The Blossoms

The Blossoms
The Blossoms in 1966 (clockwise from top: Fanita James, Jean King, and Darlene Love)
Background information
Also known as	The Dreamers The Playgirls The Rollettes The Rebelettes
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	R&B, pop, rock and roll, soul
Years active	1954–1990; 2000-present
Labels	Capitol, Philles, Challenge, Bell, RCA, Reprise, Ode, MGM, Lion
Members	Fanita James Gloria Jones
Past members	Darlene Love Jean King Gracia Nitzsche Nanette Williams Annette Williams Jewel Cobbs Pat Howard Edna Wright Carolyn Willis

The Blossoms are an American girl-group that initially originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup most famously consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King.

Although the group had a recording career in their own right, they were most famous for being the group to actually record the #1 hit "He's a Rebel" (which producer Phil Spector credited to the Crystals), and for providing backing vocals for many of the biggest hits of the 1960s.

It has been said that the Blossoms were to the American West Coast what the Sweet Inspirations were to the East Coast and the Andantes were for Motown.

Their career began in Los Angeles, California, while still in high school in 1954. Originally the group was a sextet of young girls singing for fun. Calling themselves The Dreamers the group originally sang spirituals since two of the members had parents who were against their daughters singing secular rhythm and blues music popular on the radio during the early 1950s.

Fanita Barrett (later known as Fanita James), Gloria Jones (not the same Gloria Jones who later became famous for "Tainted Love"), Jewel Cobbs, Pat Howard and twin sisters Annette and Nanette Williams all came from musical backgrounds. The twins had taken vocal and dancing lessons as youngsters. Fanita's brother Ronald was already a success with his vocal group, The Meadowlarks. The Dreamers were introduced to local musicians through Dexter Tisby, then successful with his own group the Penguins who had a hit with "Earth Angel".

The Dreamers joined Richard Berry in the studio and during 1955 and 1956 made several recordings for Flair and RPM Records. Among them was a version of Harry Warren and Mac Gordon's "At Last" and several of Richard Berry's compositions: "Together", "Wait For Me", and "Daddy, Daddy". The Dreamers gained attention as versatile singers and began to get studio work singing backup for other artists as well as recording a few singles of their own as the Dreamers.