Skip to main content
 DooWopDJ's 
R&B and DooWop CD Reviews
 
From The Vaults Of

DRUM Record Company

And ELGIN

Drum #101
Barcode: None

Review first published: 04.08.2002

Formed in 1958 in Connecticut by Clarence Drum, the Drum & Elgin labels had a short run. Recording many find artists and groups, such as Bill Baker, Baby Dolls and the Chestnuts. Only the lack of know how

(promotion) of the Recording Business prevented Drum from making a bigger splash on the music scene of the late 50’s into 1960. A few very few of Drum’s products did make the National market on Coral, Gee and other minor labels. However, not enough to garner the financial successes he needed to keep on producing. By 1961 the labels were a part of history.

Thank you to the producer of this CD for giving us the opportunity to hear the recordings of Drum & Elgin Records. Here are the hour’s worth of these endeavors. I thinkk you will, on a whole, find them very enjoyable. Mix of Ballads & Rockers! Solos and even an instrumental in this mix.

1. Chapel In The Moonlight - Marvin Baskerville & Five Chestnuts ’58 Drum $500 (Start with a very, very good ballad!) play

2. Betty Lou - Paul Kepler & Cool Notes ’58 Drum (Solo by Paul with the Cool Notes band. Buddy Holly sounding Rock & Roll!)

3. Wonderful Girl - Bill Baker & Chestnuts ’59 Elgin & Coral (Good remake of his Five Satins’ hit!)

4. Boyfriend - Baby Dolls ’59 Elgin (These Babies are Movin’)

5. The Flame - Ralph Miranda & Deltoros '59 Rogo $175 (Another solo this time in the style ala Elvis!)

6. Chit Chit - flipside of #3 (Rockin’ with Bill here) play

7. Billy (My Kind Of Baby) - Hayes Baskerville & Five Chestnuts ’58 Drum $250 ’59 Elgin (Very good UPTEMPO)

8. Crying My Heart Out - Vickie Lee (Chestnuts) ’59 Drum (Another good Rocker!) play

9. Do Me A Favor - Bette Watts & Watts ’59 Elgin ’60 Wand (Scorcher!)

10. Don’t Leave Me Now - flipside of #5 (Another Elvis sound a like solo by Ralph)

11. Hey Good Lookin’ - Silvertones ’59 Elgin (Good version of this Old Standard)

12. I Believe I Love You - Jimmy Mack & Watts ’59 Elgin ’60 Gee (Real NICE! Ballad)

13. I’m So Glad - Five Chestnuts unrel Drum (Ruby Whitaker has the lead on this Rocker)

14. Let It Be - Annie Watts flipside of #9 (On the Wand 45 it is listed as Bette) (Annie ROCKS too)

15. Moonlight Rock - Walcoes ’59 Drum $200 (Instrumental side of this Group’s release! FAIR!)

16. My Life With You - Rodney Gallant (Chestnuts) ’59 Elgin & Scoopo (Good Neckin’ Ballad)

17. Pete’s Blues - Pete Concillio & Cool Notes flip of #2 (Ain’t Jerry Lee Lewis but trying! Solo)

18. Love Is True - Chestnuts ’56 Davis (Not a Drum release but a Joe Davis product! Killer ballad with Ruby Whitaker leading the Chestnuts on this one. Bonus!)

19. Tell Me Little Darling - Bill Baker & Chestnuts ’59 Elgin (Great Rockin’ Side)

20. Is This The End - flipside of #4 (Girls can get ya dancin’ close!)

21. Chi Chi - flipsides of #1 & #7 (Chiuahah’s (sp) love for a Poodle? Rocker!)

22. S’cuse Me Baby - flipside of #16 (Still Rockin’ & Rollin’!)

23. Tell Me Baby - flipside of #15 (Ballad! Much better than their instrumental)

24. True Lover Girl - flipside of #12 (Jimmy Mack is GROOVIN’!)

25. With All My Heart - flipside of #8 (Sooooo nice! Vickie with a ballad)

26. Won’t You Tell Me My Heart - flipside #19 (Has to be my favorite ballad by Bill Baker)

There you have them. Twenty-six (26) tracks from the vaults of Clarence Drum’s Drum & Elgin Records. Well worth adding to your oldies library. Brand new for 2002. This CD should be available wherever you purchase your Oldies!! Let my assist if you run into a snag finding this one.

In Harmony:

Bruce (DooWop DJ)

ellupo@comcast.net