The Orlons
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The Orlons were an American rhythm and blues singing group formed in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , in the early 1960s .
Members
- Rosetta Hightower (born June 23, 1944 - August 2, 2014)
- Shirley Brickley (born December 9, 1944 - October 13, 1977)
- Marlena Davis (October 4, 1944; † 1993), until 1963
- Stephen Caldwell (born November 22, 1942), until 1964
- Sandy Person (for Marlena Davis)
- Yvonne Young (for Stephen Caldwell)
- Audrey Brickley († July 3, 2005, for Yvonne Young)
history
In the late 1950s, junior high school girls Rosetta Hightower and Marlena Davis sang along with three sisters named Brickley under the name Audrey and the Teenettes (Audrey was one of the three Brickleys). The quintet soon became a trio after Audrey and her sister Jean were no longer allowed to perform in nightclubs at their mother's behest because of their young age. After the remaining three had moved to high school in 1960, the trio was joined by student Stephen Caldwell, previously front singer of the vocal group The Romeos. The four called themselves from then on The Orlons. With the name, which also referred to a synthetic textile fiber, they distinguished themselves from the group The Cashmeres, which also made music in their high school.
Len Barry , lead singer for the Dovells and school friend of the three singers, encouraged the group to introduce themselves to his record company Cameo-Parkway . As a result, the Orlons received a recording deal with sister company Cameo, and their first single was released in September 1961 . After being used as a background choir for recordings with other singers, e. B. Mashed Potato Time with Dee Dee Sharp , the Orlons came with the title of their third single The Wah-Watusi to their first record success. The Wah-Watusi came second in the Hot 100 of the US music magazine Billbord in the summer of 1962, and the title was rated fifth in the R&B hit list. By 1964, the Orlons hit both the Hot 100 and the R&B charts with each of their singles.
From August 1963 there were personnel changes. First Marlena Davis left the group, she was replaced by Sandy Person. In 1964 Stephen Caldwell also left, followed briefly by Yvonne Young, who was soon replaced by Audrey Brickley, Sherley's sister. Since the Orlons no longer felt optimally taken care of by their record company, they switched to the small label Calla and then to ABC Records for a single production . However, only two singles were released there without success returning. Since most of their records had also been released in the UK and they had also hit the top 40 of the UK charts in 1962 with the title Don't Hang Up , the Orlons toured the island with modest success in the late second half of the 1960s.
When Rosetta Hightower left the group during the England tour in 1968 to begin a solo career, the Orlons broke up. In 1988 Stephen Caldwell and Marlena Davis formed the Orlons again with two new members and appeared in a number of oldie concerts. When Davis died in 1993, the Orlons ended for good.
US discography
Vinyl singles
From page | Catalog no. | published |
Cameo | ||
I'll Be True / Heart, Darling, Angel | 198 | 9/1961 |
Mr. Twenty-One / Please Let It Be Me | 211 | 2/1962 |
The Wah-Watusi / Holiday Hill | 218 | 5/1962 |
The Conservative / Don't Hang Up | 231 | 10/1962 |
South Street / Them Terrible Boots | 243 | 2/1963 |
Not Me / My Best Friend | 257 | 6/1963 |
Crossfire! / It's No Big Thing | 273 | 9/1963 |
Bon-doo-wah / Don't Throw Your Love Away | 287 | 11/1963 |
Shimmy Shimmy / Everything Nice | 295 | 1/1964 |
Rules of Love / Heartbreak Hotel | 319 | 5/1964 |
Knock! Knock! (Who's There?) / Goin 'Places | 332 | 8/1964 |
I ain't comin 'back / Envy | 346 | 12/1964 |
Come on Down Baby Baby / I Ain't Comin 'Back | 352 | 1/1965 |
Don't You Want My Lovin '/ I Can't Take It | 372 | 7/1965 |
No Love But Your Love / Envy (In My Eyes) | 384 | 11/1965 |
Calla | ||
Spinnin 'Top / Anyone Who Had a Heart | 113 | 5/1966 |
ABC | ||
Keep Your Hands Off My Baby / Everything | 10894 | 2/1967 |
Kissin 'Time / Once Upon a Time | 10948 | 7/1967 |
Vinyl music albums
title | Catalog no. | published | Top 200 |
The Wah-Watusi | Cameo 1020 | 8/1962 | 80. |
All the hits by the Orlons | Cameo 1033 | 12/1962 | |
South Street | Cameo 1041 | 6/1963 | 123. |
Not Me | Cameo 1054 | 6/1963 | |
Biggest hits | Cameo 1061 | 8/1963 | |
Golden Hits (& The Dovells) | Cameo 1067 | 8/1963 | |
Down memory lane | Cameo 1073 | 11/1963 |
Compact discs *
title | Label | published |
All Their Hits | Campark | 1996 |
The Best of the Orlons | ABKCO | 2005 |
The Wah-Watusi / South Street | Ace | 2010 |
* distributed in Germany
literature
- Jay Warner: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940–1990 . Billboard Books, New York City / New York 1992, pp. 427 f.
- Frank Laufenberg: Rock & Pop Lexicon . Econ Taschenbuch Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-612-26207-6 , Volume 2, p. 1127.
swell
Web links
- The Orlons at Allmusic (English)
- The Orlons in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Orlons on Doo Wop Heaven
- Discography at www.discogs.com
- Chart positions at www.musicvf.com