The Exciters
The Exciters | |
---|---|
20th Century | |
Past members | Brenda Reid Carolyn Johnson Lillian Walker Sylvia Wilbur Penny Carter Herb Rooney Ronnie Pace Skip McPhee |
Website | http://www.theexciters.org/ |
The Exciters were an American pop music group of the 1960s. They were originally a girl group, with one male member being added afterwards. At the height of their popularity the group consisted of lead singer Brenda Reid, Herb Rooney, Carolyn Johnson and Lillian Walker.
Career
The group's name was changed to the Exciters, and their first hit record, arranged by Teacho Wiltshire and produced by Leiber and Stoller for United Artists Records, was "Tell Him", which reached no. 4 on the U.S. pop chart in early 1963, and no. 12 in Canada.[2] The song had previously been released unsuccessfully, as "Tell Her", by Gil Hamilton later known as Johnny Thunder.[3] According to Jason Ankeny at AllMusic, the Exciters' version of "Tell Him" "...boasted an intensity that signified a sea change in the presentation and perception of femininity in popular music, paving the way for such tough, sexy acts as the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes."[1]
Other songs by the group included "He's Got the Power" (written by
In 1965, the Exciters left the Leiber-Stoller management team, and the United Artists label, for
In 1975, Brenda and Herb Rooney, credited as the Exciters, enjoyed a hit single in the
Herb Rooney died in the early 1990s.[3] Brenda and Herb Rooney's son, Mark Cory Rooney, is a music business executive.[3] Carolyn 'Carol' Johnson died on May 7, 2007, aged 62.[9] Lillian Walker-Moss died on February 5, 2023, at the age of 78. She had been battling angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.[10]
Discography
Chart singles
Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
US Pop[11] | US R&B[12] |
UK[13]
| ||
1962 | "Tell Him" | 4 | 5 | 46 |
1963 | "He's Got the Power" | 57 | — | — |
"Get Him" | 76 | — | — | |
1964 | "Do-Wah-Diddy" | 78 | n/a[14] | — |
1965 | "I Want You to Be My Boy" | 98 | n/a[14] | — |
1966 | "A Little Bit of Soap" | 58 | — | — |
1969 | "You Don't Know What You're Missing ('Til It's Gone)" | — | 49 | — |
1975 | "Reaching for the Best" | — | — | 31 |
1978 | "Tonight I'm Gonna Make You a Star" Brenda & Herb (The Exciters) |
— | 70 | — |
Albums
- Tell Him (United Artists, 1963)[15]
- The Exciters (Roulette, 1965)
- Caviar and Chitlins (1969)
- Black Beauty (1971)
- Heaven Is Where You Are (1976)
- The Exciters (1977)
See also
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States
- United Artists Records
- List of doo-wop musicians
References
- ^ a b c d Biography by Jason Ankeny, AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2014
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - January 7, 1963".
- ^ ISBN 9781477276334– via Google Books.
- ^ "Let's Talk Dusty! - the Ultimate Site for Dusty Springfield Fans". Archived from the original on August 1, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-56976-534-0.
- ^ Walker-Moss, Lillian (2020-10-30). "Sophisticated Boom Boom". WFMU (Radio). Interviewed by Sheila Burgel.
- ^ Biography, TheExciters.org. Retrieved 18 February 2014
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "faac Resources and Information". 1.faac.us. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Lillian Walker-Moss, co-founder of "Tell Him" hitmakers The Exciters, dies". Soul Tracks. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 139.
- ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
- ^ a b Billboard did not publish a R&B chart in this period.
- ^ "The Exciters Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
External links
- The Exciters discography at Discogs
- The Exciters biography on History of Rock
- The Exciters discography on Soulful Kinda Music
- The Exciters at IMDb