The Percells

(Clockwise from top) Joan Paulin, Betty Lloyd, Gail Houston, Jean Marie Johnson.

The Percells (Long Island, NY)




Personnel:

Gail Jones (Lead)

Jean Marie Johnson

Joan Paulin

Betty Lloyd




Discography :

1963 - What Are Boys Made Of / Cheek To Cheek (ABC 10401)
1963 - Look At That Guy / Hully Gully Guitar (ABC 10449)
1963 - My Guy / Boyfriends (ABC 10476)
1964 - The Greatest / I Stand Alone (ABC 10516)

Biography :

The Percells formed in Long Island, NY by singer Gail Jones (while still in high school) and Jean Marie Johnson, then added Joan Paulin and Betty Lloyd to the group. When Pete Antell and his songwriting partner John Linde heard the Percells at Ultra-Sonic Studios in Long Island, they sensed they had found an act they could mould into the new Crystals or Shirelles.

 
The Percells seated Joan Paulin, Jean Marie Johnson, Gail Jones and Betty Lloyd.
Standing : John Lindle, Stoney Jackson and Pete Antell

After months of practise they began to make a name for themselves singing at local venues, opening for Lenny Welch on one notable occasion. Sorties into Manhattan to record demos resulted in them taping a radio promo for DJ the Magnificent Montague. On seeing the group's first release 'What Are Boys Made Of' sitting pretty near the Top 50 in the spring of 1963, they must have felt that their instincts had been right    

The success of their debut 45 earned the Percells a spot on American Bandstand, plus bookings at Shea Stadium and the Apollo in Harlem, where they shared the bill with Ruby & the Romantics, the Chiffons, the Chantels and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans... None of the Percells four records made any inroads commercially. Gail Jones has been active as a gospel singer since the 1980's, and while the others have fond memories of their time as Percells, their professional singing days ended in 1964.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

     
What Are Boys Made Of              Cheek To Cheek           Hully Gully Guitar

      
My Guy                                Boyfriends                      I Stand Alone

  
The Greatest            Look At That Guy

.