The adults around him really contributed to his death in my opinion. What adult allowed him at 14 to have sex with grown women? What adult turned a 14 year old boy into a heroin addict? Who was supervising this young man when he made all these poor decisions? I feel horrible as a mother to see how his elders let him down. Kids need guidance and obviously he was not given any. This really makes me sad. :( R.I.P. Frankie
He sounded either exhausted and/or stressed, in this interview...so much on the mind of a then fifteen/sixteen year old. I am sure the "experiences" of fame was more than he could fathom.
I agree. No one had his back. At his young age, the lions and tigers got ahold of him and that was it. My mom would have had a serious chaperone on my azz though
I wish he didn't leave the group, he had no direction, the group may have helped him with the drugs, but idk... parents doing that time were overwhelmed with the oppression of the after effects of slavery that they weren't able to be present
I always ask in these cases where were Frankie's parents when all this was happening? Why weren't they protecting their son? This is one thing l haven't heard in any interviews.
...Very sad indeed. My dad was a HUGE Frankie Lymon fan! He grew up in Harlem, NY in the 40's and 50's. Shame, how ADULTS dragged him down and virtually were HUGELY responsible for his untimely death, at the young age of 25. Rip, Frankie Lymon... You r sorely missed!
@@jayman3915 he was exposed to too much too soon...Once the innocence is gone, there is no turning back...however, these predator women should've been locked up for being in sexual relationships with a minor...poor Frankie...rest well young man!😪
@Let Your LIGHT Forever Shine His innocence being snatched from him had nothing to do with his light shinning...he shined even when he was addicted to drugs...
@Isaiah Kingsley how do you know he died addicted to drugs? There was no autopsy done and he was attempting to make a comeback and go after his rightful royalties... his voice was still beautiful and although humans make mistakes God's grace and mercy allows us to return to Him and rebuild in His kingdom...unless you are Frankie Lymon, or God you have no idea what his battles were and whether or not he gave his life to God or was murdered before he crossed over...
The real life story of Frankie Lymon was far more interesting and incredible than the movie. When he toured with the group in 1956-57 he had girlfriends twice his age in every town they performed. He grew up fast and was many years beyond his actual age. About twenty years ago, while writing a treatment for a screenplay about Frankie, I visited his burial site in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. It was an unmarked grave.
He sounds like a young Michael Jackson or should I say that Mike sounds like him but with a very mellow raspy voice. Such a tragedy he died at 25 years old he was so young still had so much life to live. That childhood thing be messing ppl up either you don't get to have one, or you do but it still leaves you permanently scared.
Yeah women slept with Frankie, but he was willing...he knew what he was doing since 10. Dude was born in HARLEM when it was gritty, sometimes our environment makes us grow up faster than others at times.
@@discofan9799 Wacko's don't produce 20 Hits, Wackos don't get a star on the hollywood walk of fame. Wackos sure is hell dont get inducted by nationally famous groups to the rock n roll hall of fame. But yet everyone is entitled to their own opinion
He and the Teenagers were the prototypes for today's boy bands. Before Stevie Wonder, The Monkees, The Jackson Five, The Osmonds, The Sylvers, New Edition, Boys II Men, Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, One Direction, there were Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers.
Frankie Lymon was being a little disingenuous in this interview; I have the feeling that he was flattered by the apparent enthusiasm of the interviewer and simply wanted to be agreeable. For example, when the interviewer asked him about his age, Frankie responded by saying he was 16. He was born in New York in 1942, which would have made him 15 at the time of this 1957 interview. It's a quibble to be sure but nevertheless a curious one. When asked about the label under which he recorded, it took him a second or two to remember that it was, as he put it, "the people at Gee." After recording eight records this should have been a kneejerk response. I winced when he struggled with the question as to the number of members in his family; I could sense that he was mentally ticking them off in his head. Even more striking was his failure to mention younger brother, Lewis, who was making noise that year with his group, Lewis Lymon and the Teenchords on End; both the End and Gee labels were owned by George Goldner who also had positioned himself as the coauthor of the Teenagers' nominal hit, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." What struck me most of all was Frankie's contention that the group has split because of a decision that they had made to further their careers as a quartet. It was an evasive answer and it seems that the interviewer failed to catch on; in any event, he let it pass. In the summer of 1957, Morris Levy, who had taken over the fortunes of the group from the debt-ridden Goldner, managed to convince Frankie that he'd be in a better position, both artistically and financially, if he split from the group and went solo. Frankie went ahead and recorded a solo piece which was then pressed onto the other side of a record that featured a song by the group--and that is how the Teenagers got wind of Frankie's "treachery." They were performing in England and a scuffle ensued at the hotel in which they were staying and where Frankie and Herman Santiago nearly came to blows. Shortly after that, Frankie kissed them off and pursued a solo career--and that was the effective end of the most popular juvenile doo wop group ever recorded. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers lasted all of a year and a half--18 months of rock and roll heaven and hell.
