The Jaynetts
Encyclopedia
The Jaynetts were a Bronx
, New York
girl group
who became one-hit wonder
s with "Sally Go 'Round the Roses
", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1963.
). With no major labels interested in a track by a female R&B group, "Lonely Nights" was eventually released on the small independent label Baton. and became one of the earliest girl-group hits when it made the US
R&B
Top 10 hit single
in 1955. This success allowed Sanders to found her own doo-wop
-oriented label
, J&S.
The Jaynetts name was conceived by adding the "J" in "J&S" to "Anetta", the middle name of Lezli Valentine, a session
vocalist who sang on the group's 1957 debut, "I Wanted To Be Free", as well as on other J&S releases. The lead vocal on "I Wanted To Be Free" was by Justine "Baby" Washington
, who regularly performed on the Hearts' releases in 1956-57; Washington also began recording solo in 1957 with the B-side
of her second release, "Hard Way to Go" (1958), being a track credited to the Jaynetts entitled "Be My Boyfriend."
-based Chess Records
, utilized J&S's Tuff subsidiary for the release of the Corsairs
' hit "Smoky Places" which reached #12 in March 1962. In 1963 Spector had Zell Sanders assemble the line-up to cut a girl group record, and Spector's wife Lona Stevens wrote "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" with Sanders for this purpose.
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 and Joe, was not intended as a group member beyond singing on their first track.
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 #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart dated 28 September 1963.
" in November 1963.
"). 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, Cranny 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".
). 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 that year in Englewood, New Jersey
by Sylvia Robinson
. 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 and was a longtime postal service employee, as was Marie Hood.
From 1963 through 1966 Marlene Mack, as Marlina Mars, had singles released on Capitol, Okeh and MGM. Around 1970 she briefly partnered Herb Fame in Peaches and Herb's live shows, although the original Peaches, Francine Barker, still sang the female part on the duo's records.
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. At the Detroit Breakdown concert held 31 July 2010 at the Guggenheim Band Shell
, Murray came onstage during the set by ? and the Mysterians to duet on "Sally Go 'Round the Roses".http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/arts/music/02gories.html?src=mv
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, 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...
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...
who became one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
s with "Sally Go 'Round the Roses
Sally Go 'Round the Roses
"Sally Go 'Round the Roses" is the name of a 1963 hit by the Jaynetts, a Bronx-based one-hit wonder girl group, released by J&S Records on the Tuff label.-Background:...
", which reached No. 2 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 1963.
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 "Long Lonely Nights" by Lee Andrews & the HeartsLee Andrews & the Hearts
Lee Andrews & the Hearts was a doo-wop quintet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed in 1953. They recorded on the Gotham, Rainbow, Mainline, Chess, United Artists, Grand and Gowen labels. Managed by Kae Williams, in 1957 and 1958 they had their three biggest hits, "Teardrops", "Long Lonely...
). With no major labels interested in a track by a female R&B group, "Lonely Nights" was eventually released on the small independent label Baton. and became one of the earliest girl-group hits when it made the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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,...
Top 10 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in 1955. This success allowed Sanders to found her own doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
-oriented 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,...
, J&S.
The Jaynetts name was conceived by adding the "J" in "J&S" to "Anetta", the middle name of Lezli Valentine, a session
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...
vocalist who sang on the group's 1957 debut, "I Wanted To Be Free", as well as on other J&S releases. The lead vocal on "I Wanted To Be Free" was by Justine "Baby" Washington
Justine Washington
Justine "Baby" Washington is an American soul music vocalist.-Life and career:Washington was raised in Harlem, New York. In 1956, she joined the vocal group The Hearts, then became s a solo artist the following year. Washington had 16 rhythm and blues chart entries in 15 years, most of them during...
, who regularly performed on the Hearts' releases in 1956-57; Washington also began recording solo in 1957 with the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of her second release, "Hard Way to Go" (1958), being a track credited to the Jaynetts entitled "Be My Boyfriend."
"Sally Go 'Round the Roses"
J&S Records had its first national success in 1961 when Abner Spector, an A&R man for the ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
, utilized J&S's Tuff subsidiary for the release of the Corsairs
The Corsairs
The Corsairs were an American doo wop ensemble from La Grange, North Carolina.The group consisted of three brothers and their cousin. Initially they performed as The Gleems, and toured the East Coast, where they were overheard by Abner Spector. Changing their name in 1961 to The Corsairs, they...
' hit "Smoky Places" which reached #12 in March 1962. In 1963 Spector had Zell Sanders assemble the line-up to cut a girl group record, and Spector's wife Lona Stevens wrote "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" with Sanders for this purpose.
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 and Joe, was not intended as a group member beyond singing on their first track.
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
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
track as its B-side, credited to 'Sing Along Without the Jaynetts'. The single reached #2 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...
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", the album featured "Archie's Melody", "Bongo Bobby", "I Wanna Know", "No Love At All", "One Track Mind", "Pick Up My Marbles", "School Days" and "See Saw"; also featured as "A Special Guest Appearance" was "Dear Abby" credited to the Hearts, a minor hit (#94) recorded by at least some of the same personnel as "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", and with the same "Sing Along without the..." instrumental-only version on the B-side. Despite the Jaynetts having been promoted as a quintet, their album cover image was of a trio, only two of whom—Ethel Davis and Lezli Valentine—are identifiable. The track "Keep an Eye on Her" was released as the follow-up single to "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", "bubbling under the Hot 100Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
" in November 1963.
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 Endeavours, 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 BeatlesThe 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...
"). 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, Cranny 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".
Solo recordings
Tuff 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 WellsMary Wells
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
). 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 that year in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
by Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson was an American singer, musician, record producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre...
. 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 and was a longtime postal service employee, as was Marie Hood.
From 1963 through 1966 Marlene Mack, as Marlina Mars, had singles released on Capitol, Okeh and MGM. Around 1970 she briefly partnered Herb Fame in Peaches and Herb's live shows, although the original Peaches, Francine Barker, still sang the female part on the duo's records.
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. At the Detroit Breakdown concert held 31 July 2010 at the Guggenheim Band Shell
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
, Murray came onstage during the set by ? and the Mysterians to duet on "Sally Go 'Round the Roses".http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/arts/music/02gories.html?src=mv