Formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1956, the Tune Weavers were originally established as a brother-and-sister jazz and pop music duo consisting of 22-year-old Gilbert Lopez, and his 20-year-old sister, Margo. They soon evolved into a quartet with the addition of Gilbert and Margo’s cousin, Charlotte Davis, and Margo’s husband, John Sylvia. Initially, they adopted the name Tone Weavers but before they began singing professionally, either by suggestion or a mistake, the moniker was changed to Tune Weavers. The quartet continued performing pop and show tunes while gradually adding rhythm and blues to their repertoire.
In December of 1956, the Tune Weavers traveled to New York to appear on the popular television program, the Original Amateur Hour, hosted by Ted Mack. The program had begun on radio, and became a television staple in 1948, eventually appearing on all four of the major networks at various points in its history. The show continued until 1970 with the support of a longtime sponsor, Geritol.
The date of this broadcast is believed to be Sunday evening, December 30, 1956, when the show was appearing on ABC-TV between 7:30 and 8:30 PM on the East Coast. Early in the program, a rock’n’roll ensemble from Philadelphia called the Jesters performed a rendition of the Treniers’ “Rockin’ Is Our Business”. Several other variety acts were also featured, with the order of appearance based on the luck of the draw.
For their selection, the Tune Weavers chose “This Can’t Be Love”, originally written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1938 musical, The Boys From Syracuse. Eddie Albert and Marcy Westcott sang it in the musical, and Larry Cotton, singing with Horace Heidt’s Orchestra, and the Benny Goodman Orchestra, with Martha Tilton singing, enjoyed hit versions of the song in the late 1930s. In the mid-1950s, Nat “King” Cole, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald all recorded versions of “This Can’t Be Love”. Ted Mack erroneously introduces the group as “The Weavers”, the name of a very popular folk group at the time, and discusses the familial ties within the quartet. The Tune Weavers are only backed by piano accompaniment. A predecessor of the modern-day Star Search and American Idol television programs, Mack’s Original Amateur Hour offered viewers a chance to telephone or submit a postcard to cast their vote and determine the winner of the contest. The winner would subsequently be announced on the following week’s program.
Back home in Massachusetts, the Tune Weavers subsequently met Frank Paul, owner of the local Casa Grande Records, while performing at a Boston-area club. Their initial release, “Happy, Happy Birthday Baby”, written and led by Margo, earned some airplay in Philadelphia and the disc was subsequently picked up for distribution by Chess Records’ Checker subsidiary, becoming a national hit. The group continued into the early 1960s before disbanding.
Margo returned to recording and performing in the late 1980s (“Merry, Merry Christmas, Baby”) and remained active until her death in 1991. Her brother, Gilbert Lopez, died in 1998. John and Charlotte reorganized the group in 2003 and they performed frequently in to the late 2010s. John Sylvia died in April of 2023 at age 87.
Beginning in the early 1970s, Boston-area disc jockey, concert host and producer, historian and enthusiast, Little Walter DeVenne began documenting the pioneers of vocal group harmony, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll using Super 8 movie film, reel to reel tape recorders, and whatever means were available to him. Sadly, Walter died in 2021, and the films were feared lost or destroyed. Through the efforts of Walter’s friend and longtime disc jockey, Mike Bollea, many of these recordings have been preserved. Through Mike’s generosity and a desire to see Walter’s historic films shared with fans and devotees of this music, we present the Little Walter’s Time Machine Official Archives series, remixed and synched by Todd Baptista, from the original source material.
Walter was a longtime friend of Margo Sylvia and Charlotte (Davis) Rose, and worked with the Tune Weavers on concert and television stages until his death. This rare and unseen kinescope of the Tune Weavers on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour program was discovered in his private archives. Copying, reuploading, distributing, selling, or any unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
For the best in “oldies but goodies” from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, listen to Mike Bollea on MIXCLOUD and follow his discjockeymike page to hear new shows. To leave comments or connect with Mike, send him a friend request and visit his Facebook page Michael Bollea (Not Just Another DJ) and the Mike Bollea’s Radio Friends Group or e-mail him at discjockeymike@verizon.net
