The Crystals

The Crystals were an American all-girl vocal group who formed in 1961 and during the next few years recorded a series of songs which have come to characterise the early '60s US pop scene. These include tracks such as 'Da Doo Ron Ron', 'He's a Rebel' and 'Then He Kissed Me'. The group were originally comprised of Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores Kenniebrew, Myrna Giraud and Patricia Wright and through the influence of Alston's uncle, signed a deal with Phil Spector's newly established Philles Records label. Their debut single, 'There's No Other (Like My Baby)' released in November 1961, was a ballad in what was to become the classic Spector style and it gave the group and Spector's embryonic label their first taste of chart success. Ironically, the band's biggest hit 'He's a Rebel' was neither written by Spector nor recorded by The Crystals. The song was written by Gene Pitney and recorded by another girl band, The Blossoms, whom Spector drafted in for the recording session because The Crystals were on tour. Spector released the single and credited The Crystals with having recorded it without informing either of the relevant artists about his intentions. Spector's Machiavellian behaviour led to the band leaving his label and signing with United Artists in 1964. The band's final single was 'Ring-a-Ting-a-Ling' which they released in 1967.

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