Walk Right In (album)

Walk Right In
Studio album by The Rooftop Singers
Released	1963
Genre	Folk, Folk Revival, Folk-Pop [1]
Label	Vanguard
The Rooftop Singers chronology
Walk Right In (1963) Good Time! (1964)

Walk Right In is a debut studio album by the American folk group The Rooftop Singers, released in 1963.

Background

In 1962 the band released their first single, "Walk Right In", which became a big hit, reaching No. 1 in the US, ^[2] and No. 10 in the UK. With that success they recorded another successful single, (Tom Cat, recorded in 1962, released in early 1963, ^[3] peaked at No. 20 on the Hot 100 ^[2] ), and after it, Walk Right In was recorded and released. Both singles and their B-sides appear on the album.

Overview

Following the successful singles, the album reached high positions on both Cash Box and the Billboard Top LPs chart, peaking at No. 12 and No. 15, respectively. ^{[4] [5]} It was their only charting album in the US. ^[6] Although having success in the UK with their hit, the album failed to chart there. ^[7]

Aftermath

The group recorded well into the 1960s, but never had the same success, the album revealed the trio's strengths as well as its weaknesses. Apart from the title track, the group was probably too diverse and serious for its own good -- they weren't pop-oriented enough to hold the larger audience attracted by the single. ^[1]

Their next single only reached No. 55 on the Hot 100, ^[2] and the album after that didn't chart. They tried to release a single from Walk Right In in 1965, "Ham And Eggs", but it didn't sell and thus, failed to chart.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]

Bruce Eder on AllMusic wrote that, "The title track is a bright, sprightly reworking of the 1929 Gus Cannon original, and the rest of the album is pretty much in that vein, showing off the trio's roots in blues ('You Don't Know'), gospel ('Somebody Came Home,' 'Travelin' Shoes'), ragtime ('Houston Special'), jazz, and even country & western ('Cool Water'). Lynne Taylor gets one featured spot, the children's song 'Ha Ha Thisaway'." ^[1]

Track listing

Side One

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Walk Right In"	3:37
2.	"Hey Boys"	2:09
3.	"Shoes"	3:59
4.	"Houston Special"	3:21
5.	"Tom Cat"	2:09
6.	"Cool Water"	3:59

Side Two

No.	Title	Length
7.	"Somebody Came Home"	2:12
8.	"You Don't Know"	3:31
9.	"Stagolee"	3:17
10.	"Rained Five Days"	3:57
11.	"Ham and Eggs"	3:36
12.	"Ha Ha Thisaway"	2:35
13.	"Brandy Leave Me Alone"	2:18

Charts

Chart (1963)	Peak position
US Billboard Top LP's (Monaural) [5] [8]	15
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums (Monaural) [9]	12

Personnel

• Vocals - Lynne Taylor, Willard Svanoe, Erik Darling
• Bass - Wendell Marshall
• Guitar - Willard Svanoe, Erik Darling
• Drums - Bobby Donaldson

References

1. "Walk Right In! – Rooftop Singers". AllMusic. AllMusic / Netaktion, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2003). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles 1955–2002. Record Research. p. 604. Retrieved August 29, 2025. "Rooftop Singers" on page 604.
3. "The Rooftop Singers – "Tom Cat" / "Shoes"". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved August 30, 2025. Discogs master release page for the single featuring A-side "Tom Cat" (written by Erik Darling, Lynne Taylor, and others) and B-side "Shoes".
4. Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 318. ISBN   0-8108-2005-6.
5. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top LPs, 1955–1996. Record Research. p. 126. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
6. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3 (4th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1200. Retrieved August 29, 2025. Entry related to the Rooftop Singers
7. "ROOFTOP SINGERS – full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Official Charts. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
8. "Billboard Top LP's: 150 Best Sellers – Monaural" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 75, no. 12. March 23, 1963. p. 34. Retrieved August 29, 2025– via worldradiohistory.com.
9. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. XXIV, no. 28. March 23, 1963. p. 21. Retrieved August 22, 2025– via worldradiohistory.com.