The Skyliners - This I Swear 1959

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The Skyliners (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Personnel: Jimmy Beaumont (Lead) Janet Vogel (First Tenor) Wally Lester (Second Tenor)
Joe Versharen (Baritone) Jack Taylor (Bass)

Biography:
In 1958, Jimmy, Wally Lester and Jack Taylor-who had been singing with Joe Rock's group, The Crescents - combined with Joe Versharen and Janet Vogel from The El Rios, another vocal group from Pittsburgh's South Hills. Joe Rock, then named them for jazz orchestra leader Charlie Barnett's theme song "Skyliner

The Skyliners could have no better advocate than Joe Rock, an ambitious youth not much older than themselves, who was an industry insider with contacts gained from working as a promotion man for a local record distributor.

The song that would inspire their success was inspired when a secretary at a radio station that Joe was promoting, said that she didn't want to date him anymore. While driving a few nights later, Joe conceived the words to the song and later Jimmy Beaumont provided the melody. Today, "Since I Don't Have You" is regarded as the quintessential fifties ballad from standard pop.

Alan Freed invited The Skyliners to New York to appear on his 1959 Easter stage show with Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino, and Bobby Darin. They also made 8 appearances at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Dick Clark took them on the road with his "Caravan of Stars" tour and featured them on Bandstand and his Saturday night television show numerous times.

By 1963 the group had signed with Atco Records which released their version of the standard "Since I Fell For You". Although Lenny Welch was to have the national hit with his version that year, the flip side of The Skyliners record, "I'd Die", was re-discovered in the mid-70's by 13-Q Radio deejay, Don Bombard (Now known as Bob Shannon on WCBS FM in New York) and has become one of their most requested releases.