The Cookies (Brooklyn, New-York)
aka The Palisades (4)
aka The Stepping Stones
aka The Cinderellas (3)
aka The Honey Bees (2)

 

Personnel :

Dorothy Jones

Darlene McCrea

Beulah Robertson

Discography :

Singles :

The Cookies
1954 - Don't Let Go "Hold Me Hold Me" / All Night Mambo (Lamp 8008)

1955 - Later Later / Precious Love ( Atlantic 1061)

1956 - In Paradise / Precious Love (Atlantic 1084/2079)

1956 - Down By The River / My Lover (Atlantic 1110)
1957 - King Of Hearts / Happy Dippy Daddy (Josie 882)

1962 - Chains / Stranger In My Arms (Dimension 1002 / L.A.R 45-HLU 9634)

1963 - Don't Say Nothin' Bad / Softly In The Night (Dimension 1008)
1963 - Will Power / I Want A Boy For My Birthday (Dimension 1012)
1963 - Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys / Only To Other People (Dimension 1020)

1964 - I Never Dreamed / The Old Crowd (Dimension 1032)

1967 - Wounded / All My Trials (Warner Bros 7025)
1967 - Mr. Cupid / Hang My Head And Cry (Warner Bros 7041)

Ray Charles & The Cookies
1958 - Yes Indeed / I Had A Dream  (Atlantic 1180)

The Palisades (4)
1963 - Make The Night A Little Longer / Heaven Is Being With You (Chairman 4401)

The Stepping Stones
1963 - I Got My Job Through The New York Times / The Nearness Of You  (Philips 40108)

The Cinderellas (3)
1964 - Please Don't Wake Me  / Baby, Baby Still Love You (Dimension 1026)

The Honey Bees (2)
1964 - One Wonderful Night / She Don't Deserve You (Fontana 1939)
1965 - Some Of Your Lovin' / You Turn Me On Boy (Fontana 1505)
1965 - I'm His Girl  (Fontana) (Unreleased)

Lps :
1963 - The Dimension Dolls  (Dimension LP 6001)
Foolish Little Girl / On Broadway / Don't Say Nothin' Bad

Biography :

 The Cookies started out as a backup vocal trio in 1954 with Dorothy Jones, Darlene McCrea, and Beulah Robertson.

With Jesse Stone of Atlantic Records

They Recorded for Lamp Records in 1954. Together they became the Cookies making their debut at The Apollo Theatre on Amateur Night, winning the contest. There they were spotted by an Jesse Stone of Atlantic Records, who brought them to the label for vocal sessions in 1955.

They recorded three sessions under the Cookie name and had a Top Ten R&B hit with "In Paradise" in 1956. There, they did back-ups for many singers on the Atlantic roster, including LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown and Ray Charles. They also backed Joe Turner and Chuck Willis on their hit recordings in 1956.

It was during their time at Atlantic that Neil Sedaka found them, used them on some of his early RCA hits, and later recommended them to Carole King for backup work on Tony Orlando's recordings. While working on one of Orlando's sessions, Don Kirshner heard them improvising around the piano and asked them to record for Aldon.

With Neil Sedaka

When Darlene and Margie left to join Ray Charles' backing group the Raelettes in 1958, Darlene's younger sister Earl-Jean joined along with Margaret Ross. It was this trio that found itself in New York working with Carole King during the early 1960s. The Cookies are Dorothy Jones, Margaret Ross and Earl-Jean McCrea. Almost six years later, this new trio emerged as the Cookies on Dimension. 

The Raelettes

They became staples on most Aldon sponsored sessions, doing backup vocals for Neil Sedaka, little Eva, and Carol King, while having two Top Ten R&B, and one Top Twenty pop hit in 1962 ("Chains") and 1963.  "Don't Say Nothing Bad  (About My Baby)' was their biggest, reaching number three R&B (number seven pop) in 1963. 

"Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys" was their last chart hit reaching a respectable number thirty-three in November 1963 as the British Invasion brought their success to an end. The Cookies also released several recordings under pseudonyms, mostly with Margaret Ross on lead. 

Their alter egos on recordings were The Palisades (Chairman), The Stepping Stones (Philips), The Cinderellas (Dimension) and The Honey Bees (Fontana 1939 only) In late 1966 the Cookies signed with Warner Brothers. In April 1967 they released their last record. And as they say that's how the Cookies crumbled.

http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/cookies.html
http://www.history-of-rock.com/cookies.htm

...

The Desires (1) (New-York)

Personnel :

Robert "Bootsie" White (Lead)

Charles Hurston (First Tenor)

Jim Whittier (Tenor)

George "Smithy" Smith (Baritone)

Charles Powell (Bass)

Discography :

Singles:
1959 - Let It Please You / Hey, Lena (Hull 730)
1960 - I Wanna Rendezvous With You / Set Me Free (My Darling) (Hull 733)

Unreleased:
N/A - Me And You (Hull)
N/A - Coast Of Red (Hull)
N/A - A Talk To Mother (Hull)
N/A - I Love Paris (Hull)
N/A - Sidewalks Of New York (Hull)
N/A - So Close To An Angel (Hull)

Biography :

The Desires were a doo wop group of the late '50s who brought a high degree of vocal professionalism to the marketplace in their short career. They met at the 118th Street Youth Center in New York City and originally called themselves the Students. The membership came from three separate area high schools and consisted of Robert "Bootsie" White (lead from Cooper High School), Charles Hurston (tenor, Herrod High), George "Smithy" Smith (baritone. Herrod High), Charles Powell (bass, Franklin High), and Jim Whittier (tenor from Rochester, New York and former member of the Jivetones on Apt) They changed their name upon hearing of the other Students ("I'm So Young") and began a rigorous schedule of rehearsals to sharpen their sound.

James Dailey & the Bobettes

Unlike many street groups of New York, the Desires worked with a vocal coach, Eddie Jones, formerly of the Demens on Teenage and the Emersons on Newport. In 1959 the group attracted the attention of BOBBETTES manager James Dailey, and it was he who took the youngsters to Hull Records with several demos of songs they'd Written.Their first release was a solid New York-style ballad, "Let It Please Be You," with Bootsie singing his Frankie Lymon-like heart out. espite its weak national showing, it was a song destined to become an East Coast favorite and a part of almost every '60s doo wop group's repertoire.

(Left to right) Jim Whittier, Charles Hurston, Charles Powell, George Smith - Bottom Robert White

The uptempo B side, "Hey Lena," also showcased their strong harmonies and a sound reminiscent of the TEENAGERS. Taking advantage of regional radio reactionto "Let It Please Be You," the Desires played such swank venues as Bellevue Hospital (home of THE BONNIE Sisters) in New York and Jocko's Rollerskating Rink in New Jersey while traveling up and down the East Coast performing with The Paragon, the Jestaers, and the Kodaks, among others.

The Chiffons

The group had their very own fan club of which Patricia Bennett. Judy Craig, and Barbara Lee were active members, shouting support at every local Desires performances. Those three girls and Sylvia Peterson later went on to become THE CHIFFONS. The Desires' second 45, "Rendezvous with You," was released in 1960 and received somewhat less response than their previous effort. Still, its New York play earned them a spot on Murray the K's Brooklyn Fox show. A bad management decision kept the group from making a deal with Scepter, and when their third single went unreleased by Hull, the Desires' recording career was over.



Songs :

  
Hey Lena                                  I Wanna Rendezvous With You

  
Set Me Free                          Let It Please Be You

.....

