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The Crests were a New York R&B doo-wop group in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their most popular song, "Sixteen Candles," rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959, selling over one million copies, earning a gold disc. The interracial group had three black members (one female), one Puerto Rican, and one Italian-American.


Founded by J. T. Carter, the group included Talmoudge Gough, Harold Torres, and Patricia Van Dross, (older sister of R&B great Luther Vandross). Carter selected vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (shortened to Johnny Mastro and later to Johnny Maestro) as lead vocalist. Maestro's recorded vocal style became instantly recognizable, and a juke box favorite of national teen audiences. Maestro's quality vocals, great song selections, and recordings, with dance-easy beats, made for charted hits. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records, including "16 Candles," "Six Nights a Week," "The Angels Listened In," "A Year Ago Tonight," "Step By Step", and "Trouble in Paradise." They also charted with "Sweetest One" (Joyce label) in 1957. In the late 1950s, the Crests appeared and performed on several, national, teen dance television shows.

After recording two singles for Joyce Records, Van Dross left The Crests in 1958. Maestro left for a solo career in 1961. Maestro would briefly rejoin the band recording under the name Johnny Maestro & the Crests producing a single for Scepter Records, in 1965, and three singles, for the Parkway label, in 1966. He later joined The Del Satins, which would merge with The Rhythm Method to become Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge. In 1969, they had a Top 5 hit with "The Worst That Could Happen". New lead James Ancrum, took his place in The Crests. The group recorded a new single, "Little Miracles." It was the first single not to chart in the Top 100. They also recorded "Guilty" (Selma label). Gough quit the group after the single, and was replaced by Gary Lewis (not to be confused with Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys fame). Subsequently, the group failed to find success throughout the decade.

By the late 1960s, Torres was gone. The group continued until 1978 as a trio of Carter, Ancrum, and Lewis, when the group split. Carter went on to sing with Charlie Thomas' Drifters.

Carter reformed the group in 1980, auditioning over 200 singers, finally settling on: lead Bill Damon, Greg Sereck, Dennis Ray, and New York drummer Jon Ihle. The group continued well into the 1990s. Carter sold the trademarks to The Crests name to Tommy Mara in the late 1990s. Mara was Carter's lead vocalist at the time, and now continues the group without Carter. Currently, Carter performs as part of the three person group, Starz.[3] Lewis is now singing with The Cadillacs.

The 1984 John Hughes teen film, Sixteen Candles, took its title from The Crests' song, which was re-recorded by The Stray Cats for the Sixteen Candles soundtrack.

In 1987, for a concert in Peekskill, New York, Maestro, Carter, Torres, and Gough reunited as The Crests.

In 1993, Patricia Van Dross died of complications from diabetes. Hal Torres is deceased; Tommy Gough lives in Flint, Michigan.

Johnny Maestro died of cancer on March 24, 2010, at his home in Cape Coral, Florida. He was 70 and had lived in Islip, New York, until 2003.

In April 2010, the Los Angeles-based rights-management firm Beach Road Music, LLC, acquired the Coed Records catalog, subsequently re-releasing the Maestro song "The Great Physician" on the 2011 compilation album From The Vault: The Coed Records Lost Master Tapes, Volume 1. "The Great Physician" was originally released in 1960 as Coed 527, under the pseudonym "Johnny Masters."

JOHNNY MAESTRO Y THE CRESTS FOR COLLECTORS ONLY DISCO 2

Pure Gold from the Crests

1961

Guilty by The Crests from 1962. Movie clip from the 1962 Movie Phaedra staring
Anthony Perkins, and Mercouri Melina.

original song, oldie.

The group formed in the late 50s and in 1958, they signed with the Coed Record label. Their first recording, 'Pretty Little Angel' got some playing time, but their second record, 'Sixteen Candles' became their best selling song. Released in November 1958, it carried over into 1959 selling millions of records.

