The Crystals

The Crystals were a vocal group from New York City, widely seen as a key part of the early 1960s girl group sound. Between 1961 and 1964, they released a string of chart hits, including "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", "Uptown", "He's Sure the Boy I Love", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and "Then He Kissed Me". These songs featured three different lead singers and were all produced by Phil Spector. On Rolling Stone's original list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, "He's a Rebel" ranked 263, "Da Doo Ron Ron" ranked 114, and "Then He Kissed Me" ranked 493. The 2010 update dropped the last two, leaving only "He's a Rebel" at 267. The 2021 update brought back "Da Doo Ron Ron" at 366.

The group formed in 1961 when Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew, Myrna Giraud, and Myra Patricia "Patsy" Wright got together with help from Alston's uncle, Benny Wells. They soon signed with Spector's Philles Records. Their first hit, the gospel-tinged "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", entered the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1961. It was originally the B-side to "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby", which had Wright on lead. The stirring pop ballad, co-written by Spector and Leroy Bates, featured Alston on vocals. The recording happened late one night after the prom at William H. Maxwell Career and Technical High School, which Alston, Thomas, and Giraud attended; they came straight from the dance in their prom dresses. The single reached number 20 in January 1962, a strong start for Spector's label.

Their second radio hit was "Uptown", written by Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. With flamenco guitar and castanets giving it an ethnic feel, the more upbeat song again had Alston singing convincingly about a boy, this time weaving in class issues. After that success, a pregnant Giraud was replaced by Dolores "LaLa" Brooks. The next single, 1962's "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)", written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and sung by Alston, stirred controversy and got limited airplay, only bubbling under the Hot 100 at number 123. Alston later disowned the track, saying it was the one record none of them liked.

After "He Hit Me" failed, Spector started recording singer Darlene Love and her group the Blossoms. The Crystals couldn't travel from New York to Los Angeles fast enough for Spector, who wanted to quickly cut Gene Pitney's "He's a Rebel" before Vikki Carr could release her version. Since Love and the Blossoms were based in LA, Spector recorded and released their version under the Crystals' name. This wasn't the first time he promised the Blossoms a single and put it out as the Crystals.

The song had been offered to the Shirelles, who turned it down over its anti-establishment lyrics. It marked a shift in girl group themes, with the singer loving a "bad boy," a trend later groups like the Shangri-Las would amplify. The ghost release shocked the Crystals, who were an experienced touring harmony group, but they had to perform and promote the single on TV and tour as if it were their own. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1962, their only US number-one hit, and also made the UK top 20.

It kept Pitney's own "Only Love Can Break a Heart" from the top spot on November 3, 1962; Pitney never reached the Hot 100's summit. The follow-up, "He's Sure the Boy I Love," also recorded by Love and the Blossoms, reached number 11 and featured a spoken intro by Love.

It's unclear how much the real Crystals participated in "(Let's Dance) The Screw," but they definitely started recording under their own name again in 1963. By then, Thomas had left to get married, later joining another group, the Butterflys, along with original Crystal Myrna Giraud. That left the group as a quartet. Alston, known for shyness and stage fright, stepped down from the lead spot, giving it to Brooks, who said she had been doing Alston's leads in live shows for a while.

After "(Let's Dance) The Screw," the group released "Da Doo Ron Ron," a top 10 hit in both the US and UK, followed by "Then He Kissed Me," also with Brooks on lead. Both songs were actually recorded by Brooks, the Blossoms, and other session singers, including a young Cher. Brooks flew to Los Angeles to record tracks for the seasonal album A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records. Covers of "The Twist," "The Wah-Watusi" (with Nedra Talley on lead), "Mashed Potato Time," and "Hot Pastrami" were credited to the Crystals on their 1963 Philles LP The Crystals Sing Their Greatest Hits, Volume 1 but were actually recorded by the Ronettes.

At the start of 1964, the Crystals flew to the UK for their first European live shows. "Then He Kissed Me" reached number 2 in the UK, and they headlined TV programs like Ready Steady Go! and Tonight at the London Palladium. Despite the steady hits, tensions between Spector and the group were mounting.