Page "Frankie Lymon" Paragraph 23

Although their period of success was brief, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers ' string of hits were highly influential on the rock and R & B performers who followed them.

Lymon's high-voiced sound is said to be a direct predecessor of the girl group sound, and the list of performers who name him as an influence include Michael Jackson, Ronnie Spector, Diana Ross, The Chantels, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Len Barry, and The Beach Boys, among others.

The performers most inspired by and derivative of Lymon and the Teenagers ' style are The Jackson 5 and their lead singer and future superstar Michael Jackson.

Motown founder Berry Gordy based much of the Jackson 5's sound on Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers ' recordings, and the Teenagers are believed to be the original model for many of the other Motown groups he cultivated.