The Velvets, Odessa

THE VELVETS
Lana
b/w
Laugh
(London HIT-200, Japan)

You ain't goin' find too much o' that thar' dooooo wop out thisa way. Purt rare beast, right thar. Couple of things outta El Paso. A Roswell chicano thing by a guy named Sammy. A couple of teener styled doo wops can be found on Gaylo, a few of which belong to a man better known for his steel guitar playing. But if I'm not mistaken West Texas/East NewMex produced just a handful black vocal groups that performed in the style that is today known as doo wop. And some folks give this group the credit for 'doo wop'.

The Velvets came from Odessa's southside. Leader Virgil Johnson and some, if not all, the Velvets were students from all black Blackshear High School. It was Roy Orbison, back in the area for a spell, who brought the combo to the attention of his label Monument. Right off the bat with "Tonight" the Velvets had a top forty hit. That was 1961. The single "Lana" b/w "Laugh" gave dj's fits as they couldn't decide which side to play and as a result each side wound up being sorta hit. "Laugh" mined the success of "Tonight" and made it to #1 in Japan. A 1/2 dozen or so singles would follow and by 1966 the ride would be over.

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Virgil, though retired from education, continues to serve the Lubbock community via a dj spot on KDAV radio in Lubbock.