Reparata and the Delrons

Reparata and the Delrons
Classic line-up, 1965-1969: (l-r) Lorraine Mazzola, Nanette Licari, Mary "Reparata" Aiese
Background information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Pop
Years active	1962-2000
Labels	Laurie Records World Artists Stateside (UK) RCA Records Mala Records Bell Records (UK) Kapp Records Avco Embassy Big Tree Records Dart Records (UK) North American Music Industries Polydor Records Perfection Sound Mo-Banana Ace Records
Past members	Reparata (Mary Aiese O'Leary) Nanette Licari Regina Gallagher Anne Fitzgerald Sheila Reilly Carol Drobnicki Kathy Romeo Marge McGuire Lorraine Mazzola Cooky Sirico Lauren Stich Judy Jae

Reparata and the Delrons was an American girl group. They are best known for their 1965 recordings "Whenever A Teenager Cries" and "Tommy", for the 1968 European hit "Captain of Your Ship" and for Reparata's 1975 solo hit "Shoes".

The group started out as a five-piece high school harmony group called the Delrons, formed in 1962 at St. Brendan's Catholic School in Brooklyn, New York by the lead singer Mary Aiese. The other original members included Nanette Licari, Regina Gallagher, and Anne Fitzgerald, but they were soon replaced by Sheila Reilly, Carol Drobnicki and Kathy Romeo. Romeo was replaced by Marge McGuire, but McGuire herself then left the group.

As a trio, Aiese, O'Reilly and Drobnicki were spotted by record producers Bill and Steve Jerome. They asked Mary Aiese to choose a stage name to make the group name more interesting and marketable. She chose Reparata, her confirmation name, which she had taken from one of her favorite teachers at Good Shepherd Catholic grammar school.

The Jeromes recorded them in 1964 first for Laurie Records, then on the Pittsburgh-based World Artists label with Ernie Maresca's song "Whenever a Teenager Cries". The song became a regional hit and reached #60 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up, "Tommy," co-written by Chip Taylor, reached #92. Writing about "Tommy" in her 2003 memoir "A Misfit's Manifesto: The Spiritual Journey of a Rock-and-Roll Heart", journalist and sociologist Donna Gaines comments:

"What better focus for saintly feminine devotion than the sullen "Tommy", who once treated our girl with consideration, respect, and tenderness? But then Tommy starts acting like a dick. Still, she won't give up on him. Her response to her callous indifference is to love him even more. I ached to love a boy like that, only in dreams."

''He's not so sweet and he's far from polite,
Hardly ever calls me
And comes to pick me up late every night.''

The 1965 album Whenever a Teenager Cries showcased the singles, and included covers of popular hits by "British invasion" groups including The Beatles' If I Fell and Manfred Mann's Doo Wah Diddy Diddy.