Celebrating 'Babalu's Wedding Day' by the Eternals
- edgarstreetbooks
- Feb 19
- 2 min read
‘100 Greatest 50s Rock, Pop & Doo Wop Songs’ Book Excerpt
Frank Mastropolo
Enjoy this excerpt from the new book, 100 Greatest 50s Rock, Pop & Doo Wop Songs.
The Eternals were a doo wop group that formed in New York’s South Bronx. “Sometimes when we would sing in theaters they would say, ‘The Eternals, the only Hispanic, all-Puerto Rican group in the history of doo wop.’ And that made us proud,” lead singer Charlie Girona told NBC News.
Its original members—Charlie Girona, Alex Miranda, Anibal Torres, and Fred Hodge—released “Babalu’s Wedding Day” in 1959 as a follow-up to “Rockin’ in the Jungle.” Girona explained its inspiration to the Doo Wop Society of Southern California.
“I went home one day and started watching a TV program. In those days, there was a Cuban television program that aired daily in New York City. This particular show featured Miguelito Valdes singing a song, ‘Babalu,’ as part of a story about a wedding.
“I just started putting this together with Fred Hodge’s upcoming wedding. I also wanted to do a novelty song, so I started creating characters like big Babalina and wimpy Babalu.”
When the group’s manager got them involved in a lawsuit against local bookers, distribution of “Babalu’s Wedding Day” stalled and it did not chart. Fans of WABC-AM remember the song as the theme of disc jockey Bob Lewis.
“No one got rich from singing,” Girona said. “They paid each of us $22 when we recorded. Most of the shows back in those days didn’t pay. We did them for publicity, to push the songs.”
Frank Mastropolo is the author of 100 Greatest 50s Rock, Pop & Doo Wop Songs, part of the Greatest Performances series. For more on our latest projects, visit Edgar Street Books.
Comments