Gee Label Album Discography
By David Edwards and Mike Callahan
Last update: July 28, 2019




George Goldner started the label in 1954, not long after his group, The Crows, had a major crossover hit on his Rama label with a song titled "Gee" (#2 R&B, #14 Pop). Most collectors are familiar with the red- and-black singles on Gee from Frankie Lymon's success in 1956. But back in 1954, the singles were yellow with a green top (see right). The first 12 singles, numbered GG-1 to GG-12, were released in 1954 on this yellow and green label. In 1955, Goldner started a new series with the red and black labels, and changed the numbering system to the GG-1000 series.

The first single in this new series was "You Baby You" by the Cleftones, which reached #78 on the Billboard pop charts. This was followed by "Do You Remember" by the Five Crowns, which didn't chart, but is notable as an early record by a group fronted by Benny Nelson (Ben E. King), who in 1959 would become The Drifters. The first big hit on Gee was "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" (#1 R&B, #6 Pop), credited to "The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon." Their followup single, "I Want You to Be My Girl" (#3 R&B, #13 Pop) also used that credit line, but after that the group was known as "Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers." Two more chart singles followed in 1956, "I Promise to Remember"/"Who Can Explain?" (#10/7 R&B), and "The ABCs of Love" (#8 R&B).

It was the Cleftones and Frankie Lymon who would carry the Gee label through 1956. The Cleftones had two more charters in 1956 ("Little Girl of Mine" (#8 R&B) and "Can't We Be Sweethearts"), then after a break came back in 1961 with "Heart and Soul" (#10 R&B, #18 Pop), "For Sentimental Reasons," "Earth Angel," and "Lover Come Back to Me."

1957 was more problematic for Gee Records. The hits suddenly ground to a halt. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers appeared in a movie in late 1956 called Rock, Rock, Rock. Two songs from the film, "I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent"/"Baby Baby" were issued back-to-back on a single, but didn't chart (although both are remembered by oldies afficionados today). To be fair, the lack of chart success shouldn't have been a total surprise, since although Lymon's records had been doing well on the R&B charts, they had been scoring lower and lower on the pop charts. Although "The ABCs of Love" had made #8 on the R&B charts, it only reached #77 pop. Two more singles in early 1957 also failed to chart. It was at about this time that Goldner sold his interest in Gee Records to Morris Levy.

By the summer of 1957, it was over for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Frankie went solo. In July, 1957, the group's final single, "Out in the Cold Again," made #10 on the R&B charts but again failed on the pop side. About the same time, Frankie Lymon came out with a solo single called "Goody Goody," which made #20 pop (early printings had "& The Teenagers" at the bottom of the label, but these were quickly changed to a Frankie Lymon solo credit. Lymon was soon moved to the new parent label, Roulette, but his solo singles sold poorly.

Gee Records, now a Roulette subsidiary, barely put out any product in 1958 and 1959, with a mere three singles each year. They signed some new acts in 1960, but the hits still eluded them until 1961, when the aforementioned Cleftones hits were joined by a new group, The Regents, who hit with "Barbara-Ann" (#7 R&B, #13 Pop) and "Runaround" (#30 R&B, #28 Pop). By 1962, they were back to releasing three singles as their swan song.

Although Gee Records only released a limited number of albums (six to be precise), they issued more than 80 singles. A few years ago, we got a note from Bob Friedman, one of the final artists on Gee Records, who gives us some information about what was going on near the end:

Just in case you didn't know, the last record on Gee (1082) was "So Many Tears Ago" by the Squires, a group with whom I sang bass/baritone. The group consisted of Peter Baralt, Arnie Magraner, Gary Bonner and myself. We were discovered at the Cafe Wha? in the Village, signed a contract the following day and recorded the next day. Richards Barrett was at the session, organizing the effort and playing maracas. Arlene Smith was there also. The Squires were together from 1963-65 during which time we cut many cover records of the Beatles, the Four Seasons and the Tams for export (we were told) overseas. Each of us was paid $5 per record and the lead got $10. This group also won Amateur Night at the Apollo with our rendition of the Dominoes' "Stardust." That was in 1964 because I remember Sam Cooke being back stage.

