The Crystals facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Crystals
The Crystals in 1963. Left to right: Patricia Wright, Dolores Kenniebrew, Dolores Brooks, and Barbara Alston.
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	R&B pop rock and roll
Years active	1960–1967 1970–present
Labels	Philles Records
Associated acts	Darlene Love
Members	Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew Patricia Pritchett-Lewis Melissa "MelSoulTree" Grant
Past members	Barbara Alston Mary Thomas Myrna Giraud Patricia "Patsy" Wright Dolores "LaLa" Brooks Frances Collins

The Crystals are a famous American singing group from New York City. They were one of the most important "girl groups" in the early 1960s. Between 1961 and 1964, they had many popular songs, or chart hits. These included "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".

Three different singers took the lead vocals for these songs. All their hits were produced by Phil Spector, a famous record producer. Some of their songs, like "He's a Rebel" and "Da Doo Ron Ron," are even on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

History of The Crystals

How the Group Started

In 1961, five friends formed The Crystals: Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew, Myrna Giraud, and Patricia "Patsy" Wright. They got help from Barbara Alston's uncle, Benny Wells. Soon after, the group signed with Phil Spector's record company, Philles Records.

Their first hit song was "There's No Other (Like My Baby)". It was a gospel-style song that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1961. Barbara Alston sang the main vocals. The song was recorded late at night after a high school prom. The girls were still wearing their prom dresses when they went to the studio! This song reached number 20 on the charts in January 1962. It was a great start for Phil Spector's new record label.

New Songs and Changes

The songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote "Uptown", which became the group's second radio hit. This song had a Spanish feel with flamenco guitar and castanets. Barbara Alston sang about a boy and problems with different social classes. After "Uptown" became popular, Myrna Giraud left the group because she was pregnant. Dolores "LaLa" Brooks took her place.

Their next song in 1962 was "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)". It was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Barbara Alston sang it. This song did not get much airplay on the radio and only reached number 123 on the Billboard chart. Barbara Alston later said that none of the group members liked this song.

The "Replacement" Crystals

After "He Hit Me" didn't do well, Phil Spector started recording with another singer named Darlene Love and her group, the Blossoms. The Crystals were based in New York, and Spector, who was in Los Angeles, wanted to record a new song called "He's a Rebel" very quickly. He needed to release it before another singer, Vikki Carr, could release her own version. Since Darlene Love and the Blossoms were already in Los Angeles, Spector recorded their voices for "He's a Rebel" but released it under The Crystals' name.

"He's a Rebel" was a different kind of song for girl groups. It was about a girl who loves a "bad boy." This song became The Crystals' only number 1 hit in the US. It also reached the top 20 in the UK. Their next song, "He's Sure the Boy I Love," was also recorded by Darlene Love and the Blossoms. It reached number 11 on the Billboard chart.

The "Real" Crystals Return

In 1963, the original Crystals started recording again under their own name. Mary Thomas had left the group to get married. She later joined another group called The Butterflys with Myrna Giraud, another original Crystal. This meant The Crystals were now a group of four. Barbara Alston was shy and didn't like being the lead singer, so Dolores "LaLa" Brooks took over the main vocals. LaLa had already been singing Barbara's parts during their live shows.

After a song called "(Let's Dance) The Screw", the group released the famous song "Da Doo Ron Ron". This song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the UK. Their next song, "Then He Kissed Me", also with LaLa Brooks singing lead, was also a big hit. LaLa also recorded songs for a Christmas album called A Christmas Gift for You.

In early 1964, The Crystals went to the UK for their first live shows in Europe. "Then He Kissed Me" became number 2 in the UK. The Crystals also performed on popular TV shows like Ready Steady Go! and Tonight at the London Palladium.

Problems and Breaking Up

Even though they had many hit songs, there were problems between Phil Spector and The Crystals. The group was unhappy that Darlene Love and the Blossoms had replaced them on two songs. They were even more upset when Spector started spending most of his time on another girl group, the Ronettes. The Ronettes became the main group for Philles Records. The Ronettes even replaced The Crystals on four songs on a 1963 album. There were also disagreements about money, with The Crystals feeling that Spector was not paying them all the money they were owed.

After two more songs that didn't do very well, The Crystals left Spector's Philles Records in 1964. They signed with United Artists Records. "Little Boy" reached number 92, but the vocals were hard to hear because of how it was produced. "All Grown Up," their last song with Philles, only reached number 98.

In 1964, Patricia Wright left the group. Frances Collins (also known as Fatima Johnson) joined them. Frances was a dancer they met while touring. Later that year, Barbara Alston also left, making the group a trio. As a trio, they recorded two songs for United Artists: "My Place" and "You Can't Tie a Good Girl Down". In 1967, Barbara, Dee Dee, and Mary released one more song called "Ring-a-Ting-a-Ling" on a small record label. The group then broke up in 1967.

The Crystals reunited in 1971 and continued to perform until at least 2018. Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew is the only original Crystal who has been with the group for all their tours since the 1970s. She performs with Patricia Pritchett-Lewis (who joined in 2005) and Melissa "MelSoulTree" Grant (who joined in 2002). This trio released a CD called Live in Asia in 2010, which was recorded in Singapore.

After living in Europe for 20 years, La La Brooks came back to the US in 2001. As of 2022, she performs around the world under her own name. She also performs as The Crystals in the UK and Canada, where she owns the rights to the name.

Barbara Alston passed away in a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 16, 2018. She was 74 years old.

The Crystals in Pop Culture

Many of The Crystals' songs have been used in movies and TV shows:

• "Then He Kissed Me" was in the movie Adventures in Babysitting (1987).
• It was also featured when Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco entered the Copacabana club in the movie Goodfellas (1990).
• This song appeared in an episode of The Simpsons (2006) and Family Guy (2018).
• "Da Doo Ron Ron" was played in a dance club scene in the 1979 film Quadrophenia.
• It was also used by Russel (played by Harold Ramis) to teach English students in the 1981 comedy Stripes.
• "He Hit Me (and It Felt like a Kiss)" was used in an episode of Mad Men (2012).

The musical Little Shop of Horrors has characters named Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette. These names were inspired by famous girl groups like The Crystals, The Chiffons, and The Ronettes. The singer Amy Winehouse said that "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" influenced her album Back to Black. The American singer Lana Del Rey used a similar phrase in her song "Ultraviolence".

Band Members

Timeline of Members

Discography

Albums

Studio Albums

• 1962: Twist Uptown
• 1963: He's a Rebel (US #131)
• 1986: He's a Rebel featuring Lala Brooks

Compilation Albums

• 1963: The Crystals Sing the Greatest Hits, Volume 1
• 1975: The Crystals Sing Their Greatest Hits
• 1988: Greatest Hits
• 1990: Greatest Hits
• 1992: The Best of the Crystals
• 2004: One Fine Day
• 2011: Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of the Crystals
• 2016: Playlist : The Very Best of the Crystals

Singles

See also

In Spanish: The Crystals para niños