Mizelle (vocals, guitar) (died 2017)
• Bobby "Boo" Walke (guitar) (died 1998)
• Bill Cook (guitar) (died 1971)
• Eddie Robinson (sax)
• Paul Dixon (bass) (died 2007)
• Bill Smith (drums)

External links

• BlackCat Rockabilly Europe, search for The Rock-A-Teens. Retrieved November 8, 2009

Notes and References

1. Pete Crigler Keeping It Tight in the Old Dominion 2010 p5 "One of the first real non-pop bands to come out of Virginia was a group of kids called the Rock-A-Teens, out of Richmond. By 1959, they'd started playing dances around the area when they auditioned for a local label owner named George Donald McGraw..."
2. Bruce Eder, [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p371917/biography|pure_url=yes}} The Rock-A-Teens] at AllMusic
3. Billboard
4. News: Harrison . Don . Hosier . Brent . 2009-12-16 . The Story of Woo-Hoo! . Style Weekly . 2021-05-21.
5. Web site: Rock-A-Teens (RCS Artist Discography). Rcs-discography.com.