+Gary David Nice analysis. Thank you for that. Though I wouldn't say Frankie's answers were "evasive" but rather he was just being a good businessman, and putting a marketing-helping spin on his answers. Was he going to say, "uh, I live with my grandmother" or "my grandmother let's me stay with her," or was he going to allow the public to keep an illusion that he lived in middle-class family with a working father and homemaker mother - which is what the interviewer sounded like he wanted to hear? He was a brilliantly intelligent young man; I think he knew what he was doing. He avoided lying, yet at the same time did not prevent people from believing any falsehoods what they might have preferred to believe. If he lived to 30 he could have become a politician. He was way smarter than my overprotected ass was at his age. As an old man can I see how smart he was. There seems to be very little information about where he learned to sing. It took me until I was in my 30's before I could sing as well as he did at 14.
Hello, Arieyona! Thanks for your response. There is 15 years between 1942 and 1957; as you have said, Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942, which means that he turned 15 on that date in 1957. My contention in my prior post is that he appeared in the interview to be under some influence--I won't say what because I don't know--and forgot his actual age. The one thing that is largely unknown about his life is that he ran the streets long before he gained fame as the lead singer of the Teenagers; he fell into the drug culture not only because it was rife in the music industry at that time but also because he was no stranger to it; he may have been only 13 and in junior high school when the group formed in 1955--and recorded a major hit in January 1956--but he was no child.
One of the problems with engaging in a discussion about the Teenagers is that there exists no definitive biography about them. Much of their story is hearsay; the kind of stuff one hears from friends, family and music industry people which more often than not fail to correlate with each other--it's either this version or that. Doo wop aficionados are familiar with the basic details surrounding their time beneath the rock & roll sun--the song, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" which catapulted them to national fame (a rare thing among the juvenile groups); Frankie's soaring soprano voice, the envy of many; their eruptive disbandment in 1957 and Frankie's tragic end in 1968, but there are some things we will never know beyond educated conjecture. For example, we know that he made the decision to leave the group to go solo in the summer of '57 but we don't know exactly what went through his head--after all, the Teenagers were not only the group that formed his backbone but they also were his "homies"; they grew up in the same neighborhood in Upper Manhattan. Was it just the money? (The Teenagers as a group that recorded for Gee racked up thousands of dollars for their songs but the members themselves did not benefit; they received no royalties. Instead, Goldner gave them an allowance.) The only people who perhaps can answer that question are Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant, the surviving members of the group and who so far have demurred from contributing to the story of the group other than participating in a few scattered radio interviews over the years. To my mind, the most likely reasons are personal--reasons they would rather not divulge as a matter of respecting his memory. So much ink has been devoted to his drug habit and multiple wives that their recalcitrance, if that is indeed the case, is understandable. Thanks so much for allowing me to bend your ear!
Gary David, thanks for sharing all of that certainly in depth information on Frankie Lymon. I recently watched a video here on You Tube, one of those, "Tales of Past Entertainers type Exposes' & it revealed quite a bit, including interviews with 2 of the at that time, then living members, of The Teenagers. For one thing, Frankie first started singing in a Family Gospel group; as a youngster. He was SO TALENTED; but misdirected. I Pray He is Resting In Peace.💖👑
His voice is smooth; his mood and reaction time seems troubling. I mean that he is holding his tongue, and filtering himself on some of these delayed responses.
What a great video..thank you so much..I remember Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers on Frankie Lane's TV show back in 1957..so much talent..I think some of the songs personified Doo Wop..
My Dad grew up with him and went to junior high with him. He said that he didn't look good before he passed. My Dad used to sing with him when they were kids. He said he was a lot like the other guys in the neighborhood that got caught up on dope.
In the industry drugs come fast and free when up and coming, when you peak that ish* get expensive and hard to kick, that's when reality sets in andthe fall starts. then BOOM!!!!
He was literally a babe when he started in the business world and needed to be supervised on ALL accounts form business to women to cover him. Women twice his age etc and there was no one to look out for this young child in this doggy dog industry is so sad I can hear in his voice that aloneness. 😔😖🤔RIP Lymon 🙏 💖
It was not the decision or the wish of the four teenagers to go on without Frankie Lymon. They were opposed to the break up. It was their management's decision and it was one of the stupidest decisions in pop music history,.
Actually frankie wanted to be solo cus his their manager currupted him to think that way so he got mad one day and since the group wudnt leave him he left the group and walked out the appartment or hotel
leland rivera I did not say that Lymon did not want to go solo. I said that the Teenagers (the other four guys in the group) did not want the group to break up. Yes, their manager wanted to market Lymon and Teenagers separately, bec. he thought he could make more money that way.
