Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers

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  • Year:
    1993
  • Inducted by:
    Boyz II Men
  • Category:
    Performers

Introduction

Led by Lymon’s sparkling, boyish voice, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers sang their way into pop superstardom.

Their single “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” was a defining moment in doo-wop history. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers’ youthful personae and pure vocals predicted Sixties prodigies like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.

Hall of Fame Essay

1993

Jeff Tamarkin

Ronnie Spector, in her autobiography, Be My Baby,  wrote, “A lot of entertainers can’t or won’t tell you where they got their style from. But I know exactly where I got my voice. Frankie Lymon…I was twelve when I first heard Frankie and the Teenagers sing ‘Why Do Fools Fall in Love?’. Frankie had the greatest voice I’d ever heard.” 

Diana Ross has said that she started out trying to emu­late Lymon’s high-pitched, crystalline voice, his enuncia­tion and whip-crack timing. Marvin Gaye, upon first wit­nessing his Motown labelmate Michael Jackson in action, commented, “It was Frankie Lymon all over again.”

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 1993
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they have finally been allowed to make the leap from boys to men.
Boyz II Men

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Gallery

Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage