The Dixie Cups facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Dixie Cups
The Dixie Cups at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2006. Left to right: Rosa Lee Hawkins, Athelgra Neville and Barbara Ann Hawkins.
Background information
Also known as	The Meltones
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Rhythm and blues, pop
Years active	1963–present
Labels	Red Bird ABC-Paramount ABC Records
Members	Barbara Ann Hawkins Athelgra Neville Gabriel
Past members	Joan Marie Johnson Beverly Brown Rosa Lee Hawkins Dale Mickle

The Dixie Cups were a popular American pop music group from the 1960s. They were first known as The Meltones. They are famous for their hit songs like "Chapel of Love," "People Say," and "Iko Iko." Their song "Chapel of Love" sold over a million copies!

The Start of Their Music Career

The group was made up of two sisters, Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee Hawkins, and their cousin, Joan Marie Johnson. They all grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. They started singing together when they were in grade school. At first, they thought about calling themselves "Little Miss and the Muffets." But right before their first song came out, they chose the name The Dixie Cups.

In 1963, the three young women decided to become professional singers. They began performing locally as The Meltones. About a year later, Joe Jones became their manager. He was a successful singer himself. After working with them for five months, Joe Jones took them to New York City. There, two famous music producers, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, signed them to their new record label, Red Bird Records.

Big Hits and Famous Songs

The Dixie Cups' first song was "Chapel of Love." It quickly became their biggest hit. In June 1964, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. "Chapel of Love" sold over one million copies. This earned them a gold record.

The song "Chapel of Love" was later featured in movies. It was in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket. It also appeared in the 1991 movie Father of the Bride. Rolling Stone magazine even ranked "Chapel of Love" as one of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

The group had several other popular songs:

• "People Say" (reached No. 12 in 1964)
• "You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me" (reached No. 39 in 1964)
• "Little Bell" (reached No. 51 in 1965)
• "Iko Iko" (reached No. 20 in 1965)

The Story Behind "Iko Iko"

"Iko Iko" is a traditional New Orleans song. The Dixie Cups recorded it in 1964, and it came out as a single in 1965. Barbara Hawkins shared that she had heard her grandmother sing the song. The very first recording of this song was in 1953 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford. It was called "Jock-a-Mo" then.

Barbara Hawkins said, "We were just clowning around with it during a session. We were using drumsticks on ashtrays." She added, "We didn't realize that Jerry and Mike had the tapes running." Leiber and Stoller liked what they heard. They added a bassline and other sounds, then released it. "Iko Iko" became The Dixie Cups' fifth and final big hit.

Later Years and New Members

In 1965, The Dixie Cups moved to the ABC-Paramount record label. After 1966, they took a break from recording new music. In 1974, the Hawkins sisters moved back to New Orleans from New York. They both started successful careers as models. Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee also worked as makeup artists.

Joan Johnson decided to leave the group. She found the stress of traveling too much. The Dixie Cups continued to perform as a trio. Another singer from New Orleans, Beverly Brown, joined them. She stayed with the group until the early 1980s. Then, Dale Mickle replaced her.

The Dixie Cups continued to perform and make appearances. The group's members included the Hawkins sisters for many years. After Rosa Lee's passing in 2022, Athelgra Neville joined. She is the sister of the famous singing group, The Neville Brothers.

Honors and Challenges

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Much of New Orleans was flooded. Barbara and Rosa Hawkins had to move to Florida because of the hurricane. Joan Johnson moved to Texas.

Two years later, in April 2007, The Dixie Cups were honored. They were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. This recognized their important contributions to music from Louisiana.

Joan Marie Johnson passed away in New Orleans on October 3, 2016, at age 72. Rosa Lee Hawkins passed away on January 11, 2022, at age 76.

Original Group Members

• Barbara Ann Hawkins (born October 23, 1943)
• Joan Marie Johnson (January 15, 1944 – October 2, 2016)
• Rosa Lee Hawkins (October 23, 1945 – January 11, 2022)

See also

In Spanish: The Dixie Cups para niños