The Joytones aka The Hi-Lites (10) aka The Joy-Tones

The Joytones  (New York)
aka The Hi-Lites (10) aka The Joy-Tones

Personnel :

Lucille "Vicki" Burgess (Lead)

Estelle Harper

Margaret Moore

Discography :

The Joytones
1956 - You Just Won't Treat Me Right / All My Love Belongs To You (Rama 191)

1956 - Gee What A Boy / Is This Really The End (Rama 202) 

1956 - My Foolish Heart / Jimbo Jango (Rama 215)

The Joy-Tones
1965 - This Love (That I'm Giving You) / I Wanna Party Some More (Coed 600)

The Hi-Lites (10)
1958 - Please Believe I Love You / Sweet And Lovely (Reno 1030)



Biography :

In 1955, after some singles with the Charmers, Vikki Burgess joins with Myrna Hamilton and Renee Stewart and form a group called The Solirettes and are signed to top New York independent label Old Town Records. All of the efforts by the group remain unreleased and The Solirettes become a dim memory of the time. Burgess now forms another group with Margaret Moore and Estelle Harper and call themselves The Joytones. They are soon signed to record for George Goldner's Rama Records, and in March of 1956 "All My Love Belongs To You" (originally by The Hearts on Baton) and "You Just Won't Treat Me Right" on Rama #191 is released.

The Charmers

During that summer Barbara Brown replaces Estelle Harper, and The Joytones second record for Rama is released. The songs "Gee What A Boy" and "Is This Really The End?" are released on Rama#202. The record is pushed nationally by Rama hoping for "Boy" to click with the teenage listening public, but that does not happen.  There is another personnel change within the group when Lynn Middleton replaces Barbara Brown before the group's third release for Rama.

In spring of 1957 Rama #215 features "My Foolish Heart" and "Jimbo Jango" which turns out to be the last record by The Joytones. Like the others it does not garner great airplay or sales.By 1958 Vikki Burgess, Lynn Middleton, and Margaret Moore determine that maybe a name change is in order and so The Joytones now become The Hi-Lites and have one record release for the small indie label Reno Records in 1958.

The songs are "Sweet And Lovely" and "Please Believe  I Love You" on #1030. In short order The Hi-Lites were also part of the great memory bank of the 1950s.The Joytones would reappear on record in 1965 in the middle of Motown and the British Invasion with "This Love" and "I Wanna Party Some More" recorded for Coed Records and released on #600.

 A few years later a group called Love Potion comprised of (surprise !) Vikki Burgess, Margaret Moore, and Lynn Middleton, release "This Love", the same take as by The Joytones in 1965. The song is released on TCB #1601 in 1968. One year later the same song is released as by Love Potion on Kapp #979.

Songs :

The Joytones

     
You Just Won't Treat Me Right        All My Love Belongs To You          Gee What A Boy          

       
Is This Really The End                   My Foolish Heart                          Jimbo Jango       

The Joy-Tones

  
I Wanna Party Some More      This Love (That I'm Giving You)


The Hi-Lites (10)

    
Please Believe I Love You                 Sweet And Lovely     

 ...