The Bobbettes

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Mr. Lee
  US 6th 08/05/1957 (24 weeks)
I shot Mr. Lee
  US 52 08/01/1960 (8 weeks)
Dance With Me Georgie
  US 95 October 24, 1960 (1 week)
Have Mercy Baby
  US 66 11/21/1960 (8 weeks)
I Don't Like It Like That
  US 72 September 18, 1961 (4 weeks)

The Bobbettes was an American girl group . They released the song Mr. Lee in 1957 , which came to number 6 on the US singles chart. This made the Bobbettes the first colored girl group that managed to land a top ten hit. They were also the first girl group to make it to the top of the R&B charts.

history

The group was founded in Harlem New York in 1955 under the name The Harlem Queens and consisted of five young girls. During an amateur concert at the Apollo Theater in New York, they were discovered by James Daily, a record producer, who got them a contract with Atlantic Records .

The members of the Bobbettes were Emma and Janice Pought, Laura Webb, Helen Gathers and Reather Dixon.

The first single by the then eleven to thirteen year old girls, Mr. Lee , was a hit and reached number 6 on the singles charts, number 7 on the bestseller charts and number 1 on the R&B charts, where the song stayed for four weeks could hold first place.

After a series of unsuccessful records, the group left Atlantic Records because the company did not want to release their song I Shot Mr. Lee . The single appeared on the small record label Triple-X Records, rose in the charts to number 52, which prompted Atlantic Records to also release the title, which was initially rejected.

Also in 1960, the Bobbettes were able to place with their following single Have Mercy Baby / Dance With Me Georgie with both record sides in the US charts, where Dance With Me Georgie was a twist version of the hit Dance With Me Henry by Georgia Gibbs .

In 1961, the Bobbettes switched to the Gone Records label, where they once again enjoyed a modest 72nd record with the title I Don't Like It Like That , a response song to Chris Kenner's I Like It Like That .

Despite frequent changes of record labels, so from 1962 singles appeared on Jubilee Records , Diamond Records , RCA Records and Mayhew Records, the Bobbettes had no further chart successes and broke up as a group in 1974. Some group members continued to perform well into the 1980s.

Choice discography

The singles are listed up to 1962. The year of publication, title of the A and B sides, record label and catalog number, listing in the Billboard charts (US) and the R&B charts are given.

  • 1957: Mr. Lee / Look At The Stars - Atlantic 1144 - R&B # 1
  • 1957: Speedy / Come-A Come-A - Atlantic 1159
  • 1958: Zoomy / Rock And Ree-Ah-Zole - Atlantic 1181
  • 1958: The Dream / Um Bow Bow - Atlantic 1194
  • 1959: Don't Say Goodnight / You Are My Sweetheart - Atlantic 2027
  • 1960: I Shot Mr. Lee / Untrue Love - Atlantic 2069
  • 1960: I Shot Mr. Lee / Billy - Triple X 104
  • 1960: Dance With Me Georgie / Have Mercy Baby - Triple X 106
  • 1960: I Cried / Oh My Papa - Galliant 1006
  • 1961: Teach Me Tonight / Mr. Johnny Q. - End 1093
  • 1961: I Don't Like It Like That. Part 1 / Part 2 - Gone 1095
  • 1961: I Don't Like It Like That / Mr. Johnny Q. - Gone 5112
  • 1961: Oh Mein Papa / Dance With Me Georgie - King 5490
  • 1961: Looking For A Lover / Are You Satisfied? - King 5551
  • 1962: My Dearest / I`m Stepping Out Tonight - King 5623
  • 1962: Over There / Loneliness - Jubilee 5427
  • 1962: A Broken Heart / Mama Papa - Jubilee 5442
  • 1962: Teddy / Row, Row, Row - Diamond 133

1963 to 1965 another five singles appeared on Diamond Records, in 1966 two singles on RCA-Victor and between 1971 and 1974 three singles on Mayhew Records.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Charts US
  2. ^ Greig, Charlotte: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Girl bands from the 50s to today . Translated from the English by Markus Schröder. Reinbek near Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag, 1991, p. 21.
  3. ^ Laufenberg, Frank / Hake, Ingrid: Rock and Pop Lexicon. Volume 1: ABBA - Kay Kyser . Düsseldorf / Vienna: Econ Verlag, 1994, p. 154.
  4. ↑ Catalog number Atlantic 1144
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Records 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc., 1994, p. 57; the B-side was Look At The Stars . For the R&B charts, see: Whitburn, Joel: The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B And Hip-Hop Hits. 1942-2004 . New York City, New York: Billboard Books, 2006, p. 51
  6. ↑ Catalog numbers Triple-X 104 and Atlantic 2069.
  7. ^ Catalog number Triple-X 106; A-side reached number 66, the B-side number 95.
  8. ↑ Catalog number Gone 5112.
  9. ^ Laufenberg, Frank / Hake, Ingrid: Rock and Pop Lexicon. Volume 1: ABBA - Kay Kyser . Düsseldorf / Vienna: Econ Verlag, 1994, p. 155; see also Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, p. 81
  10. ↑ Complete discographies in Gribin, Anthony J. / Schiff, Matthew M .: Doo-Wop. The Forgotten Third Of Rock 'n Roll . Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1992, pp. 180f; see also Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 81f

literature

  • Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 80-82.

Web links