Loved Frankie Lymon until he started singing all those throw-back songs. I love the sound, him, brother Lewis, Little Anthony, The Students, Schoolboys. A few of the old groups managed to join the Doo Wop Revival by finding women to sing the parts that were made famous by young boys. Great post, thanks.
YES MY LOVE YOU TOLD THE WORLD YOUR FAVORITE SONG IS "MY GIRL" AND THAT GIRL IS TONI VENTURA FRANKIE LYMON SIGN HIS LOVE LETTER'S TO ME AND WROTE: YOUR NOT JUST A GIRL YOUR "MY GIRL" R.I.P. MY BELOVED 😢 x and thank you truthfinders for sharing MY LOVE STORY " MY GIRL" peace TONI VENTURA☺
+The Scooter YES! DEAR. HE SANG THIS SONG "MY GIRL" FOR ME . 😢 YOU SEE SCOOTER WHEN HE WENT ON TOUR , HE WROTE ME BEAUTIFUL LOVE LETTERS , FRANKIE, ALWAYS SIGNED HIS LOVE LETTERS TO ME YOUR NOT JUST A GIRL"YOUR MY GIRL" 😢 SORRY SCOOTER IT JUST SAD MEMORIES. AND THANKS FOR ASKING. AND SHAREING. MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎅🎄🎁 BLESSING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. FROM FRANKIE LYMON "MY GIRL" ANTONIA.✌x
+jay man WHY YES I WAS THE ORIGINAL PRESIDENT OF FRANKIE LYMON FAN CLUB.😆 AND LOVE EVERY MOMENT. THANKS FOR SHAREING JAY MAN BEST WISHES TO YOU TONI VENTURA 👍
@@Blue_SeaSmoke this was on September 28th 1957 and his birthday was September the 30th so this was 2 days before he turned 15 he lied about being 16 so he was actually 14 in this interview
@@theo3s611he was born in 1942. He would have been 14 in September of 56
5 ปีที่แล้ว +4
This host said he could have been another been another Stevie Wonder. He’s like Sammie Davis Jr. Stevie Wonder and Jackie Wilson all in one. He was an exceptional talent
They was just making money of him basically using him pimping him until they couldn't make money off him anymore.....then threw him out like trash😔. He didn't see NONE of that money😤....DAMN SHAME💯
This was early Rock n Roll. If the studio heads and label owners let Frankie just keep doing the material that made those early hits, he probably would have had a long career. For some reason they made him sing "old Standards" from a previous generation which is what Rock n Roll had left behind with this new music for a new generation of "teenagers". I think that was the beginning of the end for him. They should have let him do his music, the people who chose his later music had no clue.
You're ignoring the fact that he became famous with the juvenile voice he had when he was thirteen years old. There was no way he was going to be able to retain that voice. When his voice changed, his career was over. It had nothing to do with the material he was given. No one was interested in hearing an adult Frankie Lymon.
@@buckets212 Why though? MJ and Stevie Wonder carried on their careers after their voices broke. The movie about Frankie is full of inaccuracies, done on purpose for "dramatic effect" and I can't find any in-depth docu's about him. Wiki needs citation, so where did you get your info from? If you don't mind me asking.
@@buckets212 I'll respectfully disagree. I've already heard his adult records, his voice was lovely. I thought your first comment was based on actual information. Posting your assumptions and opinions like they're "facts" is misleading. ☮
Bunch of losers here in the comments trashing, an exploited kid who has been dead a long time. Stop trying to make him into a monster. When you haters die no one will remember that any of you ever lived. Get right with God hatred and jealousy is a destructive, vile, ugly influence.
Was he already using heroin during this interview? It seems that he had trouble remembering things, but then again, he was still very young and probably wanted to get all the facts correct.
He was 15 when he did Heroin in January of 1958, This is 1957 he’s still 14 but he is turning 15 in 2 days, this was taken back in September 28th 1957 Frankie was born on September the 30th so now you know.
@teerairan1 I agree. You know show business is a wild business, it can even suck in children. His mother should have been with him or his some chaperone. But Frankie was a wild child, who couldn't be controlled. He would have done what he wanted anyway. His father wasn't much help and his mother eventually died of cancer. He had a lot of upsets in his life, drugs was his escape, but it ended up causing him more trouble and taking his life.
Actually he was 14 years old when he did this interview and this is just 2 days before his 15th birthday, and was also dating Antonia Figuero at this time who was 13, and said that he didn’t like to date teenage his age but probably that was a lie because The fan club girl said that she dated Frankie Lymon and he would write letters to her and he did say that he would like to marry her, and you can find it all on TH-cam and yeah, and Frankie does seems like he’s not thrilled with doing an interview and He also had girlfriends who were in their 20s that he would tell the press that they were his mother and I do not know the reason why but he just did it, and that’s what I know from doing some research. And just wanted to come on here and talk about what you missed, and that’s it And Rest well Frankie.
