The Fascinations
Encyclopedia
The Fascinations were an American
pop
vocal
group
most active in the mid-1960s. They are best remembered for the Curtis Mayfield
-penned hit "Girls Are Out To Get You", a minor pop hit in the US in 1967 that was re-released in the UK in 1971, where it reached the top 40.
, who originally planned on calling their group The Sabre-ettes. Sisters Joanne and Bernadine Boswell joined the group through an audition process. Fern Bledsoe joined the group right around the time they changed their name to The Fasinations (sic).
Before the group got its chance at recording
, in late 1960 founding member Reeves left over disagreements with the other members. Reeves went on to re-join her previous group, The Del-Phis. This group signed to the Motown Records
label
, and later became Martha & The Vandellas. Bernadette Boswell would be the Fasinations' lead singer from this point on.
In late 1962, The Fasinations were signed to the ABC-Paramount label. There they met Curtis Mayfield
(of The Impressions) who wrote and produced
their first single
, "Mama Didn't Lie", a track he had previously cut with Jan Bradley
. While the track was initially issued as by The Fasinations, the group quickly changed their name to the more conventionally spelled "The Fascinations", and subsequent pressings of this single (and all future singles) were accordingly credited to The Fascinations.
Bradley's version of "Mama Didn't Lie" had been a regional hit, but had not broken nationally when The Fascinations recorded their version. However, Bradley's recording of "Mama" began to take off nationally just as the Fascinations released their record. As it turned out, Bradley's recording of "Mama Didn't Lie" entered the Billboard charts in the first week of 1963, while The Fascinations version of the same song debuted in the "Bubbling Under" charts one week later. Bradley took "Mama Didn't Lie" all the way to #14; The Fascinations' version stalled at #108.
The group then followed up with "Tears In My Eyes", which flopped, and ABC dropped them from their label roster.
Walker, under the name "Shirley Lawson", also issued two obscure solo singles during these years.
did not make the Hot 100 chart
, it was a hit on the R&B
chart, eventually landing in the Top 50.
Mayfield also wrote and produced their next single, "Girls Are Out to Getcha," which was their most commercially successful song: it reached #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, and on the R&B chart it climbed to #13.
In mid-1967 the group's third Mayfield single, "I'm In Love," produced in similar fashion to "Girls Are Out to Getcha", became the group's third Top 50 single on the R&B charts. However, the group's follow-up release of "Hold On"/"Such A Fool" went virtually unnoticed, as did The Fascinations' final release on the Mayfield label, "Just Another Reason"/"Okay For You". The Mayfield label closed up shop with this release; Curtis Mayfield would have more success with his next label, Curtom.
In early 1968, label-less and with bookings for live appearances dwindling, The Fascinations decided to retire.
movement. Upon re-issue on the Polydor Records
subsidiary Mojo label, "Girls Are Out To Get You" reached #32 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1971
, and The Fascinations took advantage of this unexpected resurgence in their popularity and reformed for their first overseas tour. They have not reformed since.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
most active in the mid-1960s. They are best remembered for the Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
-penned hit "Girls Are Out To Get You", a minor pop hit in the US in 1967 that was re-released in the UK in 1971, where it reached the top 40.
Early years (1960-1963)
The group was formed in 1960 by Shirley Walker and Martha ReevesMartha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run"...
, who originally planned on calling their group The Sabre-ettes. Sisters Joanne and Bernadine Boswell joined the group through an audition process. Fern Bledsoe joined the group right around the time they changed their name to The Fasinations (sic).
Before the group got its chance at 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...
, in late 1960 founding member Reeves left over disagreements with the other members. Reeves went on to re-join her previous group, The Del-Phis. This group signed to the Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, and later became Martha & The Vandellas. Bernadette Boswell would be the Fasinations' lead singer from this point on.
