The Teen Queens

Last updated

The Teen Queens were an American musical group from the 1950s, most remembered for their hit single "Eddie My Love", [1] which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the R&B Best Sellers charts in March 1956. [2]

Contents

Biography

The group consisted of sisters Betty and Rosie Collins, sisters of Aaron Collins, who was a singer with the doo wop group The Cadets. [3] Aaron Collins wrote their debut song, and the single that became their biggest hit. "Eddie My Love" was released by RPM Records, and, following its success, was followed by a string of other releases. [3] These included "Baby Mine", "Billy Boy", "Red Top", "Rock Everybody" and "I Miss You", but none of these achieved the success of their debut song. [1]

Consequently, the group left RPM in 1958 and signed a one record recording contract with RCA Records, [3] who released "Dear Tommy". This also failed to make much of an impact on the charts. There then followed a later contract with Antler Records and a further two singles, [3] "There's Nothing on My Mind" (an answer song to "There's Something on Your Mind") and "I Heard Violins". Again, however, these songs enjoyed little success and by 1961, the group decided to stop recording music. [1]

"Eddie My Love" was also recorded by The Chordettes and The Fontane Sisters, both of which also made the chart in 1956, [1] and was parodied as "Freddy My Love" in the musical Grease . [4]

In 1968, Rosie took an overdose on pills and alcohol and did not wake up after going to sleep, and Betty died in 1971 due to drug problems. [5]

Related Research Articles

Ram Jam was a short-lived American rock band formed in New York City and active in 1977 and 1978, mainly known for their hit single "Black Betty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Carr (singer)</span> American singer

James Edward Carr was an American R&B and soul singer, described as "one of the greatest pure vocalists that deep Southern soul ever produced".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Wright</span> American singer (1953–2020)

Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s as a teenager, Wright rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night". Wright was also prominent in her use of whistle register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tokens</span> American male doo-wop vocal group

The Tokens were an American doo-wop band and record production company group from Brooklyn, New York City. The group has had four top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, all in the 1960s, their biggest being the chart-topping 1961 hit single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" borrowed heavily from the 1939 song "Mbube" by South African singer Solomon Linda. They are also known for having Neil Sedaka as an original member, before he pursued a solo career.

The Velvelettes were an American singing girl group, signed to Motown in the 1960s. Their biggest chart success occurred in 1964, when Norman Whitfield produced "Needle in a Haystack", which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 27 in Canada.

"I'm Walking Behind You" is a popular song which was written by Billy Reid and published in 1953. The recording by American singer Eddie Fisher was a No. 1 hit in both the US and UK Singles charts, but it had previously been recorded by Reid's former partner, Dorothy Squires, who had a hit with the song in the UK.

The Jets are a Tongan American family music group from Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Jets are composed of brothers and sisters LeRoy, Eddie, Eugene, Haini, Rudy, Kathi, Elizabeth, and Moana Wolfgramm, who perform pop, R&B, and dance music. They started performing as a family band in 1977. The group enjoyed worldwide success in 1985–1990, performing three world tours, and producing five top-10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears on My Pillow</span> 1958 single by Little Anthony and the Imperials

"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard top-10 hit, peaking at No. 4, No. 3 in Canada, and was the Imperials' first million-seller. It was also a two-sided hit, with its flip side, "Two People in the World," also becoming a major hit. Although it remains one of the Imperials' signature songs, "Tears on My Pillow" has been extensively covered, including a No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart version by Kylie Minogue in January 1990.

The Flairs were an American doo-wop group known for their 1961 hit "Foot Stompin', Pt. 1." Based in Los Angeles, they went through several lineup changes during their existence. Their notable members included Richard Berry and Cornell Gunter, who would go on to be a member of the Coasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crispian St. Peters</span> Musical artist

Crispian St. Peters was an English pop singer-songwriter, best known for his work in the 1960s, particularly hit songs written by duo The Changin' Times, including "The Pied Piper", and Ian & Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind". His popularity waned after he claimed he was a better performer than other well known singers and declared that he was a better songwriter than the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odyssey (band)</span> American-British band

Odyssey is a vocal trio originally from New York City, who are best known for their disco hits including "Native New Yorker" (1977), "Use It Up and Wear It Out" (1980), and "Going Back to My Roots" (1981). Now based in the United Kingdom, the band is led and fronted by Steven Collazo and continues to perform and record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leader of the Pack</span> 1964 single by the Shangri-Las

"Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as a popular cultural example of a "teenage tragedy song". The song was covered in 1985 by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, who had a more modest hit with their version.

"Young Love" is a popular song, written by Ric Cartey and Carole Joyner, and published in 1956. The original version was recorded by Ric Cartey with the Jiva-Tones on November 24, 1956. Joyner was a high school student when she co-wrote the song with Cartey, her boyfriend at the time. It was released in 1956 by Stars Records as catalog number 539 and one month later by RCA Records as catalog number 47-6751. Cartey's version never charted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timmy Thomas</span> American R&B singer (1944–2022)

Timothy Earle Thomas was an American R&B singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer, best known for the hit song, "Why Can't We Live Together".

Gwen McCrae is an American singer, best known for her 1975 hit "Rockin' Chair".

"Tonight" is a song from the 1957 musical West Side Story with music written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was published in 1956.

The Pipkins were a short-lived English novelty duo, best known for their hit single "Gimme Dat Ding", which reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Charts, No. 7 in Canada, and No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie My Love</span> 1956 single by The Teen Queens

"Eddie My Love" is a 1956 doo wop song. According to BMI and ASCAP, the song was written by Maxwell Davis (BMI), Aaron Collins, Jr. (ASCAP), and Sam Ling (BMI). Maxwell Davis played sax on the Teen Queens record. Aaron Collins was the brother of the Teen Queens. Sam Ling was an alias of Saul Bihari, co-founder of Modern, RPM, and other labels; Bihari and his brothers regularly attached their names to songwriting credits as a means of getting a cut of the royalties, as was common practice at the time.

Aaron Collins was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, most active in the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears (1930 song)</span> 1930 popular music song

"Tears" is a song written by lyricist Frank Capano and composer Billy Uhr, which was popularised by Rudy Vallée in 1930. It was later made famous in a version recorded by Ken Dodd, released as a 45 rpm single in 1965, which became a bestselling No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hamilton, Andrew (March 31, 1956). "The Teen Queens – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 570.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2462. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  4. Kalina, Mike (February 7, 1973). "'Grease' to Slip Into Town". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . p. 14. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  5. https://tims.blackcat.nl/messages/teen_queens.htm [ bare URL ]