The Jaynetts
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The Jaynetts were an American
Career
Beginnings
In 1954, Bronx-native Zelma "Zell" Sanders produced "Lonely Nights" by a female R&B vocal group called The Hearts (not to be confused with "
, J&S.The Jaynetts name was conceived by adding the "J" in "J&S" to "Anetta", the middle name of Lezli Valentine, a
"Sally Go 'Round the Roses"
J&S Records had its first national success in 1961 when Abner Spector, an
The credited members of the Jaynetts who recorded "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" were Yvonne Bushnell, Ethel Davis (aka Vernell Hill), Ada Ray Kelly and Johnnie Louise Richardson, who had all previously recorded for J&S; a fifth credited member Mary Sue Wells (aka Mary Sue Wellington/Mary Green Wilson) was recruited through a newspaper advertisement. It was announced that Johnnie Louise Richardson, Sanders' daughter, who had been a member of Johnnie & Joe, was not intended as a group member beyond singing on their first track.[4]
Vocalists who sang on "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" besides the five credited personnel include J&S veterans Selena Healey, Marie Hood, Marlene Mack (aka Marlina Mack/Marlina Mars), Louise (Harris) Murray (a member of the original Hearts), Lezli Valentine and Iggy Williams. According to Richardson, "Anybody that came in the studio that week, [Spector] would put them on [the track]. Originally, I think he had about 20 voices on 'Sally.'" The sessions produced only the one song, "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" being released with the song's instrumental track as its B-side, credited to 'Sing Along Without the Jaynetts'. The single reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated 28 September 1963.
Sally Go 'Round the Roses album
The single's success led to the release of a Sally Go 'Round the Roses album on Tuff; besides the title cut, in both the vocal and instrumental versions, and the follow-up single "Keep an Eye on Her" "
JFK assassination
In 1963, American Bandstand signed the Jaynetts to Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars national U.S. tour, which was scheduled to perform its 15th show on the night of November 22, 1963 at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas, until suddenly the Friday evening event had to be cancelled, moments after U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that afternoon while touring Dallas in an open car caravan.[5][6]
Follow-up
The Jaynetts name was used for the release of two further singles on Tuff: "Snowman, Snowman Sweet Potato Nose" and "There's No Love at All" b/w "Tonight You Belong to Me". Throughout 1964 Tuff also released recordings featuring at least some of the personnel from "Sally Go 'Round the Roses"; these releases were credited to the Clickettes (who were Lezli Valentine, Marlina Mars and Iggy Williams), the Poppies (not to be confused with the Poppies who recorded for Epic in 1966) and the Patty Cakes (whose release "I Understand Them" was subtitled "A Love Song to the Beatles"). In 1964, the Roulette single "Changing My Life for You" b/w "I Would If I Could", credited to the Z-Debs, was sung by members of the Jaynetts who had recorded "Sally Go 'Round the Roses".
The 1964 J&S single, "Cry Behind the Daisies", was the first release credited to the Jaynetts with a new core line-up, retaining Johnnie Louise Richardson and adding Evangeline Jenkins, Linda Jenkins and Georgette Malone. This group had further J&S releases into 1965 with "Chicken, Chicken, Crane or Crow" b/w "Winky Dinky", "Peepin' In and Out the Window" b/w "Extra Extra, Read All About It", "Who Stole the Cookie" b/w "That's My Baby", "Looking for Wonderland, My Lover" b/w "Make It an Extra" and "Vangie Don't You Cry" b/w "My Guy Is As Sweet As Can Be". The group ceased their recording activities in 1965.[4]
Solo recordings
Tuff Records released singles in 1964 credited to Vernell Hill (Ethel Davis) and Mary Sue Wellington (Mary Sue Wells: her name was adjusted to prevent confusion with Mary Wells). J&S also released solo tracks by Ada Ray Kelly – billed as Ada "Cry Baby" Ray on the Zell's label in 1963 and 1964. Vernell Hill's Tuff single, "Long Haired Daddy", with songwriting credit by Abner Spector, was also released on Roulette in 1964.
In 1968, Lezli Valentine recorded for All Platinum, a label formed the previous year in Englewood, New Jersey, by Sylvia Robinson, and recorded the original versions of The Moments' hits "Love on a Two Way Street", "I'm So Lost", "I Gotta Keep on Loving You" and "I Won't Do Anything". She also sang background on Eddie Kendricks' version of "Not on the Outside". In a 2000 interview for John Clemente's book Girl Groups: Fabulous Females That Rocked the World, Valentine revealed she had retired from the music industry, worked in Alcohol Beverage Control and had become a stenographer under then-New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Marie Hood went on to work for the Postal Service.
From 1963 through 1966, Marlene Mack, as Marlina Mars, had singles released on
Louise Murray, who recorded solo for Verve in 1965, was reported to be performing in a duo with her husband Donald Gatling: they bill themselves as the Two Hearts, referencing the group with whom Murray had recorded "Lonely Nights" in 1954.
Deaths
Johnnie Louise Richardson died on October 25, 1988.[4] Lezli Valentine, later Lezli Green, died on March 9, 2021.[9]
Discography
Singles
Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Record Label | B-side | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Pop |
US R&B | |||||
1963 | "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" | 2 | 4 | Tuff | "Instrumental Background to Sally Go 'Round the Roses" | Sally Go 'Round the Roses |
"Keep an Eye on Her" | 120 | — | "Instrumental Background to Keep an Eye on Her" | |||
"Snowman, Snowman, Sweet Potato Nose" | — | — | "Instrumental Background to Snowman, Snowman, Sweet Potato Nose" | |||
1964 | "No Love at All" | — | — | "Tonight You Belong to Me" | Sally Go 'Round the Roses | |
"Johnny, Don't Cry" | — | — | "No Love at All" | |||
1965 | "Who Stole the Cookie" | — | — | J & S | "That's My Boy" |
See also
- One-hit wonders in the United States
References
- ^ a b "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos". Archived from the original on 1999-10-11.
- ^ The Hearts, AllMusic
- ^ Justine "Baby" Washington - Soulfulkindamusic.net
- ^ ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
- ^ Fuentes, Jerry (4 June 2012). "A Rock n' Roll Historian: Caravan of Stars Fall 1963 Tour". Rnrhistorian.blogspot.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ "American Bandstand 1963 -All Time Hits Day- A Little Bit Of Soap, The Jarmels". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ "The Jaynettes". Soulfulkindamusic.net. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (1 August 2010). "Motor City Zooms Into Town for a Visit". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ "Obituary: Lezli Green", Blues & Rhythm, No.360, June 2021, p.15
Bibliography
- Clemente, John (2000). Girl Groups - Fabulous Females That Rocked the World. Iola, Wisc. Krause Publications. p. 276. ISBN 0-87341-816-6
- Clemente, John (2013). Girl Groups - Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World. Bloomington, IN Authorhouse Publications. p. 623. ISBN 978-1-4772-7633-4
External links
- History of Rock: "The Jaynetts"
- TUFF Records website
- The Jaynetts discography at Discogs