The Crests
| The Crests | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Doo-wop, R&B |
| Years active | 1957-Present |
| Past members | J. T. Carter Talmadge Gough Harold Torres, Patricia Vandross Johnny Maestro, (Original Members) |
The Crests were an American doo-wop group, formed by bass vocalist J. T. Carter in the mid-1950s. Their most popular song, "16 Candles", rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959, selling over one million copies, earning a gold disc. The interracial group had three African American members (one female), one Puerto Rican, and one Italian American.
Founded by J.T. Carter, the group included Talmadge Gough (1939-2014), Harold Torres (deceased) and Patricia Van Dross (1943-1993) (older sister of R&B singer Luther Vandross). Carter selected vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (1939-2010) (shortened to Johnny Mastro and later to Johnny Maestro) as lead vocalist. Maestro's vocal style became instantly recognizable, and a jukebox favorite of national teen audiences. His quality vocals, great song selections and recordings, with dance-easy beats, made for charted hits. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records, including the #2 hit, "16 Candles", "Six Nights a Week", "The Angels Listened In", "A Year Ago Tonight", "Step By Step" and "Trouble in Paradise." They also charted with "Sweetest One" (Joyce Records) in 1957. In the late 1950s, The Crests performed on several national teen dance television shows, including American Bandstand and The Dick Clark Show.
After recording two singles for Joyce Records, Van Dross left The Crests in 1958. Maestro left for a solo career in 1961. He recorded with other backup singers under the name "Johnny Maestro & The Crests", producing a single for United Artists in 1962, two singles for Cameo Records in 1963-64, a single for APT Records in 1965, a single for Scepter Records in 1965 and three singles for the Parkway label in 1966. He later joined The Del Satins as their lead singer. They merged with The Rhythm Method in March 1968 to become Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1969 they had a #3 hit with "The Worst That Could Happen". In 1962, The Crests recorded a new single, "Little Miracles", with Tony Middleton singing lead. It was their first single not to chart in the Top 100. James Ancrum then took over the lead, recording "Guilty" (Selma Records) and several other songs. Gough quit the group after the single, and was replaced by Gary Lewis (not to be confused with Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis & the Playboys fame). Subsequently, the group failed to find success throughout the decade.
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