Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 05:01, 22 October 2018

A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Misplaced Pages's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (July 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "The Crests" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Crests were an American doo-wop group, formed by bass vocalist J.T. Carter in the mid 1950s. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records. Their most popular song, "16 Candles", rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1959 selling over one million copies and earning a gold disc status. The group's other hits include "Step By Step", "The Angels Listened In", "Trouble In Paradise", "Six Nights A Week", and "A Year Ago Tonight". The Crests were the first interracially mixed doo-wop group, consisting of three African American members (one female), one Puerto Rican, and one Italian American.

Career

Founded by J.T. Carter, the group included Talmadge "Tommy" Gough (1939-2014), Harold "Chico" Torres and Patricia Vandross (1943-1993) (older sister of R&B singer Luther Vandross). Carter selected vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (1939-2010) (shortened to Johnny Mastro and later to Johnny Maestro) as lead vocalist.

The Crests were discovered in 1956 while singing in a New York subway by the wife of orchestra leader Al Browne. Browne connected the group with Joyce Records where they recorded their first two songs, "My Juanita" and "Sweetest One".

In 1957, they charted with their first release, "Sweetest One", on Joyce Records.

After recording two more singles for Joyce Records, Patricia Vandross left The Crests in 1958 to finish her education.

Their next single after "16 Candles" on COED Records was "Six Nights A Week" which hit #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and #17 on the R&B. Their next release "Flower Of Love" was bland compared to other Crests cuts and attained only a six-week run-up to #79.

From 1958 to 1960 the group was almost always on the road. In the late 1950s, The Crests performed on several national teen dance television shows, including American Bandstand and The Dick Clark Show. They appeared seven times on the latter.

In 1961, The Crests recorded a new single, "Little Miracles", with Tony Middleton, lead singer of The Willows, singing lead; it was their first single not to chart in the Top 100. Gough quit the group after the single, moving to Detroit, to work for auto giant General Motors, and was replaced by Gary "Kit" Lewis (not to be confused with Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys fame).

Maestro recorded with other backup singers under the name "Johnny Maestro & The Crests", producing a single for United Artists in 1962, two singles for Cameo Records in 1963-64, a single for APT Records in 1965, a single for Scepter Records in 1965, and three singles for the Parkway label in 1966.

James Ancrum then took over the lead, recording "Guilty" in January 1962 and charting only to #123. The group went back to touring when their 1963 Selma side "Did I Remember?" flopped. A 1964 sequel to "16 Candles", "You Blew Out The Candles", also was not successful.

In 1965, J.T. Carter and Mel Tillison signed with Decca Records and were chosen to be the potential artists of the year to come. Carter wrote, "Closer To Your Heart" and "The Wild Ones", originally written for Jordan Christopher's group The Wild Ones. Internal problems prevented Decca from securing the worldwide release of these recordings and the company folded, leaving all their artists in limbo.

By 1968, Johnny Maestro had joined with The Del Satins as their lead singer and merged with The Rhythm Method in March 1968 to become The Brooklyn Bridge. In 1969, they had a #3 hit with "Worst That Could Happen." By that time Torres was gone; the group continued as a trio of Carter, Ancrum, and Lewis and became a lounge act, disbanding in 1978. Carter went to sing with Charlie Thomas' Drifters for a year, then moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, to teach voice and set up his own recording studio.

In 1973, Carter met his wife Leona, an accomplished classical pianist/composer. Leona Carter has been a part of The Crests since then.

Carter reformed The Crests in 1980, auditioning over 200 singers at his studio, finally settling on lead Bill Damon (a Maestro sound-alike), Greg Sereck, Dennis Ray and New York drummer, Jon Ihle. The group continued well into the 1990s and toured with a five-piece band including Leona Carter on keys.

The 1984 John Hughes' teen film Sixteen Candles took its title from The Crests' song, which was re-recorded by The Stray Cats for theSixteen Candles soundtrack.

In June 1987, for a concert in Peekskill, New York, Maestro, Carter, Torres, and Gough (The Original Crests) reunited as "The Crests", which was organized by Carter.

In the year 2000, JT sold the rights to Mr. Tommy Mara, and thus the Crests, featuring Tommy Mara was created. JT worked with Mara's Crests for about 18 months and decided to leave. In the year 2001, the great Johnny Maestro gave his blessing and passed the scepter to Tommy. There is a video on Youtube where the Crests and the Brooklyn Bridge can be seen singing together. It was quite a memorable event.

Today's Crests have been performing for 18 years and going strong with a high demand for them in venues all over the country. The group consists of Tommy Mara, Tony Lauro, Kenny Galeano, Jerry Frulio, and Joe Pizzo. The group takes pride in carrying on Johnny's music and are proud to continue the music of the Crests.

Johnny Maestro (born John Peter Mastrangelo, May 7, 1939, Manhattan, New York) lived in Islip, New York, until 2003. He died of cancer on March 24, 2010, at his home in Cape Coral, Florida. He was 70.

Tommy Gough (born Talmadge E. Gough, October 15, 1939, Sardis, Georgia) died of throat cancer on August 24, 2014, at his home in Flint, Michigan. He was 74.

Awards and recognition

The Crests were inducted into the United in Group Harmony Association (UGHA) Hall of Fame in 2000.

The Crests were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Crests were inducted into The Doo Wop Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Crests were inducted into The Doo Wop Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

On May 9, 2012, Johnny Maestro was honored by the House of Representatives of the United States of America. Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York, whose district includes the neighborhood where Maestro was born and where he began his music career, introduced an Extension of Remarks in the House of Representatives. This posthumous honor is now a permanent part of the Congressional Record. The Extension of Remarks includes the original members of The Crests.

On November 12, 2013, J.T. Carter was honored by the Pennsylvania State House, Speaker of the House Sam Smith, and PA State Representative Rosemary M Brown, for his lifetime in the music industry and for being the first African American to form an interracial vocal group in the America. Carter was officially recognized on the state house floor.

In 2014, Carter was honored with a lifetime achievement award from The Lehigh Valley Music Awards in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

In 2016, J.T. Carter, Charlie Thomas of The Drifters and Ernest Wright of Little Anthony & The Imperials were honored in both House and Senate chambers at the State Capital in Dover, Delaware for their contributions to American Music, declaring them “Rock-n-Roll Royalty.” The three also met with Governor Jack A. Markell, who presented them a special Gubernatorial tribute. (148th General Assembly, State of Delaware Senate Concurrent Resolution No: 53, March 22, 2016), (State of Delaware, Office of the Governor Tribute No: 160201)

Discography

Unreleased recordings

References

1. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 99. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
2. Archived May 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
3. Havesi, Dennis (March 26, 2010). "Johnny Maestro, Brooklyn Bridge Singer, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
4. "Mr. Talmadge E. Gough Obituary". Retrieved April 28, 2015.
5. "Passings: Tommy Gough of the Crests". VVN Music. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
6. "Congressional Record – Extension of Remarks" (PDF). United States Government Publishing Office. May 9, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
7. Cite error: The named reference pikecountycourier.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
8. Cite error: The named reference poconorecord.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

External links

• J.T. Carter's Crests page at publicist's site
• The Crests Inductee page at Vocal Group Hall of Fame

• American rhythm and blues musical groups
• Doo-wop groups
• Vocal quartets