Little Caesar & The Romans

Little Caesar & The Romans represent a fascinating moment in early 1960s pop history, functioning as one of the first 'revivalist' acts. Formed in Los Angeles, the group was led by Carl Barnett and featured David Johnson, whose distinct spoken-word contributions became a hallmark of their sound.

Their career is inextricably linked to Del-Fi Records and the influence of Charles Wright, who provided the sophisticated piano and bass arrangements that elevated their tracks beyond standard doo-wop fare. Their primary contribution to the canon is 'Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You)', a song that effectively invented the 'oldies' radio format by romanticizing the music of the previous decade. Despite their brief initial run, which ended in 1962 due to internal disputes over the 'Little Caesar' moniker, their cultural footprint remained significant through the 1970s revival scene. Their visual gimmick of wearing togas on American Bandstand remains a legendary anecdote of early rock showmanship, while their musical legacy persists as a cornerstone of the 'Eastside Sound' and Chicano soul history in Southern California.