The Rooftop Singers

The Rooftop Singers were an American folk rock trio formed in 1962, composed of Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe on vocals and guitar, with Lynne Taylor providing additional vocals. The group was assembled by Darling specifically to record an updated version of the 1929 folk blues song "Walk Right In" by Gus Cannon. Released under Vanguard Records in 1962, their rendition featured paired 12-string acoustic guitars and became a success. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in early 1963, spent five weeks at Number 1 on the Easy Listening chart, and reached both the R&B and country music charts. The single also achieved international success, hitting Number 1 in Australia and peaking at number 10 in the UK. The group played at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963 and released several further singles, including "Tom Cat", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1963. Taylor left the trio shortly after the release of their second album, Good Time!, and was replaced by Mindy Stuart. The final lineup recorded one more album, 1965's Rainy River, before disbanding in 1967. Erik Darling continued his musical career into the early 1970s with Patricia Street, recording the album The Possible Dream for Vanguard. Lynne Taylor died by suicide on April 21, 1979, and Erik Darling passed away from Burkitt's lymphoma on August 3, 2008.

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