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The Crests

 
Artist: The Crests
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The Crests

Group Members:

Harold Torres, Talmadge Gough, Jay Carter, Johnny Maestro, Patricia Van Dross

Similar Artists:

The Flamingos, The Five Satins, The Skyliners, The Bop Chords, The Duprees, The Dreamlovers, The Del Vikings, The Capris, The Belmonts, The Regents, The Blue Jays, The Elegants, Johnny Maestro, The Jive Five, Robert & Johnny, The Orioles, The Five Discs, The Five Crowns, The Ravens, The Monotones, The Chessmen, The Danleers, Johnnie & Joe, The El Dorados, The Passions, The Flares, Danny & the Juniors, The Crows, The Mellows, The Harptones, The Dubs, The Chordettes, Little Anthony & the Imperials, The Pentagons, The Olympics, The Marcels, Frankie Lymon, Jay & the Americans, The Jarmels, Jackie & the Starlites, Hollywood Flames, The Heartbeats, Vernon Green, The Fleetwoods, The "5" Royales, The Five Keys, The Drifters, The Diamonds, The Coasters, The Clovers, The Cleftones, The Charts, The Channels, The Cadillacs, Lee Andrews

Influenced By:

The Moonglows, The Platters, The Penguins, Dion

Followers:

The Capris

Performed Songs By:

Alicia Evelyn, Ollie Jones, Luther Dixon

Formal Connection With:

Brooklyn Bridge
  • Formed: 1956
  • Disbanded: 1960
  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues
  • Representative Albums: "The Best of the Crests Featuring Johnny Maestro," "For Collectors Only," "The Best of the Crests"
  • Representative Songs: "Sixteen Candles," "The Angels Listened In," "Step by Step"

Biography

One of the most successful integrated doo wop groups, the Crests waxed the classic ballad "16 Candles" in 1959. Formed in 1956, they began recording the next year for Joyce, where they inched onto the pop lists with "Sweetest One." Moving to the brand-new Coed logo, Johnny Maestro's (b. May 7, 1939) warm tenor made "16 Candles" a national smash, and pop/R&B hybrids like "The Angels Listened In" and "Step by Step" also did well. Maestro went solo in 1960, scoring the next year with "Model Girl" on Coed, while the Crests attempted to survive on their own. Maestro eventually reclaimed stardom as leader of Brooklyn Bridge, an 11-piece aggregation that hit with "Worst That Could Happen" in 1968. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: The Crests
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia

The Crests were a popular New York R&B musical group of the late 1950s. Their most popular song was "Sixteen Candles" which rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958. The record sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc.[1] Though often thought to be another all-black teenage-sound band, of the four men, two were black, one was Puerto Rican, and the other was Italian. They also had one black female.

Contents

Career

The band was founded by J. T. Carter and included Talmoudge Gough, Harold Torres, and Patricia Van Dross (older sister of R&B great Luther Vandross). Carter found lead vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (later just Johnny Maestro). The group had several Top 40 hits in the 1950s on Coed Records, including "Sixteen Candles," "A Year Ago Tonight," "Trouble in Paradise," "Six Nights a Week," "Step By Step," and "The Angels Listened In". They also charted with "Sweetest One" (Joyce label) and "Guilty" (Selma label).

Maestro left for a solo career in 1960. He would later join The Del Satins, which would become Brooklyn Bridge. They had a Top 40 hit with "The Worst That Could Happen" in 1968. His place was taken by new lead James Ancrum. The group recorded a new single, "Little Miracles." It was the first single not to chart in the top 100. Gough quit the group after the single, and was replaced by Gary Lewis (not the same as Gary Lewis & the Playboys). The group failed to find success throughout the decade.[2]

Van Dross and Torres would also be gone by the late 1960s. The group continued as a trio of Carter, Ancrum, and Lewis. This lineup continued until 1978, when the group split. Carter went on to sing with Charlie Thomas' Drifters.

Carter then reformed the group in 1980. He auditioned over 200 singers, finally settling on lead Bill Damon, Greg Sereck, and Dennis Ray and New York drummer Jon Ihle. Carter continued the group well into the 1990s. He sold the trademarks to the Crests name to Tommy Mara in the late 1990s. Mara was Carter's lead vocalist at the time, and now continues the group without Carter. Carter now performs as part of the three person group Starz. Lewis is now singing with The Cadillacs.[3]

The 1984 John Hughes teen movie, Sixteen Candles, took its title from The Crests' song, which was re-recorded by The Stray Cats for the Sixteen Candles soundtrack.

Awards and recognition

The Crests were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

References

  1. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 99. ISBN 0-214-20512-6. 
  2. ^ EAST COAST GROUPS 3 (PAGE 5)
  3. ^ Great Day In Harlem Page-1

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Crests".  Read more