Dick and Dee Dee

Dick and Deedee
Dick and Deedee publicity photo, mid-1960s
Background information
Origin	United States
Genres	Pop, R&B, rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Singing duo
Years active	1960–1969
Labels	Warner Bros. Records, Liberty Records, Dot Records
Website	www.DickandDeeDee.com
Members	Dick St. John Dee Dee Sperling

Dick and Dee Dee (or Dick and Deedee) is an American singer-songwriter duo that reached popularity in the early to mid-1960s. The group was founded by California classmates Mary Sperling and Richard Gosting. They eventually changed their names to Deedee Sperling (currently Deedee Phelps) and Dick St. John. They had their first hit in 1961 when "The Mountain's High" reached No. 2 on the Billboard 100. They toured with the Beach Boys and opened for the Rolling Stones during the Stones' 1964 tour of California. Regulars on the show Shindig!, the duo had multiple hit songs before St. John and Sperling disbanded in 1969. In the 1980s, St. John toured with his wife, Sandy. Dick St. John died on December 27, 2003, after a fall at his home. Dee Dee Phelps began performing with actor/singer Michael Dunn as Dick and Dee Dee in 2008, appearing in large doo wop and rock and roll shows throughout the United States.

Dick St. John and Dee Dee Sperling met while students at Paul Revere Junior High School in Los Angeles, California. They attended different high schools, only to re-encounter one another after graduation. At the time Sperling was attending college and working at a See's Candy store, and St. John was looking for a job. They realized they were singer-songwriters, and together they began writing songs and singing the vocal parts. The duo were not romantically linked.

The first Dick and Dee Dee 45 rpm release ("I Want Someone" backed by "The Mountain's High") was on Lama Records, a small company started by their record producers, the Wilder brothers and Don Ralke. Their recordings were created with four voice tracks. Each of them sang two separate harmony lines. St. John sang the highest and lowest parts including the falsetto, and Dee Dee sang the middle notes. Without telling the duo, the record producers changed Mary's name to Dee Dee, something they did not discover until after the record was released.