The Blossoms

Last updated

The Blossoms
The Blossoms.png
The Blossoms in 1966 (clockwise from top: Fanita James, Jean King, and Darlene Love)
Background information
Also known asThe Dreamers
The Playgirls
The Rollettes
The Rebelettes
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres R&B, pop, rock and roll, soul
Years active1954–1990; 2000–2023
Labels Capitol, Philles, Challenge, Bell, RCA, Reprise, Ode, MGM, Lion
Past membersFanita James
Gloria Jones
Nanette Williams
Annette Williams
Jewel Cobbs
Pat Howard
Darlene Love
Gracia Nitzsche
Edna Wright
Carolyn Willis
Jean King
Stephanie Spruill
Alex Brown
Cynthia Woodward

The Blossoms were an American girl group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King.

Contents

Although the group had a recording career in their own right, they were most famous for being the group to actually record the No. 1 hit "He's a Rebel" (which producer Phil Spector credited to The Crystals), and for providing backing vocals for many of the biggest hits of the 1960s.

History

Early Years

Their career began in Los Angeles, California, United States, at John C. Fremont High School in 1954. [1] [2] [3] [4] Originally the group was a sextet of young girls singing for fun. Calling themselves The Dreamers, [3] the group originally sang spirituals, since two of the members had parents who were against their daughters singing secular rhythm and blues music, which was popular on the radio during the early 1950s.

Fanita Barrett (later known as Fanita James; August 13, 1938 – November 23, 2023), Gloria A. Jones (born September 12, 1938 [1] ;not to be confused with Gloria Jones of "Tainted Love" fame), Jewel Cobbs, Pat Howard and twin sisters Annette and Nanette Williams all came from musical backgrounds. [4] [3] The twins had taken vocal and dancing lessons as youngsters. Fanita's brother Ronald was already a success with his vocal group, The Meadowlarks.

The Dreamers joined Richard Berry in the studio [3] and, during 1955 and 1956, made several recordings for Flair and RPM Records.

The Dreamers signed with Capitol Records. Even though signing to Capitol was considered a step up, the group's stay at Capitol was short –yielding only three singles –none of which made the charts. The Blossoms also underwent significant changes at this time. By 1958, Nanette Williams was married, pregnant, and planning a leave of absence from the group.

Darlene Wright (later known as Darlene Love) replaced Nanette and was selected to be the lead, [3] which the ensemble-based Blossoms had not previously had. The addition of Wright changed the style of the group but chart success was still elusive, despite Wright's unique presence as lead, on songs like "No Other Love" for Capitol in 1958, "Sugarbeat" for RCA (as the Playgirls) in 1960 and "Write Me A Letter" for Challenge in 1961.

The group provided back-up vocals to Sam Cooke's 1959 hit, "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha". [5]

The 1960s

During the summer of 1962, the Blossoms were finally successful on the charts, although their biggest hit song, "He's a Rebel", was not credited to them. [6]

Producer Phil Spector had learned that Vikki Carr was soon to record "He's a Rebel" for Liberty Records as her debut single, and decided he had to rush his own version to stores. Since the Crystals (his biggest girl group at the time) were touring on the east coast at the time, the Blossoms were instead brought in to record the track. However, when Spector released the record, the song was instead credited to the Crystals (much to the dismay of the actual Crystals). [2] The Blossoms in turn received only a meager session fee (Darlene Love states they were paid "triple scale") and are not credited for contributing to the record. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and firmly established Spector as a force in the music industry. Over the next three years, the Blossoms, with Wright as lead, would be the favored singers on all of Spector's sessions recorded in California. [2]

Wright and Barrett sang with Bobby Sheen as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans. [3] This combo achieved hit singles for Spector, including a version of the Disney song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". [7] They sung background on Love's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). [2]

Spector also used the Blossoms as the prime backing group for the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', which was a No. 1 hit in 1964 in the U.S. and in the U.K.. Helping out too with the crescendo was Cher, who had previously sung for Spector on recordings by The Ronettes, including "Be My Baby", which also featured the Blossoms.

Although the Blossoms were attempting to establish themselves as primary artists, they still contributed backing vocals behind many of the biggest hits of the 1960s including "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett [8] and Shelley Fabares' "Johnny Angel", and the Blossoms lead singer Wright's solo efforts (which included "He's Sure the Boy I Love", although again Spector credited the song to the Crystals). [9] Fabares has said that her strongest memory of that recording session was the "beautiful voices of the backup singers". [10]

In 1964, the group was reduced to a trio of Wright (now Love), Barrett (now James), and newcomer Jean King. They were a featured part of a relatively successful weekly rock' n' roll television program called Shindig! . [4] [3] [2] The Blossoms used their vocal versatility to their advantage, singing in various styles behind a cross-section of artists, including Patty Duke, Shelley Fabares, Jackie Wilson, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye.