In late 1962, The Fasinations were signed to the ABC-Paramount label. There they met Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
(of The Impressions) who wrote and 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...
their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Mama Didn't Lie", a track he had previously cut with Jan Bradley
Jan Bradley
Jan Bradley is an American soul singer.Bradley grew up in Robbins, Illinois. She was noticed by manager Don Talty at a high school talent show. After graduating, she auditioned for Curtis Mayfield, and soon recorded the Mayfield-penned "We Girls", which became a hit regionally in the Midwest...
. While the track was initially issued as by The Fasinations, the group quickly changed their name to the more conventionally spelled "The Fascinations", and subsequent pressings of this single (and all future singles) were accordingly credited to The Fascinations.
Bradley's version of "Mama Didn't Lie" had been a regional hit, but had not broken nationally when The Fascinations recorded their version. However, Bradley's recording of "Mama" began to take off nationally just as the Fascinations released their record. As it turned out, Bradley's recording of "Mama Didn't Lie" entered the Billboard charts in the first week of 1963, while The Fascinations version of the same song debuted in the "Bubbling Under" charts one week later. Bradley took "Mama Didn't Lie" all the way to #14; The Fascinations' version stalled at #108.
The group then followed up with "Tears In My Eyes", which flopped, and ABC dropped them from their label roster.
Hiatus (1964-1965)
The Fascinations continued to rehearse and make club appearances over the next few years, but also had to take on other jobs to make ends meet. Bledsoe worked as a secretary at Motown Records, and also sang lead on two 1964 singles by obscure girl-group The Aprils (the second credited to "Fern and the Aprils").Walker, under the name "Shirley Lawson", also issued two obscure solo singles during these years.
Return to recording (1966-1968)
After a gap of a few years, The Fascinations found themselves back in the studio with Curtis Mayfield—when Mayfield started his Mayfield Records label in 1966, one of the first acts he signed was The Fascinations. Their first single for that label was "Say It Isn't So"/"I'm So Lucky", taking its style from Motown. While the recordGramophone 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...
did not make the Hot 100 chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, it was a hit on the R&B
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,...
chart, eventually landing in the Top 50.
Mayfield also wrote and produced their next single, "Girls Are Out to Getcha," which was their most commercially successful song: it reached #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, and on the R&B chart it climbed to #13.
In mid-1967 the group's third Mayfield single, "I'm In Love," produced in similar fashion to "Girls Are Out to Getcha", became the group's third Top 50 single on the R&B charts. However, the group's follow-up release of "Hold On"/"Such A Fool" went virtually unnoticed, as did The Fascinations' final release on the Mayfield label, "Just Another Reason"/"Okay For You". The Mayfield label closed up shop with this release; Curtis Mayfield would have more success with his next label, Curtom.
In early 1968, label-less and with bookings for live appearances dwindling, The Fascinations decided to retire.
UK success, and a brief reunion (1971)
The group reunited briefly in 1971, after their 1966 single "Girls Are Out to Get You" became popular in England as a part of the Northern soulNorthern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
movement. Upon re-issue on the Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
subsidiary Mojo label, "Girls Are Out To Get You" reached #32 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The 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 ...
in 1971
, and The Fascinations took advantage of this unexpected resurgence in their popularity and reformed for their first overseas tour. They have not reformed since.
Members
- Bernadine Boswell
- Joanne Boswell
- Fern Bledsoe
- Martha ReevesMartha ReevesMartha Rose Reeves is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run"...
(early 1960 only) - Shirley Walker
Singles discography
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 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... |
U.S. R&B 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,... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The 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 ... |
||
| December 1962 | "Mama Didn't Lie" | |
||
| March 1963 | "Tears In My Eyes" | |||
| August 1966 | "Say It Isn't So" | |
||
| December 1966 | "Girls Are Out To Get You" | |
|
|
| April 1967 | "I'm In Love" | |
||
| September 1967 | "Hold On" | |||
| December 1967 | "Just Another Reason" | |||
| June 1971 | "Girls Are Out To Get You" (UK-only reissue) | |
||
| September 1971 | "I'm So Lucky" (UK-only; initially released in 1966 as a B-side) |