Founded by J. T. Carter, the group included Talmadge Gough, Harold Torres, and Patricia Van Dross, (older sister of R&B great Luther Vandross). Carter selected vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (shortened to Johnny Mastro and later to Johnny Maestro) as lead vocalist. Maestros recorded vocal style became instantly recognizable, and a juke box favorite of national teen audiences. Maestros quality vocals, great song selections, and recordings, with dance-easy beats, made for charted hits. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records, including the #2 hit, 16 Candles, Six Nights a Week, The Angels Listened In, A Year Ago Tonight, Step By Step, and Trouble in Paradise. They also charted with Sweetest One (Joyce label) in 1957. In the late 1950s, the Crests appeared and performed on several national teen dance television shows, including American Bandstand and The Dick Clark Show. After recording two singles for Joyce Records, Vandross left The Crests in 1958. Maestro left for a solo career in 1961. 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. He later joined The Del Satins as their lead singer. The Del Satins merged with The Rhythm Method in March 1968 to become Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1969, they had a #3 hit with The Worst That Could Happen. The Crests recorded a new single, Little Miracles with Tony Middleton singing lead. It was the first single not to chart in the Top 100. James Ancrum then took over the lead, recording Guilty (Selma label) and several other songs. Gough quit the group after the single, and was replaced by Gary Lewis (not to be confused with Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys fame). Subsequently, the group failed to find success throughout the decade. By the late 1960s, Torres was gone. The group continued until 1978 as a trio of Carter, Ancrum, and Lewis, when the group split. Carter went on to sing with Charlie Thomass Drifters. youtu.be/b-M07jq2oBg
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 16:46:36 +0000
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