The adults around him really contributed to his death in my opinion. What adult allowed him at 14 to have sex with grown women? What adult turned a 14 year old boy into a heroin addict? Who was supervising this young man when he made all these poor decisions? I feel horrible as a mother to see how his elders let him down. Kids need guidance and obviously he was not given any. This really makes me sad. :( R.I.P. Frankie
U got that right. I feel bad for him 50 plus yrs later
Was a different time… that’s all I can say. Sad and disturbing story for sure.
Idk if I’m weird but i find it interesting hearing old interviews, and just hearing how they talk it’s the same way we talk today lol
Right. Like its weird
I was just thinking this
X
Me too ⚠️
Well, it not like he was living in the 1600's. He simply lived in our grandparents era.
I love the way he says, "It is already out." He was so charming!!
He sounded either exhausted and/or stressed, in this interview...so much on the mind of a then fifteen/sixteen year old. I am sure the "experiences" of fame was more than he could fathom.
He was already on heroin at this time
@@ladysings83 yup started at 12
@@lilbert979 damnn starting heroin at 12 is wild yo !
@@Mayo2014 nah he actually started by 15 but he smoked weed when he was 12
He even had a smooth speaking voice !
Poor baby, people used him!
He was lost in the show business.
I like the maturity Frankie showed in this interview. He wasn't going to let the interviewer try and catch him up on anything !
You can hear and see the disconnect Frankie had when he went out on his own! No one had his back once the group split!
I agree. No one had his back. At his young age, the lions and tigers got ahold of him and that was it. My mom would have had a serious chaperone on my azz though
I wish he didn't leave the group, he had no direction, the group may have helped him with the drugs, but idk... parents doing that time were overwhelmed with the oppression of the after effects of slavery that they weren't able to be present
He lied n said he wrote song
I always ask in these cases where were Frankie's parents when all this was happening? Why weren't they protecting their son? This is one thing l haven't heard in any interviews.
Right, he was 12/13yrs old. But the devil knew he had to get him alone
Frankie Lied about the incident with the Teenagers and apparently he lied about his age as well. Lol! He was so talented and adorable! Rip Frankie!
I 'w0nder' ab0ut the 'age' myself💖❤💖
I think he really was 16 in 57. He was 13 in 55 so he should have been 15 or 16 by then
@@doctorfeinstone6524 No, he was born in 1942. So, he would've been 15 in 1957.
...Very sad indeed. My dad was a HUGE Frankie Lymon fan! He grew up in Harlem, NY in the 40's and 50's. Shame, how ADULTS dragged him down and virtually were HUGELY responsible for his untimely death, at the young age of 25. Rip, Frankie Lymon... You r sorely missed!
But Frankie wanted to be and hang out with adults. He even said he didn’t like girls his age. He dated women 25 and older. This is when he was 13/14
@@jayman3915 he was exposed to too much too soon...Once the innocence is gone, there is no turning back...however, these predator women should've been locked up for being in sexual relationships with a minor...poor Frankie...rest well young man!😪
@Let Your LIGHT Forever Shine His innocence being snatched from him had nothing to do with his light shinning...he shined even when he was addicted to drugs...
@Isaiah Kingsley how do you know he died addicted to drugs? There was no autopsy done and he was attempting to make a comeback and go after his rightful royalties... his voice was still beautiful and although humans make mistakes God's grace and mercy allows us to return to Him and rebuild in His kingdom...unless you are Frankie Lymon, or God you have no idea what his battles were and whether or not he gave his life to God or was murdered before he crossed over...
@Isaiah Kingsley sounds like you're describing yourself...May Frankie Lymon rest in peace...We're all God's children, so stop castin' stones Bruh!
his adult voice was smooth and mello you can never go wrong with his music
AWW my baby he sounds so cute and young but his words are so mature this is an incredible find!
The real life story of Frankie Lymon was far more interesting and incredible than the movie. When he toured with the group in 1956-57 he had girlfriends twice his age in every town they performed. He grew up fast and was many years beyond his actual age. About twenty years ago, while writing a treatment for a screenplay about Frankie, I visited his burial site in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. It was an unmarked grave.
He has a tombstone now. quite lovely!
Yeah I.saw it in.a youtube post......His legal wife who won the lawsuit had it done to.honor.her husband.
Dang
@@tedraford5657 The epitaph "We Promise to Remember" was my suggestion.
Handsome speaking voice, a true 'new' talent taken to soon!
R.I.P. Frankie!
He already been introduced to herion by the time he was interviewed here
More than likely introduced but he didn't start to use heavily until the early 60's
He was either on it or he wasn't their is no one foot in with that drug
No bruh he was on dat Juana the gateway to the H
Frankie was a prodigy. Extremely cerebral and sophisticated
leland rivera That’s so sad..