Vito & the Salutations (Brooklyn, New-York)

Personnel :

Vito Balsamo (Lead)

Randy Silverman (Lead / First Tenor)

Shelly Buchansky (First / Second Tenor)

Lenny Citrin (Baritone)

Frankie Fox (Bass)

Discography :

Singles:
1962 - Gloria / Let's Untwist The Twist (Rayna 5009/Red Boy 5009)
1962 - Your Way / hey, Hey baby (Kram 1202/5002)
1963 - Unchained Melody / Hey, Hey Baby (Herald 583)
1963 - Extraordinary Girl / Eenie Meenie (Herald 586)
1964 - Liverpool Bound / Can I Depend On You (Wells 1008)
1964 - Don't Count On Me / Day O (Wells 1010)
1964 - Girls I Know / Get a Job (Regina 1320)
1965 - Walkin' / High Noon (Apt 25079)
1966 - Bring Back Yesterday / I Want You To Be My Baby (Boom 60020)
1966 - So Wonderful (My Love) / I'd Best Be Going (Red boy 1001/Sandbag 103)
1966 - Can I Depend On You / Hello Dolly (Rust 5106)

Unreleased:
1961 - I Look At The Moon
1962 - Keep A Light In The Window (Rayna)
1962 - Be My Girlfriend (Kram)

Biography :

The Salutations were originally a group from the Brownsville and Canarsie sections of Brooklyn who became known for reviving standards in a most unorthodox way. Sometime in 1961, Bob De Pallo, Barry Solomon, and a long-since-forgotten third harmonizer were heard singing in a New York subway station (the Big Apple's stations are known for their natural echo-and not much else). The lady who listened was one Linda Scott, who recommended the singers to producer Dave Rick.

Dave was holding auditions in three days and invited them down, putting Bob and Barry in the position of having to quickly put together a real group. Bob's younger brother played him a demo by neighborhood 14-year-old Vito Balsamo, and De Pallo tracked the teen to P. S. 230 to offer him the lead singing spot. Vito agreed and brought along baritone Bobby Mitchell. The group rehearsed with one day left and instantly became Vito and the Salutations after the line in disc jockey "Jocko" Henderson's nightly opening patter, "Greeting and salutations, ooh-pooh-pa-doo."   

On the day of the audition, they were the last of 20 acts to perform for Dave Rick, but they caught his ear with a version of THE CRESTS' "My Juanita." In December 1961 the group went into ODO Studios and recorded several songs. One of them came from a last-minute suggestion by Big Top Records exec David Mook, who heard the group warming up with the CADILLACS classic "Gloria" and recommended they cut it.

It became their first single in February 1962 and was a big New York favorite even though the Passions had cut a ballad version of it only a year before. The label issuing "Gloria," Rayna Records, had no real distribution or marketing capability beyond New York and the boys soon became disenchanted with them. Group members De Pallo, Solomon, and Mitchell departed. Vito then built a new and improved Salutations with Randy Silverman (lead and first tenor), Shelly Buchansky (first and second tenor) Lenny Citrin (baritone), and Frankie Fox (bass).

The Salutations could usually be found harmonizing in the bathroom of their school, Jefferson High. At the time they were heavily influenced by the black groups of the mid- and late '50s like The Heartbeats, the Cadillacs, The Flamingos, and The Moonglows, so it was no surprise that songs by these groups (such as "Gloria') would become a staple of their repertoire. Dave Rick took them to another tiny label, Kram, for a single on the Heartbeats gem "Your Way" became an instant collectible.

In 1963 Rick took the boys to Al Silver's Herald Records, a label with proven power among indies. The group then decided to rearrange the oldies they were doing in a more attention-getting manner. The standard "Unchained Melody" received a Salutations triple-time treatment with exaggerated bass and falsetto parts that could have been forerunners of The Four seasons' pseudonymous group the Wonder Who ("Don't Think Twice," Philips, 1965).

In the summer, "Unchained Melody" hit the airwaves and went top 10 in many cities. The rapid fire bass solo in the bridge and a modulation were just two of the record's many vocal gimmicks, and on October 26, 1963, "Unchained" charted nationally, rising to number 66.

