The Emotions (doo-wop group)

The Emotions are an American doo-wop vocal group from New York City, United States.

The group was formed in 1958 by Joe Favale (lead vocal, b.1940), who had been singing with a group called The Moments, and Tony Maltese (tenor), who had another group, The Runarounds. They recruited singers Dom Colurra (bass), Larry Cusamano (second tenor) and Joe Nigro (baritone), and found a manager, Henry Boye. Initially calling themselves The Runarounds, they renamed themselves as The Emotions in 1959. In 1962, they won a contract with Kapp Records, and released "Echo", a song written by Favale but credited jointly to the group and Boye.[1][2][3] The record was chosen as a "pick hit of the week" by leading DJ Murray the K, and rose to number 76 on the Billboard pop chart.[4]

After further singles on Kapp and Laurie, the group signed for the 20th Century Fox label in 1963 and released their version of "A Story Untold", which became a regional hit. However, later recordings were less successful and, after a series of personnel changes but still fronted by Favale, the group finally broke up in 1970.[3] Favale reformed the group with new personnel in 1982, and recorded an album for Columbia Records. The group continues to perform, with a line-up of Joe Favale, George Winter, Vic Guzman, and Carmine Laietta.[2]

On the novelty song "The Beetle-Bomb," a song about the British Invasion of American Pop music, both Henry Boye and Joe Favale are credited, indicating that they were playing under the moniker "The Exterminators."