The flip of Gee 1082, "Don't Accuse Me" was not put on the record when it was recorded. In other words, that's not us. But when they dug up the Gee masters for the box set, they came up with our version and put it on the CD set. It's very good, and I hadn't heard it for 35 years.

Gary Bonner went on to write "Happy Together" for the Turtles and some other sides and now sings with the Planotones. I haven't seen Peter or Arnie for decades. I went on to sing with the Sparrows Quartet out of NYC for a decade and then moved to Chicago and sang with Yesterdays Rhythm. Both groups produced records. The Sparrows actually produced 78's as well. I currently work at WJLD radio in Birmingham, Alabama and have produced quartets and quintets of myself (finding doowoppers in the south is difficult).

Hope you find this helpful, Bob Friedman

		The initial Gee label (far left) was red with black print. The top fourth of the label was black with "GEE" in block red letters. The red stereo label was the same as the mono label, with a stereo notation to the right of the center hole (near left).
		About 1960, the Gee label changed to a grey label with black print (far left). In the lower left corner of the label is a circle with a red lower case "g" followed by GEE RECORDS A Division of Roulette Records, Inc. The stereo versions of this label had "STEREO" beneath the copy on both left and right sides (near left).
		In Canada, the Gee albums were issued on the Roulette label. Mono labels (far left) were dark red with silver print, while stereo labels (near left) were black with silver print.

The albums with the "GLP-" prefix were issued in mono only; those with the "SGLP-" prefix were also issued in stereo. Even the early material, such as some of the 1956 Frankie Lymon songs, exist in several tracks (vocals, etc.), making them perhaps the first rock and roll recordings capable of being synchronized to stereo-like sound. Later issues on the label were mostly on stereo LPs, although not all the tracks on each LP were in fact true stereo.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Gee Records, which we believe is currently owned by Rhino/Warner Bros. Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1997, 2019 by Mike Callahan.