A similarly styled original called "Extraordinary Girl" followed in early 1964 and airplay was instantaneous. Unfortunately, Herald was on the verge of folding and could not promote it.
The next stop was Wells Records, where the quintet tried unsuccessfully to ride along with the British invasion with "Liverpool Bound" and then followed with a wild reworking of Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat (Day-0 )," both arranged by Norm Bergen (who later arranged many of the Dawn hits).

    Thanks mainly to "Unchained Melody," the group worked steadily in nightclubs and did a few Murray the K shows and Clay Cole and Dick Clark TVers. They performed with Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, Jay and the Americans, The Tokens, and The Ronettes. A 1962 appearance at Harlem's Roosevelt Theatre had them backed by a young blind guitarist named Jose Feliciano.

Releases on Regina ("Get a Job," THE SILHOUETTES), Apt ("High Noon," a radical reworking of the western movie title song), and Red Boy ("So Wonderful," a blues ballad) did little and brought them up to their last single on Rust, a hilarious harmony-filled version of "Hello Dolly" that would have had Louis Armstrong gasping for breath to keep up. The group disbanded around 1965. Vito joined the Kelloggs, who sang on a morning TV show in Philadelphia and had a 1969 single on Laurie called "Snap, Crackle and Pop."
Jay Warner (American singing groups: a history from 1940s to today)
http://www.colorradio.com/Vito_And_The_Salutations.html
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/vito-the-salutations-mn0000221347
http://www.45cat.com/artist/vito-and-the-salutations

Movie :

1963 - Unchained Melody (and interview)

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

       
Hello Dolly                            Unchained Melody                        Gloria

      
Extraordinary Girl                  Keep A Light In The Window     Let's Untwist The Twist

       
Hey, Hey Baby                        Eenie Meenie                   Liverpool Bound

      
Don't Count On Me                    Walkin'                 I Want You To Be My Baby

     
So Wonderful             I'd Best Be Going                     Can I Depend On You

     
Be My Girlfriend           I Look At The Moon            Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

     
Girls I Know                       Get A Job                        High Noon

  
Bring Back Yesterday                        Your Way

.....

The Crystalaires (Lancaster, PA)

Personnel :

Charles Simms (Lead)

Ralph Edward Speller (Lead)

Lawrence Speller

Robert Ray

Eugene Wilson

Discography :

1959 - Nobody Nowhere / Henry Said Goodbye (Sound Souvenir 1/2)

Biography :

The Crystalaires were a group from Lancaster, PA and were the hottest act in town back in 1959. On May 25, 1959, while coming home from a gig in Reading, PA, they were involved in a serious car accident that claimed the lives of 4 members of the group. Earlier that evening they were informed by their manager that King Records, out of Cincinnati, OH, offered them a record deal and wanted them to come to Chicago to re-cut "Nobody Nowhere" for national release.

   

In July of 1960, Stan Selfon, of Stan's Record Bar in Lancaster, released the 2nd version of the tune (complete with bad splices in the master tape), on Sound Souvenir No.1. The photo  is not the original group, but the reformed Crystalaires (after the accident). Only 2 members in this photo are the originals. 
(Daddy C on Youtube)


Songs :

  
Nobody Nowhere                              Henry Said Goodbye

...

N

*NACKS (NICK & THE)
*NATIVE BOYS
*NATURALS (4)
*NATURALS (5)
*NATURALS (6)
*NEONS (1)
NEPTUNES
*NEW GROUP (1) (OTIS WILLIAMS & HIS)
*NEW GROUP (2) (ANDRE WILLIAMS & HIS)
*NEW YORKERS (1)
*NEW YORKER'S FIVE
*NEWPORT (3)
*NIC NACS
*NITECAPS (1)
NITE RIDERS (DOC STARKES & THE)
*NOBLES (1)
*NORMANAIRES
*NOTATIONS (2) (AUGIE RIOS & THE)
*NOTES (1)
*NOTE-TORIALS
*NUGGETS (2)
NUTMEGS

...