Barbara Harris (singer)
Encyclopedia
Barbara Harris is an African American
R&B
singer, best known as a member of the 1960s girl group
The Toys
.
Harris started singing in her hometown churches at an early age, and moved to Queens
, New York
at the age of eleven. In high school
, Harris joined a group with four other young singers: Barbara Parritt Toomer, June Montiero, Betty Stokes and Betty Blocker. Stokes and Blocker eventually left the group, while the Harris, Toomer and Montiero formed a trio
. Bobby Uri, a manager
and friend, named the group "The Charlettes" and got them work doing background vocals for several recording artists.
At a talent show in Brooklyn
they met Eddy Chase, who in turn introduced them to manager Vince Marc and songwriter/recording executive Bob Crewe
. The group became "The Toys
" and landed their first recording contract on Crewe's DynoVoice Records
.
The Toys were teamed up with songwriter
/producer
s Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell
. They took a piano exercise from Bach, put a Motown
bassline to it, and "A Lover's Concerto
" was born; the song soon rose to number two on the U.S.
charts. The band
followed that up with another hit, "Attack", also written by Linzer and Randell, which reached the Top 20.
Barbara Harris continues to perform at 'Oldie Shows' as "The Toys featuring Barbara Harris". She has also sung with Joe Rivers, known for Johnnie & Joe
's hit, "Over The Mountain". In 1998 she produced and released her first solo
CD
entitled Barbara Now, for which she wrote all but two of the song
s.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer, best known as a member of the 1960s girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
The Toys
The Toys
The Toys were an American pop girl group from Jamaica, New York, which was formed in 1961 and disbanded in 1968.-Members:The trio consisted of:* Barbara Harris sang lead most of the time....
.
Harris started singing in her hometown churches at an early age, and moved to Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the age of eleven. In high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Harris joined a group with four other young singers: Barbara Parritt Toomer, June Montiero, Betty Stokes and Betty Blocker. Stokes and Blocker eventually left the group, while the Harris, Toomer and Montiero formed a trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
. Bobby Uri, a manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
and friend, named the group "The Charlettes" and got them work doing background vocals for several recording artists.
At a talent show in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
they met Eddy Chase, who in turn introduced them to manager Vince Marc and songwriter/recording executive Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
. The group became "The Toys
The Toys
The Toys were an American pop girl group from Jamaica, New York, which was formed in 1961 and disbanded in 1968.-Members:The trio consisted of:* Barbara Harris sang lead most of the time....
" and landed their first recording contract on Crewe's DynoVoice Records
DynoVoice Records
DynoVoice Records was an American record label, founded in 1965 by songwriter/producer Bob Crewe. DynoVoice, along with its NewVoice Records subsidiary, was originally distributed by Bell Records, and later by Dot Records. The label existed until 1969 when it was merged into the Crewe Group of...
.
The Toys were teamed up with songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
/producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell
Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell
Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell are American songwriters who wrote numerous pop and rock songs in the 1960s and 1970s, generally working together and with Bob Crewe...
. They took a piano exercise from Bach, put a Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
bassline to it, and "A Lover's Concerto
A Lover's Concerto
"A Lover's Concerto" is a pop song written by American songwriters Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and recorded in 1965 by The Toys. Their version of the song was a major hit in both the United States and the UK during 1965. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #2.Critic Dave Thompson wrote,...
" was born; the song soon rose to number two on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
charts. The band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
followed that up with another hit, "Attack", also written by Linzer and Randell, which reached the Top 20.
Barbara Harris continues to perform at 'Oldie Shows' as "The Toys featuring Barbara Harris". She has also sung with Joe Rivers, known for Johnnie & Joe
Johnnie & Joe
Johnnie & Joe were an American R&B vocal duo from The Bronx, who were best known for their 1957 hit "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea."Johnnie Louise Richardson and Joe Rivers Johnnie & Joe were an American R&B vocal duo from The Bronx, who were best known for their 1957 hit "Over the Mountain,...
's hit, "Over The Mountain". In 1998 she produced and released her first solo
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
entitled Barbara Now, for which she wrote all but two of the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s.