His voice is so soothing. The interviewer is talking so fast I can’t keep up with him. Ugh
Well speed up your lil brain there buddy lol
I love his speaking voice
The Pioneer Of Rock & Roll , I love you Frankie Lymon 💜✨🌌🙏🏼
He's so handsome ♥️♥️♥️ his voice got deeper ☺️☺️
He sounds like a young Michael Jackson or should I say that Mike sounds like him but with a very mellow raspy voice. Such a tragedy he died at 25 years old he was so young still had so much life to live. That childhood thing be messing ppl up either you don't get to have one, or you do but it still leaves you permanently scared.
2:55 FL - I have 2 little brothers and one older brother. 2:57 Interviewer - Are you the oldest one in the family? DUH...
+Cliff Works ikr dumbass
And Frankie was the one on drugs, lmfao
the interviewer so dumb he asked "are you the oldest" after he just said he had a Older brother😂😂
Cliff Works: Lol. I too caught that.
Cliff Works Lol...maybe the interviewer was on drugs!
One of the best singers of all time! A heck of a dancer as well. You'll always be remembered 🙏
Yeah women slept with Frankie, but he was willing...he knew what he was doing since 10. Dude was born in HARLEM when it was gritty, sometimes our environment makes us grow up faster than others at times.
Mr. B the women still wrong though they legally raped him.
Mr. B good point doc! #differentstrokes4differentfolks
Mr. B ya he fucked all da white bitches yo
Right, because a ten year old makes good decisions.... I think not!!!!
Mr. B he didn’t have a New York accent at all!Weird
It’s so so sad that he died so young
Love his voice!
av larusho Frankie Lymon is a wacko
@@discofan9799 Wacko's don't produce 20 Hits, Wackos don't get a star on the hollywood walk of fame. Wackos sure is hell dont get inducted by nationally famous groups to the rock n roll hall of fame. But yet everyone is entitled to their own opinion
2:00 he says "well you're getting there man" and they share a laugh and I love that moment
He talk so smooth❤❤❤❤❤❤
Sad! So, he basically lied about why they broke-up, which is surely a sign that he was brainwashed.
He didn't write
I caught that too
The Very Talented Frankie Lymon
He and the Teenagers were the prototypes for today's boy bands. Before Stevie Wonder, The Monkees, The Jackson Five, The Osmonds, The Sylvers, New Edition, Boys II Men, Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, One Direction, there were Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers.
Dont ever put one direction and actual talents in the same sentences.
@@TreyMessiah95 Blah, blah, blah, you got my point.
Amazing amazing! A true vocal artist!
Frankie Lymon was being a little disingenuous in this interview; I have the feeling that he was flattered by the apparent enthusiasm of the interviewer and simply wanted to be agreeable. For example, when the interviewer asked him about his age, Frankie responded by saying he was 16. He was born in New York in 1942, which would have made him 15 at the time of this 1957 interview. It's a quibble to be sure but nevertheless a curious one. When asked about the label under which he recorded, it took him a second or two to remember that it was, as he put it, "the people at Gee." After recording eight records this should have been a kneejerk response. I winced when he struggled with the question as to the number of members in his family; I could sense that he was mentally ticking them off in his head. Even more striking was his failure to mention younger brother, Lewis, who was making noise that year with his group, Lewis Lymon and the Teenchords on End; both the End and Gee labels were owned by George Goldner who also had positioned himself as the coauthor of the Teenagers' nominal hit, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." What struck me most of all was Frankie's contention that the group has split because of a decision that they had made to further their careers as a quartet. It was an evasive answer and it seems that the interviewer failed to catch on; in any event, he let it pass. In the summer of 1957, Morris Levy, who had taken over the fortunes of the group from the debt-ridden Goldner, managed to convince Frankie that he'd be in a better position, both artistically and financially, if he split from the group and went solo. Frankie went ahead and recorded a solo piece which was then pressed onto the other side of a record that featured a song by the group--and that is how the Teenagers got wind of Frankie's "treachery." They were performing in England and a scuffle ensued at the hotel in which they were staying and where Frankie and Herman Santiago nearly came to blows. Shortly after that, Frankie kissed them off and pursued a solo career--and that was the effective end of the most popular juvenile doo wop group ever recorded. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers lasted all of a year and a half--18 months of rock and roll heaven and hell.
+Gary David Nice analysis. Thank you for that. Though I wouldn't say Frankie's answers were "evasive" but rather he was just being a good businessman, and putting a marketing-helping spin on his answers. Was he going to say, "uh, I live with my grandmother" or "my grandmother let's me stay with her," or was he going to allow the public to keep an illusion that he lived in middle-class family with a working father and homemaker mother - which is what the interviewer sounded like he wanted to hear? He was a brilliantly intelligent young man; I think he knew what he was doing. He avoided lying, yet at the same time did not prevent people from believing any falsehoods what they might have preferred to believe. If he lived to 30 he could have become a politician. He was way smarter than my overprotected ass was at his age. As an old man can I see how smart he was.
