Jose Negroni (September 9, 1940 – September 5, 1978) was an
American singer of
Puerto Rican descent. He was a
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
pioneer and founding member of the rock and roll group
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
Early years
Negroni's family moved from
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
to New York City in the 1930s during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
era. The family lived in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, where Negroni met and befriended
Herman Santiago. In the early 1950s, Negroni, Santiago, and two other friends,
Jimmy Merchant and
Sherman Garnes, would get together in front of Santiago's stoops (building stairs) and sing songs to the beat of Doo-Wops.
[Rockabilly](_blank)
/ref>
Negroni, who had a baritone voice, and his friends called themselves the "Ermines" with Santiago as lead singer. On one occasion, they performed alongside the "Cadillacs" at P.S. 143 (Public School 143). The Ermines changed their name to "Coupe de Villes" and later to "The Premiers".
/ref>
The "Teenagers"
Negroni was 5 foot 8 as a teenager and an adult. In 1954, 12-year-old Frankie Lymon worked in a grocery store. One night, The Premiers and Lymon's brother performed in a talent show held at JHS Stitt (Junior High School Stitt). Lymon approached The Premiers, telling them how good they sounded. They started jamming together, and the Premiers were impressed with the sound of Lynon's high tenor/boy soprano voice. Lymon sang a few numbers with them, like "You Painted Pictures" and "Lily Maebelle," and by early 1955, they had invited him to join, with Lymon singing first tenor behind Santiago's lead.
In 1955, Richard Barrett, a scout for "Gee Records," heard them singing and introduced them to George Goldner, the owner of Gee. Upon hearing them sing, Goldner signed them to a contract and changed the group's name to "The Teenagers." The following day, the group was supposed to meet with Goldner in the studio for a recording session. Santiago, who was the lead singer, was ill and could not accompany the other members; therefore, he gave Negroni the music sheet with the words to the song that he had written. The song was " Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (which was originally reworked from a poem called "Why Do Birds Sing So Gay"). Since Santiago was not present, Goldner asked Lymon if he could sing the song. Lymon accepted, and they recorded the song. Goldner then changed the group's name to "Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers" and released the record. The song became an instant hit in the United States, and in the United Kingdom, it also became the first top British hit of an American vocal group. In London, the group played at the Palladium. Upon hearing them sing, young girls acted wild, a matter that bothered the establishment more than somewhat. Alan Freed signed them for two movies.
The Teenagers had three other hits that reached the top 10 in the R&B charts: " I Want You to Be My Girl" (#3), " Who Can Explain?" (#7), and " The ABC's of Love" (#8).
Later years and death
In 1957, Frankie Lymon, upon the urging of Goldner, left "the Teenagers" and went solo. Eventually, the group broke up. Santiago tried to reunite "the Teenagers" in the 1970s and 1980s, in ill–fated comeback attempts. On February 27, 1968, Lymon was found dead on the floor of his grandmother's bathroom from a heroin overdose. In 1977, Garnes had died from a heart attack, and on September 5, 1978, Negroni died from a cerebral hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...
in a New York apartment or home, just four days before his 38th birthday. Negroni was found unresponsive by his girlfriend, and Negroni was rushed to the hospital and died there, Negroni was survived by his three children, two daughters and a son.
In 1993, Joe Negroni, Herman Santiago, Frankie Lymon, Jimmy Merchant, and Sherman Garnes—the original members of "the Teenagers"—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
, and in 2000, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc. was an American-based hall of fame that honored vocal groups throughout the United States. James E. Winner Jr. was the financial and managing partner of the For-profit corporation. Winner and ...
. In the 1998 film " Why Do Fools Fall in Love," the role of Negroni was played by actor Jon Huertas.Why Do Fools Fall in Love (film)
/ref>
See also
* List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
* Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico resulted in the 19th century from widespread economic and political changes in Europe that made life difficult for the peasant and agricultural classes in Corsica and other territories. The Second Industrial R ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Negroni, Joe
1940 births
1978 deaths
American people of Corsican descent
American musicians of Puerto Rican descent
The Teenagers members
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers