Reparata and the Delrons was an American girl group popular in the 1960s. They are best known for their early recordings Whenever A Teenager Cries and Tommy, for the 1968 European hit Captain of Your Ship and for Reparatas 1975 solo hit Shoes. The group started out as a five-piece high school harmony group called the Delrons, formed in 1962 at St. Brendans Catholic School in Brooklyn, New York by the lead singer Mary Aiese. The other original members included Nanette Licari, Regina Gallagher, and Anne Fitzgerald, but they were soon replaced by Sheila Reilly, Carol Drobnicki and Kathy Romeo. Romeo was replaced by Marge McGuire, but McGuire herself then left the group. As a trio, the group was spotted by record producers Bill and Steve Jerome. They asked Mary Aiese to choose a stage name to make the group name more interesting and marketable. She chose Reparata, her confirmation name which she had taken from one of her favorite teachers at Good Shepherd Catholic grammar school. The Jeromes recorded them in 1964 first for Laurie Records, then on Ernie Marescas song Whenever a Teenager Cries on the Pittsburgh-based World Artists label. The song became a regional hit and reached #60 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up, Tommy, co-written by Chip Taylor, reached #92. Writing about Tommy in her 2003 memoir A Misfits Manifesto: The Spiritual Journey of a Rock-and-Roll Heart, journalist and sociologist Donna Gaines comments: What better focus for saintly feminine devotion than the sullen Tommy, who once treated our girl with consideration, respect, and tenderness? But then Tommy starts acting like a dick. Still, she wont give up on him. Her response to her callous indifference is to love him even more. I ached to love a boy like that, only in dreams. Hes not so sweet and hes far from polite, Hardly ever calls me And comes to pick me up late every night. The 1965 album Whenever a Teenager Cries showcased the singles, and included covers of popular hits by British invasion groups including The Beatles If I Fell and Manfred Manns Doo Wah Diddy Diddy. The group became more widely known when they were invited to tour nationally with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars on two occasions during 1965. However Reilly and Drobincki were dismissed from the group before the second tour began, after they dropped out at the last moment. Reparata performed solo on the tour, with backing vocals from the wings. The next two singles were credited only to Reparata: A Summer Thought and I Found my Place. The group opened for the Rolling Stones on their Spring 1965 North American tour.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 14:15:18 +0000
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