There seems to be very little information about where he learned to sing. It took me until I was in my 30's before I could sing as well as he did at 14.
He had also started using heroin at this point and was likely blasted for this interview. So sad that such talent was lost to the horrid drug.
he was 16 they said the interview was in September Frankie's birthday is September 30
Hello, Arieyona! Thanks for your response. There is 15 years between 1942 and 1957; as you have said, Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942, which means that he turned 15 on that date in 1957. My contention in my prior post is that he appeared in the interview to be under some influence--I won't say what because I don't know--and forgot his actual age. The one thing that is largely unknown about his life is that he ran the streets long before he gained fame as the lead singer of the Teenagers; he fell into the drug culture not only because it was rife in the music industry at that time but also because he was no stranger to it; he may have been only 13 and in junior high school when the group formed in 1955--and recorded a major hit in January 1956--but he was no child.
One of the problems with engaging in a discussion about the Teenagers is that there exists no definitive biography about them. Much of their story is hearsay; the kind of stuff one hears from friends, family and music industry people which more often than not fail to correlate with each other--it's either this version or that. Doo wop aficionados are familiar with the basic details surrounding their time beneath the rock & roll sun--the song, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" which catapulted them to national fame (a rare thing among the juvenile groups); Frankie's soaring soprano voice, the envy of many; their eruptive disbandment in 1957 and Frankie's tragic end in 1968, but there are some things we will never know beyond educated conjecture. For example, we know that he made the decision to leave the group to go solo in the summer of '57 but we don't know exactly what went through his head--after all, the Teenagers were not only the group that formed his backbone but they also were his "homies"; they grew up in the same neighborhood in Upper Manhattan. Was it just the money? (The Teenagers as a group that recorded for Gee racked up thousands of dollars for their songs but the members themselves did not benefit; they received no royalties. Instead, Goldner gave them an allowance.) The only people who perhaps can answer that question are Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant, the surviving members of the group and who so far have demurred from contributing to the story of the group other than participating in a few scattered radio interviews over the years. To my mind, the most likely reasons are personal--reasons they would rather not divulge as a matter of respecting his memory. So much ink has been devoted to his drug habit and multiple wives that their recalcitrance, if that is indeed the case, is understandable. Thanks so much for allowing me to bend your ear!
One of the greatest, so sad that he died at so early of age. Gotta love him. Peace
Gary David, thanks for sharing all of that certainly in depth information on Frankie Lymon. I recently watched a video here on You Tube, one of those, "Tales of Past Entertainers type Exposes' & it revealed quite a bit, including interviews with 2 of the at that time, then living members, of The Teenagers. For one thing, Frankie first started singing in a Family Gospel group; as a youngster. He was SO TALENTED; but misdirected. I Pray He is Resting In Peace.💖👑
His voice is smooth; his mood and reaction time seems troubling. I mean that he is holding his tongue, and filtering himself on some of these delayed responses.
He was intelligent
What a great video..thank you so much..I remember Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers on Frankie Lane's TV show back in 1957..so much talent..I think some of the songs personified Doo Wop..
My Dad grew up with him and went to junior high with him. He said that he didn't look good before he passed. My Dad used to sing with him when they were kids. He said he was a lot like the other guys in the neighborhood that got caught up on dope.
was he chasing grown women as a kid.
@@jayman3915 yup
@@jayman3915 he’s done that since he was 10
Ha. Dude was like 90 pounds
@@jayman3915 I knew that
He was a baby OMG!!!!
He has a very nice accent. He hails from my hometown Harlem, New York. Most of the talented artists die to drugs!
He sounded so grown for only 15
Right
16
@@mylesmeme1716 No, he was 15. This was from 1957, & he was born in 1942. 1957-1942=15
Alina Mitchelson he said he was 16 🤷🏾♂️
Jan-Ida Ripton Did you listen to the interview? Frankie said he was 16 himself so why would he have to lie? Lol it was said twice lol
In the industry drugs come fast and free when up and coming, when you peak that ish* get expensive and hard to kick, that's when reality sets in andthe fall starts. then BOOM!!!!
He was literally a babe when he started in the business world and needed to be supervised on ALL accounts form business to women to cover him. Women twice his age etc and there was no one to look out for this young child in this doggy dog industry is so sad I can hear in his voice that aloneness. 😔😖🤔RIP Lymon 🙏 💖
Doggy dogg!!
Wow- He spoke very eloquently and mature for his age. I can see how older women fell for him.
He seems agitated in this interview.
It was not the decision or the wish of the four teenagers to go on without Frankie Lymon. They were opposed to the break up. It was their management's decision and it was one of the stupidest decisions in pop music history,.
