Johnny & the Blue Jays : Mama

Johnny & the Blue Jays

Fleetwood FL 4525 (1962)

Mama



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1964 teen rock on a Massachusetts label founded by Ray Samora in 1958.

Ray Samora created the Drum Corps News publication and also established and headed Fleetwood Recording Studios, which recorded drum and bugle corps (*) competitions across the continent in the 1950s and ‘60s, then produced and distributed LP records through a wide variety of retail outlets. Fleetwood introduced hi-fi and stereo sound to drum corps albums, eight track and tape cassettes. Fleetwood, founded with partner Vincent Giarusso, also produced sports albums. See Fleetwood catalog.

(*)
Back in the late 50s and through the 60s, I had a lot of Fleetwood Records. You mentioned that they recorded mainly marching bands. That is incorrect.
What they recorded was drum and bugle corps, which, though there are superficial similarities between them and marching bands, are actually quite different from bands. Drum and bugle corps had (and still have) as instruments only various types/sizes of percussion instruments/drums and bugles in various sizes/ranges (e.g., soprano, baritone, contrabass, french horn bugle, mellophone, etc.). The sound drum corps produce is one of powerful percussion and brass. And precision in both music and in marching and manuevering (visual show) is emphasized.
In the 1970s, the drum corps style began to have a more significant influence on marching bands, with the result that, today, many bands imitate the more precise and powerful drum corps style.

Regards,

John Grady

Fleetwood Singles discography