The Pixies Three
Encyclopedia
The Pixies Three is an American
teenage vocal girl group
best known for their hits “Birthday Party” and “442 Glenwood Avenue”.
trio
of Midge Bollinger (lead vocals), Kaye McCool (low vocals), and Debra Swisher (high vocals) were signed to Mercury Records
in 1963 by producers
/songwriter
s John Madara and Dave White, who had discovered the group at a show in Philadelphia
(among the group’s previous successes were two appearances on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour).
Their first single
, "Birthday Party" was a big success regionally and made the Top 40 nationally (The b-side
, "Our Love" was written by Kaye). After their second single, “442 Glenwood Avenue" / "Cold, Cold Winter” (in which both made the charts
), Midge Bollinger left the group and was replaced by Bonnie Long, who assumed the high vocals while Debby Swisher became the new lead vocalist. The first single by the revamped line-up was a cover
of The Crows
’ 1954 R&B
hit " Gee". This was followed by their debut album, Party With The Pixies Three, an early rock and roll
concept album
based on a Friday after-school party. The album did not chart, but it has become an often sought-after item amongst record
collectors.
The girls' fourth single caused a bit of controversy upon its release. "The Hootch" (with live audience dubbed in) was intended to be a new dance concept. However, it was revealed that "hootch" was a slang term for "booze", so disc jockey
s started playing the B-side, "It’s Summertime U.S.A", which became the A-side.
The Pixies Three continued into 1965 with two more singles, "Orphan Boy" and "Your Way". A few unreleased demos
followed, then the girls graduated high school
and went their separate ways. The following year, lead singer Swisher made a solo
single: a cover of The Beach Boys
’ “You’re So Good To Me”, backed with a cover of The Angels
’ “Thank You And Goodnight”. Ironically, she joined The Angels
shortly thereafter, replacing Toni Mason as lead vocalist.
In 1991, The Pixies Three performed for the first time in twenty five years at their high school reunion. Since then, they have been performing several times a year, mainly in and around their hometown as well as Ohio
, New England
, and along the Atlantic
coast.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
teenage vocal 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...
best known for their hits “Birthday Party” and “442 Glenwood Avenue”.
History
Having performed in local shows since 1955, the Hanover, PennsylvaniaHanover, Pennsylvania
Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, southwest of York and north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland.The town is situated in a productive agricultural region. The population was 15,289 at the 2010 census. The borough is served by a 717 area code and the Zip Codes of 17331-34...
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...
of Midge Bollinger (lead vocals), Kaye McCool (low vocals), and Debra Swisher (high vocals) were signed to Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1963 by producers
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...
/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s John Madara and Dave White, who had discovered the group at a show in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
(among the group’s previous successes were two appearances on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour).
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...
, "Birthday Party" was a big success regionally and made the Top 40 nationally (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...
, "Our Love" was written by Kaye). After their second single, “442 Glenwood Avenue" / "Cold, Cold Winter” (in which both made the charts
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....
), Midge Bollinger left the group and was replaced by Bonnie Long, who assumed the high vocals while Debby Swisher became the new lead vocalist. The first single by the revamped line-up was a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Crows
The Crows
The Crows were an American R & B singing group who achieved commercial success in the 1950s. The group's first single and only major hit, "Gee", released in June 1953, has been credited with being the first Rock n’ Roll hit by a rock and roll group...
’ 1954 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...
hit " Gee". This was followed by their debut album, Party With The Pixies Three, an early rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
based on a Friday after-school party. The album did not chart, but it has become an often sought-after item amongst 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...
collectors.
The girls' fourth single caused a bit of controversy upon its release. "The Hootch" (with live audience dubbed in) was intended to be a new dance concept. However, it was revealed that "hootch" was a slang term for "booze", so disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s started playing the B-side, "It’s Summertime U.S.A", which became the A-side.
The Pixies Three continued into 1965 with two more singles, "Orphan Boy" and "Your Way". A few unreleased 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...
followed, then the girls graduated high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and went their separate ways. The following year, lead singer Swisher made a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
single: a cover of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
’ “You’re So Good To Me”, backed with a cover of The Angels
The Angels (band)
The Angels are an American girl group, best known for their 1963 million selling #1 hit single, "My Boyfriend's Back".-History:The group originated in New Jersey as The Starlets which consisted of sisters, Barbara "Bibbs" and Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut, Bernadette Carroll, and Linda Malzone. They had...
’ “Thank You And Goodnight”. Ironically, she joined The Angels
The Angels (band)
The Angels are an American girl group, best known for their 1963 million selling #1 hit single, "My Boyfriend's Back".-History:The group originated in New Jersey as The Starlets which consisted of sisters, Barbara "Bibbs" and Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut, Bernadette Carroll, and Linda Malzone. They had...
shortly thereafter, replacing Toni Mason as lead vocalist.
In 1991, The Pixies Three performed for the first time in twenty five years at their high school reunion. Since then, they have been performing several times a year, mainly in and around their hometown as well as Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and along the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast.
Members (1955-1965, 1991-present)
- Midge (Bollinger) Neel (1955-1964, 2001-present - born December 29 in Hanover, PA)
- Bonnie (Long) Walker (1964-1965, 1991-present - born September 6 in Hanover, PA)
- Kaye (McCool) Krebs (1955-1965, 1991-present - born October 1 in Uniontown, PA)
- Debra (Swisher) Horn (1955-1965, 1991-2000 - born February 26 in Hanover, PA)
Singles
- "Sincerely" / "Graduation Time" (Reco-Art Sound acetate, unreleased, shown as "The Pixies")
- "I Don't Care" / "Tell Me" (Reco-Art Sound acetate, unreleased, shown as "The Pixies")
- "Birthday Party" (Mercury 72130 - Autumn 1963 - Billboard #40, Cashbox #48 - B-side: "Our Love")
- "442 Glenwood Avenue" / "Cold, Cold Winter" (Mercury 72208 - Winter 1963-64 - A-side Billboard #56, Cashbox #51 - B-side Billboard #79)
- "Gee" (Mercury 72250 - Spring 1964 - Billboard #87, Cashbox #79 - B-side: "After The Party")
- "The Hootch" / "It's Summertime U.S.A." (Mercury 72288 - Summer 1965 - B-side Billboard #116)
- "Orphan Boy" / "Love Walked In" (Mercury 72331 - Autumn 1964)
- "Your Way" / "Love Me, Love Me" (Mercury 72357 - Winter 1965)
Albums
- Party With The Pixies Three (Mercury MG-20912 (Mono)/SR-60912 (Stereo) - Winter 1964)
- Now And Then (1995)
- Vintage Pixies (Originally released Winter 1999, re-released with different cover in Summer 2000)
- Our History (2001)
- Tribute To The Girl Groups (2001)
- 40 Years...and counting (2003)
- Dance The Night Away (2005)