Actually frankie wanted to be solo cus his their manager currupted him to think that way so he got mad one day and since the group wudnt leave him he left the group and walked out the appartment or hotel
leland rivera I did not say that Lymon did not want to go solo. I said that the Teenagers (the other four guys in the group) did not want the group to break up. Yes, their manager wanted to market Lymon and Teenagers separately, bec. he thought he could make more money that way.
William S. Word. Like when R Kelly was pissing on lil bitches.
@beatsbeats7199 that's from rhe movie. In real life, it was announced in the studio after a recording.
Frankie lymon and the teenagers was an early Jackson 5 . Frankie and Michael sadly both died so young. Rip
the king micheal was like 50
@@christopherdiaz2794 right?
Mpho Lydia Matoane Yeah he was old as fuck when he died
@@christopherdiaz2794 if you think 50 is old then ur crazy.
@@Cameo96_ He was old
A luvly speaking voice and he was extremely articulate
Loved Frankie Lymon until he started singing all those throw-back songs. I love the sound, him, brother Lewis, Little Anthony, The Students, Schoolboys. A few of the old groups managed to join the Doo Wop Revival by finding women to sing the parts that were made famous by young boys. Great post, thanks.
REST IN HEAVENLY PEACE FRANKIE LYMON.
Rest In Peace Frankie Lymon a talented young man who taken advantage in life and in death
I feel this kid Lymon could have been one of the best ever. Very sad he got the smack in his life.
THANKFULLY YOURS , MISS TRUTHFINDER I MUST SAY THIS VIDEO IS A CLASSIC . I TRUELY APPRECIATE YOUR KINDNESS. FOR IT. TONI FRANKIE LYMON MY GIRL .❤
He seems shy
he sings very well
Very intelligent indeed
Wow I actually never heard his voice.
His interview reminds me of eazy es interviews wit howard stern, they talk n answer the same lol
Lol I like Eazy & Frankie too💕
Hooked On You me 2 😍😍😍😍💞💞💖💖💕💕
Hooked On You both of them was some beautiful sexy strong black men. Gone too soon
Fr he sounds like a younger easy e
This was an Ambush...How could he have possibly been the NEXT Stevie Wonder...When Frankie was singing before Stevie ever became a Wonder???
The FRANKIE 💋 Rest in peace ,🌺🌸🌼🌺
Grest thst we at least have this to hear.
⚘
Why does nobody use the 50s radio falsetto anymore?
Because it's not in style anymore. Just like 50's singers didn't use 1930's horn sections anymore
His adult voice was good. He could have gone far. He got caught up in the lifestyle. Drugs will do that to you
YES MY LOVE YOU TOLD THE WORLD YOUR FAVORITE SONG IS "MY GIRL" AND THAT GIRL IS TONI VENTURA FRANKIE LYMON SIGN HIS LOVE LETTER'S TO ME AND WROTE: YOUR NOT JUST A GIRL YOUR "MY GIRL" R.I.P. MY BELOVED 😢 x and thank you truthfinders for sharing MY LOVE STORY " MY GIRL" peace TONI VENTURA☺
Antonia Figueroa is the song about you?
+The Scooter YES! DEAR. HE SANG THIS SONG "MY GIRL" FOR ME . 😢 YOU SEE SCOOTER WHEN HE WENT ON TOUR , HE WROTE ME BEAUTIFUL LOVE LETTERS , FRANKIE, ALWAYS SIGNED HIS LOVE LETTERS TO ME YOUR NOT JUST A GIRL"YOUR MY GIRL" 😢 SORRY SCOOTER IT JUST SAD MEMORIES. AND THANKS FOR ASKING. AND SHAREING. MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎅🎄🎁 BLESSING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. FROM FRANKIE LYMON "MY GIRL" ANTONIA.✌x
@@toniventura7010 are you the girl that was in charge of his fan club.
+jay man WHY YES I WAS THE ORIGINAL PRESIDENT OF FRANKIE LYMON FAN CLUB.😆 AND LOVE EVERY MOMENT. THANKS FOR SHAREING JAY MAN BEST WISHES TO YOU TONI VENTURA 👍
I want to know was Frankie nice to you, did Frankie want to be mean to u, and what was Frankie like with his parents?
He sounded irritated
You can tell he didn't really like some of the songs he recorded
The interviewer was asking him a lot of personal questions. He handled himself well though.
Great talent
16 .. so either the title here is wrong or the dob that comes up on google/wiki are wrong
Or he could have lied about his age. It's not unusual for people in the industry to fib about their age especially back then.
Very nice kid he was
He lied about his age he was 15 at the time.
😭😂 Classic Frankie, we miss you!
Actually this was on September 28th 1957 this was 2 days before his 15th birthday so he was really 14 when he did this interview
@@theo3s611 he was born in 1942. How would he have still been 14 in 57?
