The Cookies

The Cookies
The Cookies in 1962
Background information
Origin	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Genres	R&B Pop Soul
Years active	1953–1958; 1962–1967
Labels	Lamp/Aladdin Records Atlantic Records Dimension Records
Associated acts	The Raelettes Ray Charles
Past members	Darlene McCrea Margie Hendricks Earl-Jean McCrea Dorothy Jones Beulah Robertson Margaret Ross

The Cookies were an American R&B girl group in the 1950s to 1960s. Members of the original lineup would later become the Raelettes, the backing vocalists for Ray Charles.

Formed in 1954 in Brooklyn, New York, the Cookies' membership originally consisted of Dorothy Jones, Darlene McCrea and Dorothy's cousin, Beulah Robertson. Robertson was replaced in 1956 by Margie Hendricks (Hendrix). The group was introduced to Ray Charles through their session work for Atlantic Records. After backing him and other Atlantic Records artists, McCrea and Hendricks helped form the Raelettes in 1958. (Pat Lyles was a Raelette, but never a Cookie.)

In 1961, a new version of the Cookies emerged in New York, with Dorothy Jones joining newcomers Earl-Jean McCrea (Darlene's younger sister) and another of Dorothy's cousins, Margaret Ross. Jones also recorded one solo recording for Columbia in 1961. This trio had the greatest success as the Cookies: under their own name; as backing vocals for other artists, including Neil Sedaka's hit songs "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", "The Dreamer" and "Bad Girl"; and recording demos for Aldon Music, under the direction of Carole King and Gerry Goffin. They provided the backup vocals for the Little Eva hit song, "The Loco-Motion", as well as her follow-up hit "Let's Turkey Trot", both from 1962; and for Mel Tormé's hit version of "Comin' Home Baby". They scored their biggest hit in 1963 with the song "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)", which reached #3 on the Billboard R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard Pop chart.