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

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