The Cookies
Encyclopedia
The Cookies were an American
R&B
girl group
in the 1950s to 1960s. Members of the original lineup would later become The Raelettes, the backing vocalists for Ray Charles
.
, New York
, The Cookies' membership originally consisted of Dorothy Jones, "Ethel" Darlene McCrea and Dorothy's cousin
, Beulah Robertson. Robertson was replaced in 1956 by Margie Hendricks (Hendrix). The group was introduced to Ray Charles
through their session work for Atlantic Records
. After backing him and other Atlantic Records artists
, McCrea and Hendricks helped form The Raelettes in 1958. Pat Lyles was a Raelette, but never a Cookie.
" McCrea (Darlene's younger sister) and another of Dorothy's cousins, Margaret Ross. Jones also recorded
one solo
recording for Columbia
in 1961. This trio
had the greatest success as the Cookies, under their own name, as backing vocals
for other artists
, including Neil Sedaka's hit song "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" from 1962, and recording
demos
for Aldon Music
, under the direction of Carole King
and Gerry Goffin
. They provided the backup vocals for the Little Eva
hit song, "The Loco-Motion
", as well as the follow-up hit "Let's Turkey Trot", both from 1962. They scored their biggest hit
in 1963 with the song "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)
", which reached #3 on the Billboard
R&B chart
and #7 on the Billboard Pop chart
.
A 1962 hit, "Chains
", was later recorded by The Beatles
. Earl-Jean McCrea left the group in 1965 after two solo singles, which included the first recording of the Goffin/King song
, "I'm Into Something Good
".
The Cookies also released several recordings under pseudonyms, mostly with Margaret Ross on lead. Their alter egos on recordings were The Palisades (Chairman), The Stepping Stones (Philips), The Cinderellas (Dimension) and The Honey Bees (Fontana 1939 only).
In April 1967 they released their last record
, produced
by The Tokens
. Darlene McCrea returned to replace her sister for this recording.
Dorothy Jones died on Christmas Day, 2010, from complications of Alzheimer's disease
, in Columbus, Ohio
, at the age of 76.
Margaret Ross, now Margaret Williams, tours today as The Cookies with new back-up singers. She also performs with Barbara Harris and The Toys occasionally.
1956-58
1961-64
1964-67
Dorothy, Beulah and Margaret were first cousins. Their respective mothers were sisters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
in the 1950s to 1960s. Members of the original lineup would later become The Raelettes, the backing vocalists for Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
.
History
Formed in 1954 in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, The Cookies' membership originally consisted of Dorothy Jones, "Ethel" Darlene McCrea and Dorothy's cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, Beulah Robertson. Robertson was replaced in 1956 by Margie Hendricks (Hendrix). The group was introduced to Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
through their session work for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. After backing him and other Atlantic Records artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, McCrea and Hendricks helped form The Raelettes in 1958. Pat Lyles was a Raelette, but never a Cookie.
Second lineup
In 1961, a new version of the Cookies emerged in New York, with Dorothy Jones joining newcomers "Earl-JeanEarl-Jean
Ethel "Earl-Jean" McCrea is an American pop/R&B singer. She was a member of The Cookies, the only person in both versions of the group, and she had a solo hit with the original version of "I'm Into Somethin' Good"....
" McCrea (Darlene's younger sister) and another of Dorothy's cousins, Margaret Ross. Jones also recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
one solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
recording for Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1961. This trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
had the greatest success as the Cookies, under their own name, as backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for other artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, including Neil Sedaka's hit song "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" from 1962, and recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
for Aldon Music
Aldon Music
Aldon Music was a New York-based music publishing company, founded by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in 1958. Aldon is regarded as having played a significant role in shaping the so-called "Brill Building Sound" in the late 1950s and 1960s....
, under the direction of Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
. They provided the backup vocals for the Little Eva
Little Eva
Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...
hit song, "The Loco-Motion
The Loco-Motion
"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The song is notable for appearing in the American Top 5 three times – each time in a different decade: for Little Eva in 1962 ; for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 ; and for Kylie Minogue in 1988 "The...
", as well as the follow-up hit "Let's Turkey Trot", both from 1962. They scored their biggest hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in 1963 with the song "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)
Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)
"Don't Say Nothin' Bad " is a 1963 song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for the girl group The Cookies. It was the group's most successful single and their only one to reach the top ten on the U.S. Pop charts....
", which reached #3 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
and #7 on the Billboard Pop chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
A 1962 hit, "Chains
Chains (song)
"Chains" is a song composed by the Brill Building husband-and-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King and was a major hit for Little Eva’s backing singers, The Cookies "Chains" is a song composed by the Brill Building husband-and-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King and was...
", was later recorded by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Earl-Jean McCrea left the group in 1965 after two solo singles, which included the first recording of the Goffin/King song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "I'm Into Something Good
I'm into Something Good
"I'm into Something Good" is a song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and made famous by Herman's Hermits. The song was originally recorded by Cookies member Earl-Jean McCrea in 1964 and reached number 38 on the US pop singles chart...
".
The Cookies also released several recordings under pseudonyms, mostly with Margaret Ross on lead. Their alter egos on recordings were The Palisades (Chairman), The Stepping Stones (Philips), The Cinderellas (Dimension) and The Honey Bees (Fontana 1939 only).
In April 1967 they released their last record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by The Tokens
The Tokens
The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...
. Darlene McCrea returned to replace her sister for this recording.
Dorothy Jones died on Christmas Day, 2010, from complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, at the age of 76.
Margaret Ross, now Margaret Williams, tours today as The Cookies with new back-up singers. She also performs with Barbara Harris and The Toys occasionally.
Original lineup
1954-56- Dorothy Jones
- "Ethel" Darlene McCrea
- Beulah Robertson
1956-58
- Dorothy Jones
- "Ethel" Darlene McCrea
- Margie Hendricks
1961-64
- Dorothy Jones
- Earl-Jean McCrea
- Margaret Ross
1964-67
- Dorothy Jones
- "Ethel" Darlene McCrea
- Margaret Ross
Dorothy, Beulah and Margaret were first cousins. Their respective mothers were sisters.
Discography
- "In Paradise" (#9 U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, 1956) - "ChainsChains (song)"Chains" is a song composed by the Brill Building husband-and-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King and was a major hit for Little Eva’s backing singers, The Cookies "Chains" is a song composed by the Brill Building husband-and-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King and was...
" b/w "Stranger in my Arms" (#17 U.S. PopBillboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, 1962, UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#50, 1963) - "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)"Don't Say Nothin' Bad " is a 1963 song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for the girl group The Cookies. It was the group's most successful single and their only one to reach the top ten on the U.S. Pop charts....
" b/w "Softly in the Night" (#3 U.S R&B, #7 U.S. Pop, 1963) - "Will power" b/w "I Want a Boy for my Birthday"
- "Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys" b/w "Only To Other People" (#33 U.S. R&B, #33 U.S. Pop, 1963)
- "I Never Dreamed" b/w "The Old Crowd"
External links
- [ The Cookies] on Allmusic
- The Cookies on history-of-rock.com
- The Cookies on last.fm
- The Cookies on Girl Group Chonicles