The Monotones

The Monotones, a six-member American doo-wop vocal group from Newark, New Jersey, formed in 1955. The original members were Charles Howard Patrick, Warren Davis, George Malone, Frankie Smith, John Ryanes, and Warren Ryanes. They began their musical journey by performing covers of popular songs at local events, gaining early traction on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour television program, where they won first prize for their rendition of "Zoom" by The Cadillacs. In September 1957, the Monotones recorded "The Book of Love", which was released on the Mascot label in December that year. This song became a significant hit, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 5 on the pop chart in February 1958 after being reissued on Chess Records' Argo label. The record sold over one million copies and also reached number 5 in Australia. Despite the success of "The Book of Love", follow-up singles such as "Zombi" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" did not achieve similar popularity. The Monotones disbanded in 1962, but surviving members reunited several times to revive Book Of Love.