The Innocents (US band)
Encyclopedia
The Innocents were an American pop
group
from Sun Valley, California. The trio
existed primarily between 1958 and 1964, although they did reform in the 1990s.
's television program
in 1958, where Jim Lee, a record producer
at Indigo Records, asked them to record together as a trio. Their first single
was released in 1959 under the name The Echos. After adopting the name The Innocents, they released "Honest I Do", which hit #28 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1960. Soon after they were asked to sing backing vocals
for Kathy Young
on the song "A Thousand Stars", which became a hit, reaching #3 in the Hot 100. A second solo single, "Gee Whiz", also hit #28 in 1961. Their 1961 album
release Innocently Yours featured them staring out through prison bars.
In June 1961, the British music magazine, NME
, reported that the Innocents were part of Alan Freed
's road show, that also included Brenda Lee
, The Shirelles
, Bobby Vee
, Etta James
, Gene McDaniels
, The Ventures
, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, The Fleetwoods
, Kathy Young
and Jerry Lee Lewis
. The Innocents released seven singles after "Gee Whiz" on Reprise
, Decca
, and Warner
, but none of them charted, though they continued to score hits backing up Kathy Young.
The group disbanded in 1964. James West went on as a solo artist; Al Candelaria became a session musician
. The group reunited in the 1990s for reunion shows.
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...
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...
from Sun Valley, California. The 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...
existed primarily between 1958 and 1964, although they did reform in the 1990s.
Career
The three members were all members of a car club called The Innocents, hence the name. They first met on Wink MartindaleWink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
's television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
in 1958, where Jim Lee, a record producer
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...
at Indigo Records, asked them to record together as a trio. 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...
was released in 1959 under the name The Echos. After adopting the name The Innocents, they released "Honest I Do", which hit #28 on the Billboard 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...
in 1960. Soon after they were asked to sing 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 Kathy Young
Kathy Young
Kathy Young is an American teen pop singer during early 1960s, whose rendition, at age 15, of "A Thousand Stars", rose to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100....
on the song "A Thousand Stars", which became a hit, reaching #3 in the Hot 100. A second solo single, "Gee Whiz", also hit #28 in 1961. Their 1961 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
release Innocently Yours featured them staring out through prison bars.
In June 1961, the British music magazine, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, reported that the Innocents were part of Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
's road show, that also included Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
, The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
, Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Gene McDaniels
Gene McDaniels
Gene McDaniels was an American singer and songwriter, who had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s.-Biography:...
, The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, The Fleetwoods
The Fleetwoods
The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States; formed in the late 1950s. They were responsible for eleven hit songs, beginning with "Come Softly to Me"...
, Kathy Young
Kathy Young
Kathy Young is an American teen pop singer during early 1960s, whose rendition, at age 15, of "A Thousand Stars", rose to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100....
and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
. The Innocents released seven singles after "Gee Whiz" on Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, and Warner
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, but none of them charted, though they continued to score hits backing up Kathy Young.
The group disbanded in 1964. James West went on as a solo artist; Al Candelaria became a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. The group reunited in the 1990s for reunion shows.