The Royalettes
Encyclopedia
The Royalettes were a four-girl group from Baltimore, Maryland who exemplified the "sweet soul" style of the mid-60s.
They were originally signed with Philadelphia-based Chancellor Records
and later with Warner Bros. Records
, but their biggest success came at MGM Records. They were associated with producers Teddy Randazzo
, writer-producer for Little Anthony & The Imperials
in the 1960s, and Bill Medley
of The Righteous Brothers
.
in 1971 and later by Deniece Williams
in 1982 who charted in the Top 10 and reached the #1 spot in the R&B chart.
The Royalettes had another hit in 1965 with "I Want to Meet Him" (#72 Hot 100, #26 R&B). MGM released two albums by the group, produced by Teddy Randazzo who also arranged the records and co-wrote most of the songs. Randazzo gave the group a big production sound with a full orchestra, but despite the overall quality of the tracks and critical acclaim for their live performances, a major success eluded the group. A final single produced by Bill Medley also failed to chart and the group moved on to Roulette Records in 1967 before breaking up two years later. Afterwards, Sheila worked briefly as a backup singer for The Three Degrees
and had two solo single releases in the early 1970s.
A CD retrospective was released in late 2010 of all their MGM tracks including the 27 songs produced by Randazzo for the two albums, plus another originally released on a single.
They were originally signed with Philadelphia-based Chancellor Records
Chancellor Records
Chancellor Records was a record label associated with ABC-Paramount Records, which initially distributed the smaller label. Based in Philadelphia, PA, it was an integral part of the dominance of popular Philadelphia artists and music in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Its first hit was "With All My...
and later with Warner Bros. Records
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 their biggest success came at MGM Records. They were associated with producers Teddy Randazzo
Teddy Randazzo
Teddy Randazzo was a NYC born pop songwriter who composed 1960s hit songs such as "Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", and "Hurt So Bad"...
, writer-producer for Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...
in the 1960s, and Bill Medley
Bill Medley
William Thomas Medley is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers....
of The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...
.
Discography
The Royalettes' biggest hit was "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" in 1965, charting at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #28 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song has since had more success as a cover, first by Laura NyroLaura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
in 1971 and later by Deniece Williams
Deniece Williams
June Deniece Chandler known by her stage name Deniece Williams is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s...
in 1982 who charted in the Top 10 and reached the #1 spot in the R&B chart.
The Royalettes had another hit in 1965 with "I Want to Meet Him" (#72 Hot 100, #26 R&B). MGM released two albums by the group, produced by Teddy Randazzo who also arranged the records and co-wrote most of the songs. Randazzo gave the group a big production sound with a full orchestra, but despite the overall quality of the tracks and critical acclaim for their live performances, a major success eluded the group. A final single produced by Bill Medley also failed to chart and the group moved on to Roulette Records in 1967 before breaking up two years later. Afterwards, Sheila worked briefly as a backup singer for The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
and had two solo single releases in the early 1970s.
A CD retrospective was released in late 2010 of all their MGM tracks including the 27 songs produced by Randazzo for the two albums, plus another originally released on a single.