The Toys
The Toys were an American pop girl group from Jamaica, New York, which was formed in 1961 and disbanded in 1968.[1]
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[edit] Members
The trio consisted of:
- Barbara Harris (August 18, 1945, Elizabeth City, North Carolina) sang lead most of the time.
- Barbara Parritt (born October 1, 1944, Wilmington, North Carolina).
- June Montiero (born July 1, 1946, Queens, New York).
[edit] Career
The Toys were discovered at a talent show by manager Vince Marc, who introduced them to songwriters Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell.[1] Linzer and Randell wrote most of the songs recorded by them, including their U.S. #2 hit single "A Lover's Concerto", and also produced the group's 1965-66 recordings on Bob Crewe's DynoVoice record label.[1] Global sales of this disc exceeded two million copies, with a gold record awarded by the R.I.A.A. in 1965.[2] Their first U.S. tour was with Gene Pitney.[2] In 1967 the group changed labels and producers, but charted only one more minor single (a cover of Brian Hyland's "Sealed with a Kiss") before breaking up.[1]
The Toys appeared on most of the major TV rock programs, including Shindig!, Hullabaloo, and American Bandstand.[1] They also had a cameo role in the 1967 beach movie It's a Bikini World.[2][3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- (U.S. chart positions are Billboard Hot 100 except as noted.)
- 1965: "A Lover's Concerto" (U.S. #2, UK #5)[4]
- 1966: "Attack!" (U.S. #18, UK #36)[4]
- 1966: "Baby Toys" (U.S. #76)
- 1966: "Silver Spoon" (U.S. #111)
- 1966: "May My Heart Be Cast into Stone" (U.S. #85)
- 1968: "Sealed with a Kiss" (U.S. #112, U.S. R&B #43)
[edit] Albums
- 1966: The Toys Sing "A Lover's Concerto" and "Attack!" (U.S. Billboard 200 #92; Billboard Black Albums #9) - a CD version was released in 1994 with two bonus tracks.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Biography by Andrew Hamilton". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p24887/biography. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 198. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Film details at IMDb.com
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 563. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