The Blossoms appeared in 1964's T.A.M.I. Show providing backup vocals and dancing for all of Marvin Gaye's songs; their name appeared in the opening credits, but they were not introduced. They are later seen at stage left encouraging an exhausted James Brown to take the stage one last time after his climactic performance of "Night Train" with his singing group, The Famous Flames. In 1966, they provided background vocals on Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep – Mountain High". [11] In 1968, they appeared in Elvis Presley’s TV special, popularly known as "the '68 Comeback". Their single, "Good Good Lovin'", became a hit, peaking at #101 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. [12] It later peaked at #115 on the same chart, and at #45 R&B. [13] The Blossoms also provided backing vocals for Doris Day's "Move Over, Darling" from the film of the same name. They resumed recording under their own name later in the 1960s for labels such as Reprise, Ode, and MGM. [3] [2] [1] While with Ode, they recorded a pop–gospel version of Laura Nyro's "Stoney End", which was first released in 1967 as the B-side to the "Wonderful" single, and then again in 1969 as an A-side single. They had scored their hit in the R&B chart entry, entitled "Good, Good Lovin'" in that same year. [4] They recorded their only album, Shockwave, in 1972 for Lion Records. [4] The album appeared on Billboard's New LP/Tape Releases. [14] It also appeared on a review from Billboard and also on the Best New Album of the Week list. [15] [16]

1970s–present

Love left the Blossoms in mid-1973 after a backstage incident caused the group to be fired as the backing singers for Dionne Warwick. [17] Following a hiatus the group brought singer Stephanie Spruill in as a replacement, returning to live work in 1974 with Tom Jones. [18]

After that, singer Alex Brown, who briefly filled in for Jean King in the 1960s, took Love's spot for a brief time until Cynthia Woodward replaced her full time. On her own, Love was pursued for a contract with Gamble & Huff's label Philadelphia International Records, but through a contractual loophole ended up recording for Warner/Spector Records. [19]

Jean King died of a heart attack in Las Vegas in March 1983. [1] [20] James kept the Blossoms going with varying personnel, performing on the Las Vegas circuit until 1990, when she became a backing singer for Doris Kenner Jackson of the Shirelles. [21] Following Doris Kenner Jackson's death in 2000 from breast cancer, James revived the Blossoms with original member Gloria Jones and a new third member.[ who? ]

In 2013, the Blossoms (namely Love, James, Wright, and Jones) were highlighted in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom , in which it was revealed that they had also sung backing vocals for Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash", Frank Sinatra's version of "That's Life", and Merry Clayton's version of "the Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)".

Original member of the Dreamers and Blossoms, Annette Williams, died on August 1, 2023. [22] Just a few months later fellow founding member Fanita James died on November 23, 2023, at the age of 85. [23]

Members

Discography

Albums

Singles

List of charting singles

YearSong Title US Charts [24] US R&B Charts [24]
1961"Son–In–Law"79–
1966"That's When the Tears Start"128–
"Good, Good Lovin'"101–
1967"Good, Good Lovin'"11545

Filmography

YearFilmRole
2013 20 Feet from Stardom Background singers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crystals</span> American vocal group

The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including "There's No Other ", "Uptown", "He's Sure the Boy I Love", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me"– featured three different female lead singers and were all produced by Phil Spector. The latter three songs were originally ranked number 263, number 114, and number 493, respectively, on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. However, two songs were omitted from the magazine's 2010 update, leaving only "He's a Rebel" at number 267. In the 2021 update, "Da Doo Ron Ron" was added back to the list at number 366.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans</span> American vocal group

Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans was an early 1960s vocal group produced by Phil Spector, and was initially conceived as a vehicle for the lead vocals of Bobby Sheen, who took the stage name Bob B. Soxx. The Blue Jeans were backing vocalists Darlene Love and Fanita James, both of whom were also members of the girl group the Blossoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlene Love</span> American singer and actress (born 1941)

Darlene Wright, better known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Birdsong</span> American singer (born 1939)

Cynthia Ann Birdsong is an American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby I Need Your Loving</span> 1964 single by the Four Tops

"Baby I Need Your Loving" is a 1964 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was the group's first Motown single and their first pop Top 20 hit, making it to number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four in Canada in the fall of 1964. It was also their first million-selling hit single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby, I Love You</span> 1963 single by the Ronettes

"Baby, I Love You" is a song originally recorded by the Ronettes in 1963 and released on their debut album Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (1964). The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, and produced by Spector.

"Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song tells of the happiness and excitement the narrator feels on her wedding day, for she and her love are going to the "chapel of love", and "[they'll] never be lonely anymore." Many other artists have recorded the song.

"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song composed by Allie Wrubel with lyrics by Ray Gilbert for the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. For "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and was the second Disney song to win this award, after "When You Wish upon a Star" from Pinocchio (1940). In 2004, it finished at number 47 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, a survey of top tunes in American cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Cone</span> American singing group

Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are known for their number-one Billboard Hot 100 single, "Want Ads". Honey Cone were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Angel (song)</span> 1961–1962 hit single in US and UK

"Johnny Angel" is a song written and composed by Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss. It was originally recorded by both Laurie Loman and Georgia Lee, but those two versions were not successful. It first became a popular hit single when it was recorded by Shelley Fabares in the fall of 1961; she took it to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart when the song was released in 1962. In the same year, British singer Patti Lynn had a moderate hit on the UK Singles Chart with her cover of the song. The American pop music duo The Carpenters recorded "Johnny Angel" in 1973 as part of a medley of oldies on side two of their album Now & Then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)</span> 1963 song by Darlene Love

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is a pop song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. The song was written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He's a Rebel</span> 1962 single originally recorded by the Blossoms, but attributed to the Crystals

"He's a Rebel" is a song written by Gene Pitney that was originally recorded by Vikki Carr and by the girl group the Blossoms. Produced by Phil Spector, the Blossoms' version was issued as a single credited to the Crystals, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1962. It was Spector's second chart-topper after "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (1958).

