The Teenagers

The Teenagers started at a high school in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Garnes formed the group, added the lead singer Herman Santiago and the baritone Joe Negroni, and began performing under the name The Coupe De Villes. In 1954 came Frankie Lymon, who was only twelve years old, and the group went through a few more names — Ermines, Premiers — before finding the final one.The final name came with a contract. Lymon collaborated with Santiago and Merchant to rewrite a song they already had, and from there came Why Do Fools Fall In Love. That song opened the door to an audition with George Goldner of Gee Records.

Santiago was sick that day, Lymon took the main microphone, and when they signed the contract they were officially The Teenagers, with Lymon as the lead singer.Why Do Fools Fall In Love was their biggest hit. The group stood out both for their harmonies and their choreography, and they also achieved success with I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent and The ABC's of Love. By 1957 the signboard already read Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, which caused internal tensions. In September of that year, Goldner decided to separate Lymon to launch him as a solo artist. The solo career didn't work out: Lymon developed a heroin addiction and died of an overdose at the age of twenty-five.The group continued.