The Teardrops (Girl Group)
Encyclopedia
The Teardrops were an American
girl group
popular during the 1960s.
. They later recruited Hughes High School student and school friend Pat Strunk as the third voice. During 1962-63 the trio were performing at local teen tenues in Cincinnati until they were spotted by musician/arranger George Bud Reneau, who then introduced them to his partner, songwriter, Paul Trefzger. The trio signed with Bud and Paul's Saxony Records in 1964 along with the deal came fourth member, Wanda Sheriff. the now quartet recorded "Tonight I'm Gonna Fall In Love" / "That's Why I'll Get By" in the fall of 1964, It received local airplay
in Cincinnati, and in other cities across the US
. The Teardrop's local success had them opening for The Beach Boys
and Sonny and Cher.
In early 1965, they followed up with "Call Me and I'll Be Happy", which featured Schroeder on lead. After the single's release, founding member Dyer decide to leave the group, and was replaced by Tinker Smiddy. Their third single "Tears Come Tumbling" was granted national distribution by Musicor Records, who also issued their final single, "I Will Love You Dear Forever", in 1966.
By late 1966, other founding members, Sheriff and Strunk both left with Smiddy departing the group the following year. Dyer later returned to the group, rejoining Schroder along with two new members, Bobbie Frost and Susie Leight, for the final incarnation, until marriage and career changes caused the group to break up in 1969.
By the 1980s, all of the Teardrops recordings resurfaced on vinyl in the United Kingdom
, including the unreleased track "Here Comes Loneliness" which went on to become a Northern soul
favorite along with the B-sides
, "Bubblegummer", You Won't Be There, and "I'm Gonna Steal Your Boyfriend". In 2001, Saxony Records released a compact disc
of all the Teardrops material.
Today, all members of the Teardrops (with the exception of Linda Schroeder-Milazzo, who died in 2003) still reside in Cincinnati, and reunite to perform on special occasions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
popular during the 1960s.
Career
The Teardrops were formed around 1961 by two friends, Dorothy Dyer and Linda Schroeder, (both girls were 14 years of age at the time) in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. They later recruited Hughes High School student and school friend Pat Strunk as the third voice. During 1962-63 the trio were performing at local teen tenues in Cincinnati until they were spotted by musician/arranger George Bud Reneau, who then introduced them to his partner, songwriter, Paul Trefzger. The trio signed with Bud and Paul's Saxony Records in 1964 along with the deal came fourth member, Wanda Sheriff. the now quartet recorded "Tonight I'm Gonna Fall In Love" / "That's Why I'll Get By" in the fall of 1964, It received local airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
in Cincinnati, and in other cities across the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Teardrop's local success had them opening for The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and Sonny and Cher.
In early 1965, they followed up with "Call Me and I'll Be Happy", which featured Schroeder on lead. After the single's release, founding member Dyer decide to leave the group, and was replaced by Tinker Smiddy. Their third single "Tears Come Tumbling" was granted national distribution by Musicor Records, who also issued their final single, "I Will Love You Dear Forever", in 1966.
By late 1966, other founding members, Sheriff and Strunk both left with Smiddy departing the group the following year. Dyer later returned to the group, rejoining Schroder along with two new members, Bobbie Frost and Susie Leight, for the final incarnation, until marriage and career changes caused the group to break up in 1969.
By the 1980s, all of the Teardrops recordings resurfaced on vinyl in the United Kingdom
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...
, including the unreleased track "Here Comes Loneliness" which went on to become a Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
favorite along with the B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, "Bubblegummer", You Won't Be There, and "I'm Gonna Steal Your Boyfriend". In 2001, Saxony Records released a compact disc
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 ,...
of all the Teardrops material.
Today, all members of the Teardrops (with the exception of Linda Schroeder-Milazzo, who died in 2003) still reside in Cincinnati, and reunite to perform on special occasions.
Members
- Dorothy Dyer (1961–1965, 1967–1969)
- Linda Schroeder (1961–1969)
- Pat Strunk (1961–1966)
- Wanda Wendy Sheriff (1961–1966)
- Hazel "Tinker" Smiddy (1965–1967)
- Bobbie Frost (1967–1969)
- Susie Leight (1967–1969)
Singles
- "Tonight I'm Gonna Fall In Love Again" / "That's Why I'll Get By" - Saxony 1007 (1964)
- "I'm Gonna Steal Your Boyfriend" / "Call Me And I'll Be Happy" - Saxony 1008 (1965)
- "Tears Come Tumbling" / "You Won't Be There" - Saxony 1009
- "Tears Come Tumbling" / "You Won't Be There" - Musicor 1139
- "I Will Love You Dear Forever" / "Bubblegummer" - Musicor 1218 (1966)
- "Here Comes Loneliness" (UK only) (1985)
- "I Will Love You Dear Forever" / "Bubblegummer" - Saxony 2002 (1993)
- "Here Comes Loneliness" / "Walking Down Main Street" - Saxony 3003 (2001)
Albums
- Girls About Town (You Won't Be There) (UK) - Impact 006 (1985)
- The Best of The Teardrops - Saxony 101 (2001)