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A forward from
John Clemente
I don't ever remember NOT listening to Rock &
Roll, especially to Soul
music. I grew up in New York City, the youngest of four children.
My
sisters always had the radio on and living in NYC in the 60s afforded us
the best cross-section of American popular music. I became the
curator of
the family record collection because I always thought my sisters didn't
take proper care of the records. I would find them melted on the
heater,
then I'd have to go out and get new copies. Listening to popular
music by
certain artists made me curious about other material that they recorded.
As a young teen, I started looking in antique shops, flea markets,
attics,
basements and record bins in the stores for old records. I
gravitated
mostly toward Soul, Spector and group sounds. Of course, the best
thing
about collecting was to discover records that I had not previously heard
when they were new.
By the early 1970s, I had amassed quite a collection. I stumbled
upon
specialty shows on the radio that were playing songs I had never heard
before. I was always curious about group harmony and Soul recorded
by
females. It had a different sound. Any time I could read or
listen to
information on these groups, I would, soaking it up like a sponge.
After
30 years of collecting both music and information, it paid off when I
was
asked to be a guest on a radio show. I brought some of my records
and
talked about the collection. With words of encouragement from the
host and
listeners, I started compiling lists of female groups and their related
records. On the strength of being asked to write a magazine
article on The
Chantels, the idea to write "Girl Groups" was born. When
the magazine
stalled, The Chantels' article became the book's base. Finding
artists to
interview was both interesting and difficult. Sometimes I even
dialed
numbers in the telephone book from a particular region and asked if the
lady of the house was ever a singer. Needless to say, my telephone
bills
were high. I found The Cookies through a regional search.
Eventually, it
became a challenge to find someone. Mostly, through networking,
artists
were eventually contacted. Some people declined interviews, but
most were
eager to talk about their careers. As a result of the book's
popularity,
The Clickettes are working again, and members of The Cookies and The
Exciters are getting offers to sing. It's exciting for fans and
gratifying
for the artists. The interviews in the book are extensive, going
way
beyond when any particular group had hits. Members are all
identified in
many rare photos, mostly provided by the artists. I am proud of
the fact
that I have plugged what I deemed was a hole in the Rock & Roll
history
books. Any fan of R&B and R&R, female groups in
particular, will enjoy
this book.
Regards,
John Clemente
60 GIRL GROUPS COVERED
1.
Andantes
2.
Angels
3.
Bees, Honey
& The
4.
Blossoms
5.
Blue Belles
6.
Bobbettes
7.
Chantels
8.
Charmettes
9.
Chiffons
10.
Clickettes
11.
Cookies
12.
Crystals
13.
Darlettes
14.
Delltones
15.
Delrons, Reparata & The
16.
Deltairs
17.
Dixie Cups
18.
Dodds, Nella
19.
Emotions
20.
Exciters
21.
First Choice
22.
Flirtations
23.
Go Gos
24.
Gray, Maureen
25.
Hearts
26.
Honey Cone
27.
Ikettes
28.
Jaynetts
29.
Jelly Beans
30.
Jewels
31.
Joytones
32.
Kisses, Candy & The
33.
Little Eva
34.
Love Unlimited
35.
Marvelettes
36.
Orlons
37.
Pixies Three
38.
Pointer Sisters
39.
Queens
40.
Quintones
41.
Raindrops
42.
Ronettes
43.
Rosebuds
44.
Royalettes
45.
Shangri-Las
46.
Sharmeers
47.
Shirelles
48.
Socialites
49.
Starlets
50.
Supremes
51.
Sweet Inspirations
52.
Teardrops
53.
Teen Queens
54.
Thomas, Jean
55.
Three Degrees
56.
Toys
57.
Vandellas, Martha & The
58.
Velvelettes
59.
Veneers
60.
Warren, Beverly
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