The Bobbettes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Bobbettes
The Bobbettes (1957)
Background information
Origin	East Harlem, New York, United States
Genres	R&B
Years active	1955–1974
Past members	Jannie Pought Emma Pought Reather Dixon Laura Webb Helen Gathers

The Bobbettes were a cool American girl group known for their R&B music. They had a super popular song called "Mr. Lee" in 1957. This song was a big hit, making it into the top 10!

The group started in 1955 and continued until 1974. The members were Jannie Pought, Emma Pought, Reather Dixon, Laura Webb, and Helen Gathers.

The Bobbettes' Story

The group first formed in East Harlem, New York, in 1955. They were first called "The Harlem Queens." The girls met while singing in the Glee Club at P.S. 109 in Spanish Harlem.

A record producer named James Dailey discovered them. He became their manager after seeing them at the Apollo Theater's amateur night. Soon, they signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. The girls lived in housing projects and often sang in their building's hallways and playground.

Their Big Hit: "Mr. Lee"

In 1957, the girls released their first hit song, "Mr. Lee." It was a fast-paced song where the singer talks about liking her school teacher. Fun fact: the girls actually didn't like the real Mr. Lee!

The first version of the song was a bit of a put-down. But Atlantic Records asked them to change the words before recording it. The song became their biggest hit ever.

"Mr. Lee" reached #6 on the Billboard Pop singles chart. It also stayed at #1 on the R&B chart for four weeks. This made The Bobbettes the first girl group to have a #1 R&B hit that also reached the pop top 10.

Later, the famous singer Diana Ross even covered "Mr. Lee" on one of her albums. Billboard magazine later named "Mr. Lee" one of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

After "Mr. Lee"

After their big hit, The Bobbettes tried other songs with Atlantic Records, but they weren't as successful. They even recorded a song called "I Shot Mr. Lee." Atlantic Records didn't want to release it.

So, the group left Atlantic and signed with Teddy Vann. They released a new version of "I Shot Mr. Lee" on a smaller label called Triple-X. This song started to climb the charts, reaching #52 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Over the next few years, they released other songs like "Have Mercy Baby" and "You Are My Sweetheart." They then signed with End Records. There, they released "Teach Me Tonight" and "I Don't Like It Like That." "I Don't Like It Like That" was an answer to another popular song.

Even though "I Don't Like It Like That" was their last song to make the charts, they kept recording. They worked with labels like Diamond, RCA Victor, and Mayhew. The group officially stopped performing in 1974. However, they later reunited and toured for many years, playing their old hits.

Later Years

Reather Dixon, one of the group members, passed away on January 8, 2014, at 69 years old. The Bobbettes were also nominated to be included in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. This shows how important their music was!

Songs by The Bobbettes

Singles