East Side Story Vol. 3

The Crests
Formed in New York City, USA, in 1956, the Crests soon became one of the most successful of the 'integrated' doo-wop groups of the period, after being discovered by Al Browne. Headed by the lead tenor of Johnny Mastro (Johnny Mastrangelo, 7 May 1930, USA), the rest of the band comprised Harold Torres, Talmadge Gough, J.T. Carter and Patricia Van Dross. By 1957 they were recording for Joyce Records and achieved their first minor pop hit with 'Sweetest One'. Moving to the new Coed label, the Crests (without Van Dross) recorded their signature tune and one of doo-wop's enduring classics, '16 Candles', a heartfelt and beautifully orchestrated ballad. It became a national pop hit at number 2 in the Billboard charts, paving the way for further R&B and pop successes such as 'Six Nights A Week', 'The Angels Listened In' and 'Step By Step'. At this time the band was almost permanently on the road. Following 'Trouble In Paradise' in 1960, the band's final two chart singles would be credited to The Crests featuring Johnny Mastro. However, this was evidently not enough to satisfy their label, Coed, whose priority now was to launch the singer as a solo artist. Mastro's decision to go solo in 1960 (subsequently calling himself Johnny Maestro) weakened the band, although they did continue with James Ancrum in his stead. Their former vocalist made the charts with 'Model Girl', still for Coed, in the following year, before re-emerging as leader of Brooklyn Bridge, an 11-piece doo-wop group who are best remembered for their 1968 single 'The Worst That Could Happen'. After 'Little Miracles' failed to break the Billboard Top 100 (the first such failure for the Crests in 10 singles), Gough moved to Detroit and a job with General Motors. He was replaced by Gary Lewis. However, the Crests were now entangled in legal disputes with Coed over the ownership of their name. They eventually moved to Selma, although the songs made available to the group were now of significantly inferior quality, including 'You Blew Out The Candles', a blatant attempt to revisit the success of '16 Candles'. The band continued to tour throughout the 60s, though Torres had left to become a jeweller, leaving a core of Carter, Lewis and Ancrum. Later line-ups were organized by Carter for lounge sessions (although there are no recordings from this period), and in June 1987 the original line-up (minus Van Dross) was re-formed for a show in Peepskill, New York.
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010, 10:51 AM
Johnny Maestro, Crests and Brooklyn Bridge singer, dies at age 70 of cancer. (RIP)

Collectables 5009, 1990; Early Teenage Rockers Volume 41

It Must Be Love ....... It Most Definitely IS Love.!!!

Descripción

The Crests, featuring lead vocalist Johnny Maestro, performing their 1959 hit. Presented under the fair use doctrine of the Copyright Law.

The Crests featuring Tommy Mara performing at the Savannah Center in The Villages FL Aug 23, 2011 singing "The Angels Listened In"

Lack'n'Roll
50s & 60s Music

Doo Wop

"No One To Love" ~ The Crests (1957) Joyce Records #105
Flip side of, "Wish She Was Mine"

What a sweet song this is, I can remember my parents dancing so slowly in our living room to this one, I suppose that's when and where I learned to love it too, I hope you do to, enjoy, Dave :)

Doo Wop

Doo Wop

DES from a mono recording.
The Crests were an American doo-wop group formed by bass vocalist J.T. Carter in the mid-1950s. On Coed Records, the group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their most popular song, "16 Candles", rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1959, selling over one million copies and earning a gold disc status. The group's other hits include "Step By Step," "The Angels Listened In," "Trouble In Paradise," "Six Nights A Week," and "A Year Ago Tonight." The Crests were one of the earliest racially mixed doo-wop groups, consisting of three African American members (one female), one Puerto Rican, and one Italian American.

It was mentioned to us a little while ago that we did not have this gem by the late great Johnny Maestro and The Crests on our channel. We are taking this opportunity to put that right. We love this song and we can't wait for the day when we follow the instructions and say "I DO".

The Classic Sounds of The Crests