The Orlons
Encyclopedia
The Orlons are an American R&B
group
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that formed in 1960. They received gold discs for the million selling achievements of three of their singles
. In 2010, the Orlons became one of first US Top 100-charting groups to have a career spanning 50 years.
consisted of lead singer
Rosetta Hightower
(born June 23, 1944), Shirley Brickley (born December 9, 1944), Marlena Davis (born October 4, 1944) and Stephen Caldwell (born November 22, 1942).
Before they became the Orlons, they were an all-girl quintet
called Audrey and the Teenettes. They formed in the late 1950s in junior high school
and consisted of Hightower, Davis, and three Brickley sisters
: Shirley, Jean, and Audrey. However, after the Brickleys' mother did not permit 13-year-old Audrey to sing in certain clubs
with the group, she and Jean quit, making the group a trio
.
In high school, the group's three remaining members discovered fellow student
Stephen Caldwell, who was lead singer of a local group called the Romeos. Impressed, they invited him to join the group in 1960 and named themselves the Orlons as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the friendly rivalry they had with a popular group at their high school, the Cashmeres. (Orlon was a brand name for the widely used synthetic fibre acrylic.)
A high school friend, Dovells
lead singer Len Barry
, encouraged them to audition for Cameo-Parkway Records
at the turn of the decade. The group took his advice in the fall
of 1961, but were rejected at first, although the record label
signed the group after two more auditions. Cameo executive Dave Appell
appointed Hightower as the lead singer, and began writing song
s for them.
Before rising to fame with their first national hit
, "The Wah-Watusi," which reached No. 2 in the U.S.
pop
chart
, the group provided back-up vocals
for Dee Dee Sharp
's hits "Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (for My Mashed Potatoes)." They recorded
their own versions
of those songs for their debut album
, The Wah-Watusi which received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 by Allmusic in 2006. They had a second hit in the same year with "Don't Hang Up
", a No. 4 hit on the pop chart. They had their third, and last, Top Ten hit in 1963, with the single "South Street", which reached No. 3 in the pop chart.
Davis left the group in August 1963 and Caldwell quit the group in 1964, Sandy Person replaced Davis. A short-lived stint by Yvonne Young was followed by original Teenette, Audrey Brickley, Shirley's sister. By then, the group's popularity had waned in the United States
due to misdirection of their record company, Cameo Records. They continued to perform into the late 1960s with success in the UK
. They disbanded in 1968 after Hightower decided to stay in England
after a tour. Hightower had (and still has) a successful career as a soloist
and as an in-demand session singer
, backing Joe Cocker
, John Holt
and other popular artists
. She married record producer
Ian Green.
In later years, Davis married and found work as an executive secretary, whilst Caldwell became a shop steward of the bus drivers' trade union
, and then became the administrator of the union's legal fund in Philadelphia and served on the Philadelphia Board of Education for 29 years. In 1988, Caldwell and Davis re-formed the group with two new members and performed live on the oldies circuit until Davis' death in 1993.
On October 13, 1977, Shirley Brickley was shot to death by an intruder in her home in Philadelphia. Davis lost a battle with lung cancer
on February 27, 1993 (age 48). Audrey Brickley died of acute respiratory distress syndrome
on July 3, 2005 (aged 58). Stephen and Jean Brickley still perform as The Orlons with two of Stephen's cousin
s, Albreta Crump and Madeline Morris.
.
Three of The Orlons' charted hits made their LP debuts on the following Cameo-Parkway "Various Artists" compilations:
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...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
that formed in 1960. They received gold discs for the million selling achievements of three of their singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. In 2010, the Orlons became one of first US Top 100-charting groups to have a career spanning 50 years.
Career
The quartetQuartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
consisted of lead singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Rosetta Hightower
Rosetta Hightower
Rosetta Hightower is an American singer,and the former lead singer of the 1960s girl group The Orlons....
(born June 23, 1944), Shirley Brickley (born December 9, 1944), Marlena Davis (born October 4, 1944) and Stephen Caldwell (born November 22, 1942).
Before they became the Orlons, they were an all-girl quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
called Audrey and the Teenettes. They formed in the late 1950s in junior 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....
and consisted of Hightower, Davis, and three Brickley sisters
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
: Shirley, Jean, and Audrey. However, after the Brickleys' mother did not permit 13-year-old Audrey to sing in certain clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
with the group, she and Jean quit, making the group 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...
.
In high school, the group's three remaining members discovered fellow student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
Stephen Caldwell, who was lead singer of a local group called the Romeos. Impressed, they invited him to join the group in 1960 and named themselves the Orlons as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the friendly rivalry they had with a popular group at their high school, the Cashmeres. (Orlon was a brand name for the widely used synthetic fibre acrylic.)
A high school friend, Dovells
The Dovells
The Dovells were an American music group, formed at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1957, under the name 'The Brooktones'. The members were Arnie Silver, Mark Gordesky, Len Borisoff , Jerry Gross, Mike Freda and Jim Mealey...
lead singer Len Barry
Len Barry
Len Barry is a retired American vocalist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
, encouraged them to audition for Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 and 1958 to 1967...
at the turn of the decade. The group took his advice in the fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
of 1961, but were rejected at first, although the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
signed the group after two more auditions. Cameo executive Dave Appell
Dave Appell
Dave Appell Dave (David) Appell Dave (David) Appell (born March 24, 1922, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, worked as an arranger, producer, and musician in Philadelphia, in the 1950s.-Career:...
appointed Hightower as the lead singer, and began writing 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 for them.
