Year 3, Day 133

Hey. So today's song is Maybe by The Chantels.

Just like The Crests yesterday, The Chantels and another group noticeably more progressive than the time was.  They were the second African American girl group to gain Nationwide success in the US, second only to The Bobbettes. The Chantels formed in 1957 when they were in high school in the Bronx. The original members consisted of Arlene Smith, Sonia Goring, Rene Minus, Jackie Landry Jackson and Lois Harris. The five of them got the name for the group from the name of a rival school, which I though was kind of an interesting fact. Arlene Smith was the lead singer of the group and was the only one with classical training. She wrote the music and lyrics for the group and in the summer of 1957, they were discovered by the lead singer of The Valentines, Richard Barrett. The Chantels got signed to End Records and started releasing tracks. This song was their second single, and hit #15 on the Billboard 100 in 1958. The next singles didn't do as well, but the  record company still released an album for the group. Originally the album was released with a picture of the group on the front, but that apparently didn't go over so well since they re-released it with an album cover of two white teen girls searching for music. Finding this out enraged me. Why can't a picture of the group be appropriate for their album cover, no matter the ethnicity. I'm glad society has come farther since these times. In 1959 their label dropped them, so Arlene Smith decided to try a solo career and Lois Harris decided to go to college. That same year, a subsidiary of their old label decided to release singles of theirs which I deem unprofessional. In 1960, Sonia Goring, Rene Minus, and Jackie Landry Jackson were joined by Annette Smith to form a quartet and joined Carlton Records. They managed to get one big hit and then went downhill from there. Meanwhile, End Records decided to release another album of previously recorded material.The Chantels had a few more changes and switched label a couple of times throughout the 1960's. In the 1970's, original lead Arlene Smith formed a new Chantels group featuring Carol Douglas and continued performing. The remaining original Chantels reformed as well, hiring Noemi Ortiz as the lead. In 1999 the surviving original members reunited on a Doo Wop 50 special, dedicating this song to Jackie Landry who died in 1997. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002 and was on the ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame between 2001 and 2009 before finally receiving enough votes to be inducted in to the Hall in 2010. The group's website is still functional and is dedicated to their fallen member Jackie Landry. Look it up if you're interested.

Peace.