Wow what a kid that frankie was.
Very good
WOW those kids was mannerable and articulate
Well yes it was important to speak well back then.
He’s was very precocious.
Awww r.i.p Franky one of my favs from that time
awesome!!!
jacqueline2027 As a young boy I saw Frankie.
And I was knocked out.
So sad that such talent dies so young,him,Redding,Hendrix,Joplin,Biggie,pac,L, and Pun are people I wish could have seen more from😔
Big L rest in peace
I dont think he started on the heroin until the early 60's, but he got hooked fast and bad.
Alot of adults failed him. Such a shame
He even sound like a teenager in this interview
He was 16 in the interview
@@Blue_SeaSmoke this was on September 28th 1957 and his birthday was September the 30th so this was 2 days before he turned 15 he lied about being 16 so he was actually 14 in this interview
@@theo3s611he was born in 1942. He would have been 14 in September of 56
This host said he could have been another been another Stevie Wonder. He’s like Sammie Davis Jr. Stevie Wonder and Jackie Wilson all in one. He was an exceptional talent
They was just making money of him basically using him pimping him until they couldn't make money off him anymore.....then threw him out like trash😔. He didn't see NONE of that money😤....DAMN SHAME💯
If he was 16, this was from 1958-9.
Sounds like young Michael hear..
Feels kinda weird
He was introduced to Heroin when he was 15
This was early Rock n Roll. If the studio heads and label owners let Frankie just keep doing the material that made those early hits, he probably would have had a long career. For some reason they made him sing "old Standards" from a previous generation which is what Rock n Roll had left behind with this new music for a new generation of "teenagers". I think that was the beginning of the end for him. They should have let him do his music, the people who chose his later music had no clue.
You're ignoring the fact that he became famous with the juvenile voice he had when he was thirteen years old. There was no way he was going to be able to retain that voice. When his voice changed, his career was over. It had nothing to do with the material he was given. No one was interested in hearing an adult Frankie Lymon.
@@buckets212 Why though? MJ and Stevie Wonder carried on their careers after their voices broke. The movie about Frankie is full of inaccuracies, done on purpose for "dramatic effect" and I can't find any in-depth docu's about him. Wiki needs citation, so where did you get your info from? If you don't mind me asking.
@@EllaJay He made many records as an adult. Listen to them, and you'll see that his voice was mediocre.
@@buckets212 I'll respectfully disagree. I've already heard his adult records, his voice was lovely. I thought your first comment was based on actual information. Posting your assumptions and opinions like they're "facts" is misleading. ☮
That plus they split him off from his group at the peak of their careers
Bunch of losers here in the comments trashing, an exploited kid who has been dead a long time. Stop trying to make him into a monster. When you haters die no one will remember that any of you ever lived. Get right with God hatred and jealousy is a destructive, vile, ugly influence.
Was he already using heroin during this interview? It seems that he had trouble remembering things, but then again, he was still very young and probably wanted to get all the facts correct.
+Puggy u sure about that
+Puggy What were we talking about (oops).
Kamelhaj Herorin affecting the memory
He was 15 when he did Heroin in January of 1958, This is 1957 he’s still 14 but he is turning 15 in 2 days, this was taken back in September 28th 1957 Frankie was born on September the 30th so now you know.
@teerairan1 I agree. You know show business is a wild business, it can even suck in children. His mother should have been with him or his some chaperone. But Frankie was a wild child, who couldn't be controlled. He would have done what he wanted anyway. His father wasn't much help and his mother eventually died of cancer. He had a lot of upsets in his life, drugs was his escape, but it ended up causing him more trouble and taking his life.
ThatsBlackNostalgia his mom was in the hospital dying from cancer.
@@darlingebony6381 his father was an alcoholic
I HAVE GOT THIS ON TAPE ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Actually he was 14 years old when he did this interview and this is just 2 days before his 15th birthday, and was also dating Antonia Figuero at this time who was 13, and said that he didn’t like to date teenage his age but probably that was a lie because The fan club girl said that she dated Frankie Lymon and he would write letters to her and he did say that he would like to marry her, and you can find it all on TH-cam and yeah, and Frankie does seems like he’s not thrilled with doing an interview and He also had girlfriends who were in their 20s that he would tell the press that they were his mother and I do not know the reason why but he just did it, and that’s what I know from doing some research. And just wanted to come on here and talk about what you missed, and that’s it And Rest well Frankie.
Being a journalist myself, I thought his interview and responses were on point.
He just seen so much older!
the dope messed his brain up he took a long time thinkin i feel bad for the homie rip frankie lymon
Just a kid...so sad
😢
He been here before the way he was talking was like he been here before
This mane was murdered
No, he overdosed
Damn Morris levy bold
I feel sorry Franky..he was taken advantage of..he was from Nigeria..in Africa
tracy webb what?.....