Before rising to fame with their first national hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "The Wah-Watusi," which reached No. 2 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, the group provided back-up vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for Dee Dee Sharp
Dee Dee Sharp
Dee Dee Sharp is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961.-Career:...
's hits "Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (for My Mashed Potatoes)." They recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
their own versions
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of those songs for their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Wah-Watusi which received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 by Allmusic in 2006. They had a second hit in the same year with "Don't Hang Up
Don't Hang Up (song)
"Don't Hang Up" is a 1962 hit single produced by Cameo-Parkway Records and performed by the American R&B music group The Orlons. The song is also credited under the Ariola Records label. The song was a number-four hit on the Billboard Pop chart and reached number three on its R&B chart...
", a No. 4 hit on the pop chart. They had their third, and last, Top Ten hit in 1963, with the single "South Street", which reached No. 3 in the pop chart.
Davis left the group in August 1963 and Caldwell quit the group in 1964, Sandy Person replaced Davis. A short-lived stint by Yvonne Young was followed by original Teenette, Audrey Brickley, Shirley's sister. By then, the group's popularity had waned in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to misdirection of their record company, Cameo Records. They continued to perform into the late 1960s with success in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. They disbanded in 1968 after Hightower decided to stay in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after a tour. Hightower had (and still has) a successful career as a soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and as an in-demand session singer
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, backing Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, John Holt
John Holt (singer)
John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...
and other popular artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. She married record 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...
Ian Green.
In later years, Davis married and found work as an executive secretary, whilst Caldwell became a shop steward of the bus drivers' trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, and then became the administrator of the union's legal fund in Philadelphia and served on the Philadelphia Board of Education for 29 years. In 1988, Caldwell and Davis re-formed the group with two new members and performed live on the oldies circuit until Davis' death in 1993.
On October 13, 1977, Shirley Brickley was shot to death by an intruder in her home in Philadelphia. Davis lost a battle with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on February 27, 1993 (age 48). Audrey Brickley died of acute respiratory distress syndrome
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
Acute respiratory distress syndrome , also known as respiratory distress syndrome or adult respiratory distress syndrome is a serious reaction to various forms of injuries to the lung....
on July 3, 2005 (aged 58). Stephen and Jean Brickley still perform as The Orlons with two of Stephen's cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
s, Albreta Crump and Madeline Morris.
Awards
"The Wah-Watusi," "Don't Hang Up," and "South Street," each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold disc statusMusic recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
Albums
(Chart positions and featured charted hits in parentheses)- 1962: The Wah-Watusi -- Cameo C-1020 (U.S.Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
No. 80) ("The Wah-Watusi") - 1963: All the Hits by the Orlons -- Cameo C-1033 ("Don't Hang Up")
- 1963: South Street -- Cameo C-1041 (Billboard No. 123) ("South Street")
- 1963: Not Me -- Cameo C-1054 ("Not Me")
- 1963: Down Memory Lane -- Cameo C-1073
Three of The Orlons' charted hits made their LP debuts on the following Cameo-Parkway "Various Artists" compilations:
- 1963: It's Dance Time -- Cameo C-1068 ("Crossfire!")
- 1964: Shindig With The Stars -- Wyncote W (Mono)/SW (Stereo)-9053 ("Bon Doo Wah")
- 1965: Hullabaloo With The Stars -- Wyncote W/SW-9080 ("Rules Of Love")
Compilation albums
- 1963: Biggest Hits -- Cameo C-1061
- 1963: Golden Hits -- Cameo C-1067 (Duet compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
with the Dovells) - 2005: The Best of The Orlons (Abkco compilation under series title: "Cameo Parkway 1961-1966")
Singles
- 1961: "I'll Be True" / "Heart Darling Angel" -- Cameo 198
- 1962: "(Happy Birthday) Mr. Twenty-One" / "Please Let It Be" -- Cameo 211
- 1962: "The Wah-Watusi" (U.S.Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
No. 2) / "Holiday Hill" -- Cameo 218 - 1962: "Don't Hang UpDon't Hang Up (song)"Don't Hang Up" is a 1962 hit single produced by Cameo-Parkway Records and performed by the American R&B music group The Orlons. The song is also credited under the Ariola Records label. The song was a number-four hit on the Billboard Pop chart and reached number three on its R&B chart...
" (U.S. No. 4; UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
No. 39) / "The Conservative" -- Cameo 231 - 1963: "South Street" (U.S. No. 3) / "Them Terrible Boots" -- Cameo 243
- 1963: "Not Me" (U.S. No. 12) / "My Best Friend" -- Cameo 257
- 1963: "Crossfire!" (U.S. No. 19) / "It's No Big Thing" -- Cameo 273
- 1963: "Bon-Doo-Wah" (U.S. No. 55) / "Don't Throw Your Love Away" -- Cameo 287
- 1964: "Shimmy Shimmy" (U.S. No. 66) / "Everything Nice" -- Cameo 295
- 1964: "Rules of Love" (U.S. No. 66) / "Heartbreak Hotel" -- Cameo 319
- 1964: "Knock Knock (Who's There)" (U.S. No. 64) / "Goin' Places" -- Cameo 332
- 1964: "I Ain't Coming Back" / "Envy (In My Eyes)" -- Cameo 346
- 1964: "Come On Down Baby" / "I Ain't Coming Back" -- Cameo 352
- 1964: "Don't You Want My Lovin'" / "I Can't Take It" -- Cameo 372
- 1964: "No One But Your Love" / "Envy (In My Eyes)" -- Cameo 384