The Crystals

The Crystals

The Crystals are a New York girl group active from 1960 to the present. The group forms in the late 1950s in high school, when Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores “Dee Dee” Kennibrew, Merna Girard and Patricia “Patsy” Wright begin singing together under the guidance of Alston’s uncle, Benny Wells. They sign to Philles Records and become one of the most successful American girl groups of the early 1960s.

Line-up and early success

Phil Spector chooses Barbara Alston as lead singer, although she feels uneasy performing in public. The group’s first hit is “There’s No Other Like My Baby” in 1961. Its B-side, “Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby”, features Wright on lead, and the follow-up single “Uptown” deals with life growing up in the ghetto. After “Uptown”, Merna Girard leaves while pregnant and Dolores “LaLa” Brooks joins, bringing the group to a new line-up.

Their 1962 single “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)” is remembered for its subject matter of spousal abuse and is rarely played on radio. Sales are weak, and around this period Spector begins recording Darlene Love and The Blossoms under the Crystals name for some releases.

Association with Phil Spector

The Crystals are closely associated with Phil Spector and the Wall of Sound era of pop. Their best-known recording, “He’s a Rebel”, becomes their only US number one. It is followed by “He’s Sure the Boy I Love”, which also features Love and The Blossoms rather than the group’s own line-up.

In 1963 the group records again under its own name. Mary Thomas has left to marry, reducing the line-up to a quartet, and Alston steps down as lead singer in favour of Brooks. “Da Doo Ron Ron” becomes a major hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, followed by “Then He Kissed Me”, the first single since “He Hit Me” to feature the full group as a definite unit. Both songs are written by Spector with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

Later years

Tensions with Spector increase as he focuses on The Ronettes. Two unsuccessful singles follow, and The Crystals leave Philles Records for Imperial Records later in 1964. Frances Collins replaces Patricia “Patsy” Wright that same year, and Alston later departs, leaving the group as a trio. The Crystals disband in 1966, reunite in 1971, and tour widely in changing formations on the oldies circuit. They still perform occasionally, and Kennibrew remains the only original Crystal active throughout that touring period.

Legacy

The Crystals are regarded as trailblazers for later African-American pop artists, and their recordings remain a key part of the 1960s US girl-group and Brill Building pop tradition. The core names linked with the group include Barbara Alston and LaLa Brooks.