When you think of that great Philadelphia oldies sound - doowop and rock and roll, one name comes instantly to mind - Lee Andrews.  His pure, sweet voice was unmistakable.  Along with his group - the Hearts, Lee Andrews brought us so many beautiful musical memories.  This is his story.
 

Lee grew up in south Philly (49th and Woodland Avenue to be exact) and came from a musical family.  His father had grown up in North Carolina and was a member of the Dixie Hummingbirds.  Weldon McDougal of the Philadelphia Larks, the members of which lived in the same neighborhood, recalls that Lee's mother was "such a nice lady, should used to feed everybody and so we'd always run over and get something to eat."  Lee would eventually join forces with some other guys from the neighborhood:  Lee (lead), Royalston “Roy” Calhoun (first tenor), Thomas “Butch” Curry (second tenor), Jimmy McCalister (baritone), John Young (bass), and Kenny Lowe (piano).

It all started in 1954 when Lee and the Hearts first recorded on Rainbow Records.  Their first recording was Maybe You'll Be There b/w Baby Come Back (Rainbow 252 - 1954).  They followed up with the classic White Cliffs of Dover b/w Much Too Much (Rainbow 256 - 1954) and The Fairest b/w Bells of St. Mary (Rainbow 259 - 1954).  Due to a contractual dispute (the guys were just kids when they signed their contract and it was later found invalid) they moved on to Gotham Records where they would record the immortal Lonely Room b/w Leona (Gotham 320 - 1956) and Just Suppose b/w Its Me (Gotham 321 - 1956).  But it was not until Lee and the guys moved to Chess in 1957 that they were able to record the songs that we all identify as pure Lee Andrews gold:  Long Lonely Nights b/w the Clock (Chess 1665 - 1957) and Teardrops b/w The Girl Around the Corner (Chess 1675 - 1957)  - songs that bring back memories (some good and maybe some sad) for so many kids that grew up in the 50's and early 60's.  The guys had one more memorable record on United Artists in 1957 - Try the Impossible b/w Nobody's Home (United Artists 123 -1957).

 
Lee is retired from performing but he has a new CD out entitled "Vintage Lee Andrews" - 17 original songs and 4 new unreleased tracks recorded by Lee and produced by McDougal.  It truly is a one of a kind CD and worth every penny.