Omnivore Recordings is celebrating the era of street-corner symphonies with five upcoming CD/digital collections from the golden age of doo-wop. The remastered titles arriving throughout July and August are drawn from the vaults of Coed Records and celebrate the sounds of The Rivieras (The Coed Singles), The Duprees (over two volumes, The Coed Singles and The Coed Albums: You Belong to Me/Have You Heard), The Crests (The Best of The Crests featuring Johnny Mastro: 16 Fabulous Hits), and Adam Wade (The Coed Albums: And Then Came Adam/Adam and Evening).

Between 1958 and 1965, George Paxton and Marvin Crane's Coed Records was one of the leading lights of the New York doo-wop scene. Coed nurtured vocal groups that could appeal to both youngsters and their parents; Coed sides frequently reinvented classic standards for a new generation. With Paxton as producer and Crane as his business partner, Coed launched or significantly developed the careers of artists like The Crests (featuring lead singer Johnny Mastro, a.k.a. Johnny Maestro), The Duprees, The Rivieras, The Harptones, Adam Wade, and Trade Martin. (Coed also launched the career of future A&M co-founder Jerry Moss who worked in promotions.) While the label couldn't survive The British Invasion, its legacy of music has not merely survived but also flourished.

Omnivore's Coed series launches on July 24 with volumes of The Coed Singles from The Rivieras and The Duprees. The volume for The Rivieras (not to be confused with the "California Sun" group out of South Bend, Indiana) encompasses their entirety of their output on Coed, with every one of their A- and B-sides as well as two bonus tracks. Homer Dunn, Andy Jones, Charles Allen, and Ronald Cook of Englewood, New Jersey had previously performed as The Five Bob-O-Links, the Four Arts, and El Rivieras before dropping the "El" and officially becoming The Rivieras. They paid tribute to '40s bandleaders such as Glenn Miller and Ray Anthony with their choice of material; their biggest hit was a doo-wop revival of Miller's perennial "Moonlight Serenade."

The Duprees, too, mined a vein of nostalgia. The Italian-American teens from Jersey City, New Jersey - Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom Bialoglow, and Joey Canzano (a.k.a. Joey Vann) - were signed in 1962 to Coed, making them one of the final doo-wop groups to hit it big before the sound of pop changed forever. They reached the top ten with the standard "You Belong to Me" (famously recorded by Jo Stafford as well as Dean Martin, Patti Page, Joni James, and others) and followed it up with the almost-as-successful "My Own True Love," a vocal version of Max Steiner's soaring Gone with the Wind theme. Another harmony-heavy ballad, "Have You Heard," gave them another memorable top twenty success. The Duprees continued to record in the post-Beatles landscape, carving out a niche in the same corner of the musical world as Jay and the Americans, but Omnivore's singles collection preserves their most enduring recordings. The Coed Singles features every one of The Duprees' A- and B-sides for Coed (they later went to Columbia and eked out a few more singles) plus both sides of Joey Vann's lone solo 45, while The Coed Albums has both of their long-players for the label, You Belong to Me and Have You Heard.

New York City-born John Mastrangelo had one of the most successful runs of any doo-wop artist. With a powerful, distinctive tenor and the perfect musical stage name of Johnny Maestro, he famously fronted The Brooklyn Bridge ("The Worst That Could Happen," "Blessed Is the Rain"). But before that, Maestro - billed as Johnny Mastro - was the lead singer of The Crests. The Italian-American Mastro was joined in the integrated group by African-American first tenor Talmadge "Tommy" Gough and bass singer J.T. Carter, and Puerto Rican second tenor Harold "Chico" Torres. The quintet was in perfect harmony from their first recordings on Joyce Records; at Crest, they quickly scored with the timeless "Sixteen Candles" which crossed over to Pop (No. 2) and R&B (No. 4). Soon, other hits followed ("The Angels Listened In," "Step by Step," "Trouble in Paradise") and Coed was urging Mastro to step out as a solo artist. The Best of the Crests Featuring Johnny Mastro: 16 Fabulous Hits is a reissue of the group's classic 1960 compilation.

Adam Wade has one of the most fascinating stories in pop. His professional journey took him from being a lab assistant on Dr. Jonas Salk's polio vaccine team to scoring chart success at Coed; he then became the first African-American game show host with CBS' 1975 Musical Chairs and pursued a successful acting career on both stage (Guys and Dolls, The Color Purple) and screen (Guiding Light, Sanford and Son). The Coed Albums: And Then Came Adam/Adam and Evening collects both of his Coed LPs, from 1960 and 1961, respectively. And Then Came Adam introduced his voice - inspired by that of Nat "King" Cole - and yielded two Hot 100 entries with "Tell Her for Me" and "Ruby." His sophomore set included another moderate Hot 100 hit, "Gloria's Theme" from the Elizabeth Taylor vehicle Butterfield 8. Both LPs showcased the classy, adult style that earned him comparisons to Johnny Mathis (who was also influenced by Cole), with velvety takes on standards and showtunes like "We Kiss in a Shadow," "I Have Dreamed," and "The Party's Over." Epic snapped him up in late 1961, and he recorded his last album to date in 1977 at Kirshner Records. His lush Coed recordings remain the cornerstone of his small but impressive discography.  This set boasts new liner notes by Bill Dahl and remastering by Michael Graves.

The Rivieras and the Duprees' The Coed Singles are set for July 24, 2020; street date for The Crests is July 31; and The Duprees' The Coed Albums and Adam Wade's The Coed Albums arrives on August 7. All titles will be available on both CD and digital formats.  You'll find Omnivore and Amazon links below!

The Rivieras, The Coed Singles (Omnivore OVCD-387, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Count Every Star (CO-503, 1958)
2. True Love Is Hard to Find (CO-503, 1958)
3. Moonlight Serenade (CO-508, 1959)
4. Neither Rain Nor Snow (CO-508, 1959)
5. Our Love (CO-513, 1959)
6. Midnight Flyer (CO-513, 1959)
7. Since I Made You Cry (CO-522, 1959)
8. Eleventh Hour Melody (CO-522, 1959)
9. Moonlight Cocktails (CO-529, 1960)
10. Blessing of Love (CO-529, 1960)
11. My Friend (CO-538, 1960)
12. Great Big Eyes (CO-538, 1960)
13. Stay in My Heart (CO-542, 1960)
14. Easy to Remember (CO-542, 1960)
15. El Dorado (CO-551, 1961)
16. Refrigerator (CO-551, 1961)
17. My Silent Love (Bonus Track) (included on The Best of the Rivieras, Relic 5092)
18. Serenade in Blue (Bonus Track) (included on The Best of the Rivieras, Relic 5092)

The Duprees, The Coed Singles (Omnivore OV-388, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. You Belong to Me (CO-569, 1962)
2. Take Me As I Am (CO-569, 1962)
3. My Own True Love (Tara's Theme from Gone with the Wind) (CO-571, 1962)
4. Ginny (CO-571, 1962)
5. I Wish I Could Believe You (CO-574, 1962)
6. I'd Rather Be Here in Your Arms (CO-574, 1962)
7. Gone with the Wind (CO-576, 1963)
8. Let's Make Love Again (CO-576, 1963)
9. I Gotta Tell Her Now (CO-580, 1963)
10. Why Don't You Believe Me (CO-584, 1963)
11. The Things I Love (CO-584, 1963)
12. My Dearest One (CO-584 (repress), 1963)
13. Have You Heard (CO-585, 1963)
14. Love Eyes (CO-585, 1963)
15. (It's No) Sin (CO-587, 1964)
16. The Sand and the Sea (CO-587, 1964)
17. Where Are You (CO-591, 1964)
18. Please Let Her Know (CO-591, 1964)
19. So Many Have Told Me (CO-593, 1964)
20. Unbelievable (CO-593, 1964)
21. So Little Time (CO-595, 1964)
22. It Isn't Fair (CO-595, 1964)
23. I'm Yours (CO-596, 1964)
24. Wishing Ring (CO-596, 1964)
25. Try to Remember (CO-606, 1965)
26. My Love, My Love (CO-606, 1965)

Tracks 1-8 by The Duprees
Tracks 9-24 by The Duprees featuring Joey Vann
Tracks 25-26 by Joey Vann with The Artie Wayne Singers

The Duprees, The Coed Albums: You Belong to Me/Have You Heard (OVCD-390, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

You Belong to Me (Coed LP LPC 905, 1962)

1. You Belong to Me
2. Ginny
3. Why Don't You Believe Me
4. September in the Rain
5. Take Me as I Am
6. The Things I Love
7. My Own True Love (Tara's Theme from Gone with the Wind)
8. As Time Goes By
9. Let's Make Love Again
10. These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
11. My Dearest One
12. I Wish I Could Believe You

Have You Heard (Coed LP LPC 906, 1963)

13. (It's No) Sin
14. I'd Rather Be Here in Your Arms
15. Exodus
16. Yours
17. I Gotta Tell Her Now
18. It Isn't Fair
19. Have You Heard
20. Love Eyes
21. Gone with the Wind
22. So Little Time
23. The Sand and the Sea
24. Where Are You

The Best of The Crests Featuring Johnny Mastro (Coed LP LPC 904, 1960 - reissued Omnivore OV-389, 2020 (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. 16 Candles
2. A Year Ago
3. Six Nights a Week
4. The Angels Listened In
5. Gee (But I'd Give the World)
6. Step by Step
7. I Thank the Moon
8. Pretty Little Angel
9. Journey of Love
10. Trouble in Paradise
11. Earth Angel
12. Flower of Love
13. Always You
14. If My Heart Could Write a Letter
15. Molly Mae
16. Isn't It Amazing

Adam Wade, The Coed Albums: And Then Came Adam/Adam and Evening (Omnivore OV-391, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

And Then Came Adam (Coed LP LPC(S)-902, 1960)

1. Tenderly
2. Tell Her for Me
3. Just in Time
4. First Love
5. Witchcraft
6. So in Love
7. Fascination
8. Ruby
9. A Moment of Madness
10. I Had the Craziest Dream
11. I'm Wise
12. Around the World

Adam and Evening (Coed LP LPC-903, 1961)

13. Sleepy Time Gal
14. We Kiss in a Shadow
15. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
16. Gloria's Theme (from Butterfield 8)
17. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
18. Canadian Sunset
19. My Reverie
20. I Have Dreamed
21. I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night
22. For You
23. Dreamy
24. The Party's Over