Classic New York doo wop - Joyce 103 1957

Joyce 105 B (Oct 1957)
The Crests (Manhattan, New York)
Personnel :
Johnny Maestro（Lead）
Talmadge Gough（Tenor）
Patricia Van Dross（Tenor）
Harold Torres（Baritone）
J.T. Carter（Baritone/Bass）

DOO WOP GOLD

Doo Wop

The Way You Look Tonight - Johnny Maestro & The Crests

The Crests

Johnny Maestro（Lead）

Talmadge Gough（Tenor）

Patricia Van Dross（Tenor）

Harold Torres（Baritone）

J.T. Carter（Baritone/Bass）

0ne of the most popular of the late '50s groups, the Crests were often thought to bean all black aggregation. In fact, they were about as integrated as a group could get, with four men (two blacks, a Puerto Rican, and an Italian), and one black female. Talmadge (Tommy) Gough (first tenor), Harold Torres (second tenor), and Patricia Van Dross (tenor) were all from the Alfred E. Smith housing projects in Chinatown on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In 1955, while students at P. S. 160 Junior High, they teamed up with Jay (J. T.) Carter (bass) of Delancey Street to forma singing group.

With influences ranging from THE MILLS BROTHERS to THE AMES BROTHERS(with THE HARP-TONES, THE CLOVERS, THE 5 ROYALES, THE FIVE KEYS, THE PENGUINS, and THE ORIOLES thrown in for good measure) the unnamed quartet started performing at hospitals and charity functions for experience while learning the craft of harmonizing from an old singer known only as Mr. Morrow.

In 1956, Mulberry Street resident John Mastrangelo met the group at the Henry Street Settlement House. John's previous group had also been integrated, and reportedly included a young Tony Orlando. Mastrangelo's strong voice and natural feel for R&B made him an instant asset to the group and they joined forces. J. T. Carter came up with the name the Crests (a good many years before the toothpaste). The group found the New York subway system to be an excellent place to polish their sound. On one occasion they boarded the Lexington IRT at the Brooklyn Bridge and took the opportunity to practice.

To their astonishment, as the train pulled into the next stop, a woman got up, walked over, handed them a business card, and left the train without even mentioning her name. The card read "Al Browne and Orchestra," Mr. Browne being the well-known arranger who backed up THE HEARTBEATS and other acts. The group scrambled to call him, set up an audition, and by June 1957 were recording two original Mastrangelo compositions. The mysterious lady on the train turned out to be Mrs. Al Browne.

The songs "Sweetest One" and "My Juanita" were tremendous first efforts for a new group, especially considering the medieval production work and studio sound. "My Juanita" was an up-tempo rocker with a slow double-chime prelude, a smooth lead from Mastrangelo (now calling himself Johnny Maestro), and a tight background by the Crests. "Sweetest One" was an understated ballad. Its simplicity was classic, but most in the know would have put their money on "Juanita." On July 15, 1957, the tiny Joyce Records (run out of the back room of a Brooklyn record store) bet on "Sweetest One," putting all two minutes and four seconds on the national Top 100 chart peaking at number 86. "My Juanita7 subsequently became a standard rehearsal tune for every street-corner group.

The Crest's next single was "No One to Love," a beautiful ballad with an "Earth Angel" intro followed by wondrous harmony and an original arrangement. Lightning didn't strike twice, but Maestro recalls that each member received a $17.50 royalty for the tune. It probably went to buy the checkered sport jackets and thin black ties they wore at their local gigs (with Pat in her gown, the performers looked like four Bo Diddleys and a prom queen).

After almost a year of shows, the Crests got a break in the form of an introduction by songwriter Billy Dawn Smith to music publisher George Paxton, a veteran of the Brill building. Paxton formed Coed Records and signed the group just as they became a quartet. Pat was forced to leave when her mother refused to let her tour with the older guys (in 1958 the members were 18 to 19 years old). Had Patricia's younger brother been old enough to do more than hang out to hear the group sing, he would have been an interesting vocal addition to the Crests. His name was Luther Van Dross.

The Crests' first Coed single was "Pretty Little Angel" b/w "I Thank the Moon," the former written by Maestro, arranger Bert Keyes, and Luther Dixon (writer of several SHIRELLE's hits), and the latter by Billy Dawn Smith. "Pretty" did well in New York (for example one Rochester station, WRVM's survey had it at number 25 and moving up on March 31st) but soon fizzled out. The next release was "Beside You," a pretty ballad with loads of harmony and a mid250s sound. When deejay Alan Freed and TV's Dick Clark received their copies they both flipped it over and took a liking to a sentimental birthday song called "16 Candles." The record entered the Billboard pop charts on November 24, 1958, and the R&B charts almost two months later.

The Angels Listened In - The Crests (Co-Ed Records) 1959, 45 rpm! A Direct Recording!