#149: Peanuts by Little Joe & The Thrillers
City: Toronto, ON
Radio Station: CHUM
Peak Month: October 1957
Peak Position in Toronto ~ #4
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #22
YouTube: “Peanuts”
Lyrics: “Peanuts”
Joseph Cook was born in South Philadelphia, in 1922, and started singing in church. His mother, Annie Hall, was a locally well-known blues singer and his grandmother was a Baptist preacher. By the time he was 12, he and three cousins had formed a gospel vocal group, The Joe Cook Quartet. This evolved into The Evening Star Quartet. They were given a one-hour weekly radio show in Philadelphia. Cook was noted for his falsetto singing as well as his personality, and first recorded in 1949. In 1951 the group recorded “Say A Prayer for the Boys In Korea” for Apex Records. He also worked in shipbuilding for the US Navy, and as a delivery driver. In the early 1950s Cook decided to make the transition to secular rhythm and blues music, later declining an offer to join The Soul Stirrers after Sam Cooke left. In the mid-50s, Cook formed a new doo-wop vocal group he named the Thrillers.
Along with Little Joe Cook, the Thrillers consisted of second lead vocalist Farrie Hill, tenor Richard Frazier, baritone Donald Burnett, and on bass Harry Pascal. Farrie Hill set the scene for the Echoes of the past years later. He recalled that in 1954, “I had just come here from down South, and I heard Donald Burnett and Harry Paschall. These guys had a little group here and it fascinated me. I’d never even seen anything like this before. I used to like to sing but I knew absolutely nothing about singing harmony. Donald asked me if I’d like to join the group and that’s how it all started. I think a friend of mine introduced us to Joe Cook and he decided to start training us. We didn’t really have a name. We used to listen to groups like the Orioles and the Clovers and we just liked them. At that time we were just singing on the corner and Little Joe was singing with a gospel group. We went out to his house and he really taught us. I give him credit for that. We really didn’t know anything. He was a good teacher.”
Concurrently, Little Joe Cook continued to sing with The Evening Star Quartet until 1956, which now included Garnett Mims (who would later have a group called The Enchanters and a hit titled “Cry Baby”).
Little Joe and the Thrillers won a contract with OKeh Records in 1956. Their first single, “Do the Slop”, was a regional hit in Philadelphia and New York City. The song introduced a new dance craze, and the group performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in February 1957. For the week long show, they shared the stage with The Drifters, Big Maybelle, Chuck Willis, the Flamingos, Solomon Burke, the G-Clefs, the Channels, Mickey & Sylvia, and the Teenchords.
Joe Cook wrote “Peanuts”. In the song the guy is mad “crazy…insane” about his “baby.” He declares “girl, you my love.” His nickname for her is “peanuts.” And he promises “I’ll never let you go.” After the song was released Little Joe and the Thrillers sang “Peanuts” on American Bandstand.
“Peanuts” climbed to #2 in Albany (NY), #3 in Pittsburgh, #4 in Toronto, and Campbell (OH), #6 in Worcester (MA), San Diego, and Des Moines (IA), #7 in San Franciso, and Manchester (NH), #8 in Detroit, #9 in New York City (WMCA), #11 in Houston, and Tampa (FL), #12 in Syracuse (NY), and #13 in Phoenix and Seattle. “Peanuts” also climbed to #15 in Tijuana, Mexico, and it reached #22 on the Billboard pop chart.
The song was covered by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in 1963, as a B-side to “Stay”.
Little Joe and the Thrillers had a number of followup single releases that were Top 40 regional hits. These include “The Echoes Keep Calling Me” (December 1957), “What’s Happened to Your Halo” (March 1958), and “Mine” (January 1959).
Cook left the group sometime in 1957-58, according to Farrie Hill “over money issues.” In the summer of 1960 Little Joe Cook had a minor hit in Philadelphia and Syracuse (NY) with “Goodnight, Little Girl”. Known for his banana-yellow Cadillac with custom rims, fins, and a vanity plate that read, “Nut Man,” Cook knew how to work a crowd.
In September 1960, Little Joe Cook regrouped with the Thrillers to record a cover of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs’ “Stay” and their cover became a Top 5 hit in Boston in the fall of 1960. Little Joe and the Thrillers released their final single on Okeh Records, “I Love You For Sentimental Reasons”, in 1961 (though this was recorded in 1957). They also had a brief contract with 20th Century Records.
Without Joe Cook, Farrie Hill, Richard Frazier, Donald Burnett and Harry Pascal regrouped shortly after the split in 1958 as the Demons. They later became the Royal Demons as the wife of a DJ who was very religious thought Demons by itself was sacrilegious. Then they called themselves the Madison Brothers, possibly a nod to “the Madison” which was a momentary dance craze in 1959-60. They recorded a handful of singles between roughly 1959 and 1962 on small labels such as Rhythm, Sure, Cedargrove/APT, Pek, and V-Tone. In June 1959, “What’s the Matter Baby” charted on WIBG in Philadelphia. “Give Me Your Heart,” “Trusting In You,” “Trembling Hand”, and “Did We Go Steady Too Soon” were subsequent releases. For a time they were billed as Farris Hill & the Madison Brothers and performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and the State Theater in Hartford (CT) – both in 1962. Later that year Farrie Hill, Richard Frazier, Donald Burnett and Henry Pascal billed themselves as The Creators. They released one single on the Phillips label titled “Boy, He’s Got It” which charted in Hartford (CT). They also billed themselves as The Friends. Farrie Hill briefly sang with the Cruisers, but never recorded with them. After the early sixties these original members of The Thrillers fell into obscurity.
In 1989, members of The Thrillers were gathered together and were interviewed on WXPN, an NPR-affiliated station in Philadelphia. They did some rehearing, but they never made a comeback. Farrie Hill sang with the Dreamlovers for a time. By 2011, it was reported that Farrie Hill, Richard Frazier and Harry Pascal were all deceased. The whereabouts of Donald Burnett were unknown.
Joe Cook released a number of solo singles into the mid-60s. He also toured with B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland. He also formed a group, The Sherrys, with his daughters, Delphine and Dinell Cook and their friends Charlotte Butler and Delores “Honey” Wylie. Their record “Pop Pop Pop-Pie” reached No. 25 on the R&B chart in 1962.
Joe Cook moved to Boston in the late 1960s, and continued to perform in clubs. He had a residency at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1980 until he retired in 2007, being voted the region’s Best Local R&B Performer in 2002.
Joseph Cook died at the age of 91 in 2014. He was survived by his spouse Joanne, and their six children.
October 30, 2026
Ray McGinnis
References:
“Joseph Cook,” Khoolood.
Erin Baldasarri, “Cambridge’s Cantab Lounge pays tribute to ‘Peanut Man’ Little Joe Cook,” Wicked Local, May 7, 2014.
“The Madison Brothers AKA The Royal Demons AKA The Thrillers (2) AKA The Creators (3) AKA The Friends (5),” May 11, 2012.
Charlie and Pamela Horner, “North Philadelphia’s Francisville Groups: The Belltones, Thrillers, Royal Demons and Madison Brothers,” Echoes of the Past, Issue #95, March 2011.
CHUM 1050-AM Toronto (ON) | October 21, 1957
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