GEE ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

Cover	Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] Contents
	GLP-701 - The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon - Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers [10/56] (1-57, #19) Original Label red with black print. Why Do Fools Fall In Love/Please Be Mine/Who Can Explain/Share/Love Is A Clown/I Promise To Remember//I Want You To Be My Girl/I'm Not A Know It All/Baby Baby/ABC's Of Love/Am I Fooling Myself Again/I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent
	GLP-702 - Teenage Party - Various Artists [1958] Original Label red with black print. Little Girl Of Mine - Cleftones/Can't We Be Sweethearts - Cleftones/Come Back My Love - Wrens/Nature's Creation - Valentines/Lily Maebelle - Valentines/Three Wishes - Harptones//You Baby You - Cleftones/You're Driving Me Mad - Cleftones/Gee - Crows/I Love You So - Crows/My Memories Of You - Harptones/A Sunday Kind Of Love - Harptones
	GLP-703 - Pajama Party - Various Artists [Unissued] This LP was released on the parent Roulette label as R-25021, "GLP-703" is on the trail off wax of this record but is scratched out and replaced with "R-25021." Little White Lies - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers/I Want To Know - Heartbeats/See You Next Year - Cleftones/Move Over - Jimmy Wright Orchestra/Crazy For You - Heartbeats/Woo Woo Train - Valentines//Since We Fell In Love - Cleftones/Out In The Cold Again - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers/String Around My Heart - Cleftones/Don't Say Goodnight - Valentines/2:20 AM - Jimmy Wright Orchestra/A Thousand Miles Away - Heartbeats
	GLP/SGLP-704 - Big Daddy's Blues - Frankie Brunson [1959] Original Label red with black print. Down On My Knees/Give Me Girls/Yesterday/You're Mine/I Need Somebody To Love/Let Me Call You Mother//Give Me Something To Live For/I'll Be Gone/I Never Thought/My Used To Be/How Can I Please You/Keep On Walkin'
	GLP/SGLP-705 - Heart And Soul - Cleftones [1961] Stereo information not known. Grey second label. Heart And Soul/How Do You Feel/100 Pounds Of Clay/Please Say You Want Me/Can't We Be Sweethearts/Time Is Running Out On Our Love//Little Girl Of Mine/Heavenly Father/Glory Of Love/You And I Can Climb/You Baby You/String Around My Heart
	GLP/SGLP-706 - Barbara Ann - Regents [1961] Grey second label. Barbara Ann (E)/Autumn Leaves (S)/A Sunday Kind Of Love (S)/Laura My Darling (S)/Summertime (S)/Jeanette Jeanette (S)//Runaround (S)/Just Cry (S)/Lonesome Boy (S)/I'm So Lonely (E)/Your Love Captured Me (S)/A Fool In Love (S)
	GLP/SGLP-707 - For Sentimental Reasons - Cleftones [1962] Stereo information not known. Grey second label. For Sentimental Reasons/Blues In The Night/Red Sails In The Sunset/She's Gone/Vacation In The Mountains/My Babe//Earth Angel/Deed I Do/Shadows On The Very Last Row/What Did I Do That Was Wrong/Hey Babe/Leave My Woman Alone
	SELECTED RELATED LPs
	EMUS E-12030/ES-12030 - Heart and Soul - Cleftones [1975] Emus was a reissue subsidiary of Roulette. Although this has the same title and cover as Gee SGLP-705, the song titles are different. Yellow label with black print. Heart And Soul (S)/For Sentimental Reasons (S)/See You Next Year (E)/Little Girl Of Mine (E)/Can't We Be Sweethearts (E)//You're Driving Me Mad (E)/The Glory Of Love (S)/Red Sails In The Sunset (S)/Please Say You Want Me (S)/Time Is Running Out On Our Love (S)
	MURRAY HILL M-61323 - Barbara Ann - Regents [1985] Yellow label with black print. Barbara Ann (E)/Autumn Leaves (S)/A Sunday Kind Of Love (S)/Laura My Darling (S)/Summertime (S)/Jeanette Jeanette (S)//Runaround (S)/Just Cry (S)/Lonesome Boy (S)/I'm So Lonely (E)/Your Love Captured Me (S)/A Fool In Love (S)
	SELECTED RELATED CDs
	COLLECTABLES COL-CD-5462 - Spotlite on Gee Records, Vol. 1 - Various Artists [1993] Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/Ding Dong - Echoes (M)/Can't We Be Sweethearts - Cleftones (M)/After New Year's Eve - Heartbeats (M)/I'm Not A Know-It-All - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/Glory Of Love - Angels (M)/Perfidia - Crows (M)/Who Can Explain - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/Heaven Above Me - Jets (M)/See You Next Year - Cleftones (M)/China Doll - Downbeats (M)/The ABC's Of Love - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/For Sentimental Reasons - Cleftones (S)/Runaround - Regents (S)
