At age 13 Lymon was a backup singer for The Premiers. The group was rehearsing in the hallway of an apartment building when one of the residents gave them a collection of love letters written in verse form by his girlfriend. They read them all, chose "Why Do Birds Sing So Gay," and put it to music. Richard Barrett, the lead singer of another New York City group (The Valentines), brought The Premiers to the attention of George Goldner, owner of Rama and Gee Records. At the audition, Lymon filled in at lead for Herman Santiago, who was sick at the time. Goldner liked the song but not all of its lyrics, and the group was signed to Gee Records. The reworked song became "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." The Premiers became the Teenagers when they went into the studio to record the song with Jimmy Wright and his band (Wright suggested the new name).
The single was released in January 1956 to avoid the Christmas rush. The group was not notified that it was released - they found out when a group member heard a classmate singing it at school.
The Teenagers hit #6 with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" despite covers by Gale Storm (#9) and the Diamonds (#12). Diana Ross took it back into the Top 10 a quarter century later (#7 in 1981) as her first single record on RCA.
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