<i>River Deep – Mountain High</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Ike & Tina Turner

River Deep – Mountain High is a studio album by Ike & Tina Turner. It was originally released by London Records in the UK in 1966, and later A&M Records in the US in 1969. In 2017, Pitchfork ranked it at No. 40 on their list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(You're My) Soul and Inspiration</span> 1966 single by the Righteous Brothers

"(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" is a song by American pop duo the Righteous Brothers. It was the group's first hit after leaving their long-time producer Phil Spector. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also wrote the group's first hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" along with Phil Spector. It is the title track of their album. The single peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 3 single for 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up</span> 1964 song

"(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" is a song written by Phil Spector, Pete Andreoli and Vince Poncia. It was first recorded by the Ronettes, produced by Phil Spector and arranged by Jack Nitzsche with Ronnie Spector on lead vocals and with backing vocals by Nedra Talley and Estelle Bennett, ably abetted by Darlene Love and the Blossoms, Bobby Sheen, and Sonny & Cher. The song was released in April 1964, the year widely recognized as the group's most successful year, and proved to be the group's third consecutive top forty hit in the US. The single peaked at number 39 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 43 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Girlfriends were an American girl group from Los Angeles who scored one hit in the United States in 1964, "My One and Only Jimmy Boy".

"Rock and Roll Lullaby" is a 1972 hit single performed by B. J. Thomas. It was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

<i>Hes a Rebel</i> (album) 1963 studio album by The Crystals

He's a Rebel is the second album issued by girl group The Crystals in 1963, and also the second LP in the Philles catalogue. This was an effort to take an advantage of the monster hit "He's a Rebel" which went to #1 US in 1962, written by Gene Pitney. The song was actually recorded by The Blossoms with Darlene Love on lead vocals and attributed to The Crystals. Notably on the LP is "He Hit Me ," a withdrawn single by the "real" Crystals group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">He's Sure the Boy I Love</span> 1962 single by The Crystals

"He's Sure the Boy I Love" is a 1962 single by The Crystals. It was originally recorded by The Blossoms but credited to The Crystals. On the Billboard charts in 1963, "He's Sure the Boy I Love" peaked at No.11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.18 on the Hot R&B Singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edna Wright</span> American singer (1945–2020)

Edna Wright was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971. She was the younger sister of singer Darlene Love. Wright sang backup for various artists, including the Righteous Brothers, Ray Charles, and Cher.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Blossoms Page". soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9780634099786 . Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 272/3. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Blossoms Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  5. ↑ Guralnick, Peter (2005). Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke. New York: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 269–270.
  6. ↑ Warwick, Jacqueline (October 31, 2013). Girl Groups, Girl Culture: Popular Music and Identity in the 1960s. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9781135875794 . Retrieved January 17, 2024– via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Clemente, John (2000). Girl Groups: Fabulous Females that Rocked the World. Krause Publications. ISBN   9780873418164 . Retrieved January 17, 2024– via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "The Blossoms". Soulfulkindamusic.net. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (6th ed.). New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. pp.  212. ISBN   0-8230-7632-6.
  10. ↑ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits: The Inside Story Behind Every Number One Single on Billboard's Hot 100 from 1955 to the Present (5 ed.). Billboard Books. p. 107. ISBN   0-8230-7677-6.
  11. ↑ Love, Darlene (1998). My name is Love. Internet Archive. William Morrow and Co. p. 100. ISBN   978-0-688-15657-2.
  12. ↑ "Good, Good Lovin' (song by The Blossoms) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  13. ↑ "Good, Good Lovin' (song by The Blossoms) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  14. ↑ "Billboard". August 19, 1972. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Billboard". July 22, 1972. Retrieved January 17, 2023– via Google Books.
  16. ↑ "Billboard". July 22, 1972. Retrieved January 17, 2023– via Google Books.
  17. ↑ Love, Darlene (1998). My Name Is Love. HarperCollins. ISBN   0688156576.
  18. ↑ "Stephanie Spruill Instagram".
  19. ↑ Clemente, John (2013). Girl Groups Who Rocked the World. ISBN   9781477276334.
  20. ↑ "Jean King - Biography". Utahswomenhistory.org. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ Flam, Laura; Liebowitz, Emily Sieu (September 5, 2023). But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the '60s Girl Groups. Hachette Books. ISBN   9780306829796.
  22. ↑ "RIP: Annette Williams of The Dreamers / The Blossoms". August 10, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  23. ↑ "In Memoriam – November 2023" . Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  24. 1 2 "The Blossoms Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.