	COL-CD-5463 - Spotlite on Gee Records, Vol. 2 - Various Artists [1993] Why Do You Do Me Like You Do - Cleftones (M)/When I Found You - Heartbeats (M)/Please Be Mine - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/I'm Willing - Quintones (M)/Niki-Hokey - Cleftones (M)/We'll Wait - Debonairs (M)/I Promise To Remember - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/Rosie Lee - Mello-Tones (M)/String Around My Heart - Cleftones (M)/Share - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/I'm Gone - Debonairs (M)/Love Is A Clown - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/Listen Baby - Mellow Keys (M)/Sugar Lump - Vocaltones (M)
	COL-CD-5463 - Spotlite on Gee Records, Vol. 3 - Various Artists [1994] Cry Like I Cried - Harptones/I Want You To Be My Girl (outtake) - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers/Dearest Darling - Rosebuds/Guide Me - Duvals/Strange As It Seems - Quintones/Change Of Time - Emanons/I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers/Have You Ever Met An Angel - Valtones/Hey Babe - Cleftones/Paper Castles - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers/My Heart Beats For You - Echoes/Laura My Darling - Regents/It's You I Love Best - Angel/Earth Angel - Cleftones
	COL-CD-5463 - Spotlite on Gee Records, Vol. 4 - Various Artists [1994] Little Girl Of Mine - Cleftones/500 Miles To Go - Heartbeats/Barbara Ann - Regents/When Will I Know - Carol Blades & The Harptones/I'm Not Too Young To Dream - Frankie Lymon/I'm Yours - Clippers/Heart And Soul - Cleftones/Goody Goody - Frankie Lymon/You Belong To My Heart - Valtones/Lover Come Back To Me - Cleftones/Hindu Baby - Emanons/Creation Of Love - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers/I'm Not A Deceiver - Mellowkeys/You're Driving Me Mad - Cleftones
	WESTSIDE (UK) WESD 223 - The Gee Story - Various Artists [1999] Disc 1 (all tracks mono): Perfidia - Lorraine Ellis & Crows/Piano Player Play A Tune - Lorraine Ellis & Crows/What I Say - Oliver Jones/Thank You Daddy - Dottie Johnson/It's A Shame - Dottie Johnson/I'm True (Cause I Love No One But You - Eddie "Tex" Curtis/Brown - Eddie "Tex" Curtis/Blue Can't Get No Place With You - Coins/Two Loves Have I - Bill "Bass" Gordon & Colonials/You Baby You - Cleftones/God Bless You - Five Crowns/Do You Remember - Five Crowns/Why Do Fools Fall In Love - (Frankie Lymon &) Teenagers/Guide Me - Duvals/Have You Ever Met An Angel - Valtones/Change Of Time - Emanons/Lily Maebelle Mambo - Jimmy Wright & His Orchestra/Look At Me Girl - Coins/I'm Gone - Debonaires/I'm Willing - Quintones/Little Girl Of Mine - Cleftones/Listen Baby - Mellow Keys/Dilly Dally Darling - Anne Kaye/China Doll - Downbeats/Heaven Above Me - Jets/Chang-A-Lang - Royale Cita Chorus/Open Up Your Heart - Lanes/The Glory Of Love - Angels/Ding Dong - Echoes/Baby Baby - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers; Disc 2: I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent - Frankie Lymon & Teenagers (M)/Bella Marie - Johnny Blake & Clippers (M)/I'm Yours - Clippers (M)/What Did I Do Wrong - Carol Blades (M)/With This Ring - Sweet Teens (M)/Dearest Darling - Rosebuds (M)/Ain't Nobody Home - Shaye Cogan (M)/I'll Never Fall In Love Again - Mello-Tones (M)/School Kid - Little Billy Mason (M)/When I Found You - Heartbeats (M)/Say Yeah - Ollie Sheppard (M)/So Good So Fine - Harptones (M)/Flip Flop - Teenagers (M)/500 Miles To Go - Heartbeats (M)/Beginners At Love - Cleftones (M)/(I Never Thought I'd Miss It) But I Do - Kenny Rossi (M)/Where In The World - Big Daddy [Frankie Brunson] (M)/You're Mine - Big Daddy [Frankie Brunson] (S)/I'm Not Too Young To Dream - Frankie Lymon (M)/I Believe I Love You - Jimmy Mack (M)/Timber - Curtis Carrington (M)/Tell The World - John Loren (M)/Heart And Soul - Cleftones (S)/Barbara Ann - Regents (M)/Runaround - Regents (S)/Just Cry - Regents (S)/Let's Try Again - Toni Knight (M)/Love Me - Suburbans (M)/Lover Come Back To Me - Cleftones (S)/You Got To Look Up - Drapers (M)/(I Know) Your Love Has Gone Away - Drapers (M)/So Many Tears Ago - Squires (M)/Don't Accuse Me - Squires (M, Squires version, flip of 45 was by a different group)

Thanks to Bob Friedman and Bob Hyde.



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