Editing The Crystals (section)

==History==
===Formation and signing to Philles===
In 1961, Barbara Alston (December 29, 1943, [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]] – February 16, 2018, [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], [[North Carolina]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aegriersonsfcc.com/obituaries/Barbara-Alston-2/|title=Barbara Ann Alston - View Obituary & Service Information|website=Barbara Ann Alston Obituary}}</ref><ref name="Chicago Tribune"/> Mary Thomas, [[Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew]] (born 1945), Myrna Giraud and Patricia "Patsy" Wright formed the Crystals with the help of Benny Wells, Alston's uncle. Soon, the quintet signed with [[Phil Spector]]'s label [[Philles Records]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book|first=Martin C.|last=Strong|year=2000|title=The Great Rock Discography|edition=5th|publisher=Mojo Books|location=Edinburgh|page=233|isbn=1-84195-017-3}}</ref>

Their first hit, the [[gospel music|gospel]]-influenced "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in November 1961. Originally the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] to "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby" (featuring Wright on lead), the stirring [[pop music|pop]] [[ballad]] was co-written by Spector and Leroy Bates and featured Barbara Alston on vocals. The recording was made late on the evening of the high school [[prom]] at the [[William H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School|William H. Maxwell Career and Technical High School]],<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3_ctCvFZDoC&q=crystals+central+commercial+high+school&pg=PA137|title=Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World|last=Clemente|first=John|date=2013-06-24|publisher=Author House|isbn=9781477281284|pages=137|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/obituaries/barbara-alston-founding-member-of-the-crystals-dies-at-74.html|title=Barbara Alston, Who Sang With the Crystals, Dies at 74|last=Slotnik|first=Daniel E.|date=2018-03-06|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2018-04-29|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the school attended by Alston, Thomas, and Giraud; they were still wearing their prom dresses, as they had come to the studio straight from the event.<ref>{{cite book|author=Warner, Jay|title=American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|year=2006|page=351|isbn=9780634099786}}</ref> The single reached number 20 in January 1962, marking an auspicious debut for Spector's Philles label.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

[[Brill Building]] songwriters [[Barry Mann]] and [[Cynthia Weil]]'s "[[Uptown (The Crystals song)|Uptown]]" gave the girls their second radio hit. Having an ethnic flavor with [[flamenco guitar]] and [[castanets]], the more uptempo "Uptown" featured Alston once again emoting convincingly over a boy, though this time with class issues woven into the story. After the success of "Uptown", a pregnant Giraud was replaced by [[Dolores "LaLa" Brooks]].

The controversial subject matter of the next single, 1962's "[[He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)]]" (written by [[Carole King]] and [[Gerry Goffin]] and sung by Alston), resulted in limited [[airplay]] with the track only "[[Bubbling Under Hot 100|bubbling under]]" the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], peaking at number 123. Alston later disowned the track, stating it was "absolutely, positively, the one record that none of us liked".<ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, M|year=2007|title=Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector|location=London|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|page=100|isbn=9780747572473}}</ref>

==="Replacement" Crystals===
Soon after "He Hit Me" flopped, [[Phil Spector]] began recording singer [[Darlene Love]] and her group [[the Blossoms]]. The Crystals were not able to travel from [[New York City|New York]] to [[Los Angeles]] fast enough to suit the LA-based Spector,<ref name="Darlene Love RS">{{Cite magazine|last=Browne|first=David|date=2013-06-20|title=Darlene Love: Let Love Rule|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/darlene-love-let-love-rule-190287/|access-date=2020-12-18|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/02/16/133750086/darlene-love-a-prominent-star-born-in-the-background |title=Darlene Love: A Prominent Star, Born In The Background |work=NPR |date=February 16, 2011 |access-date=August 11, 2014}}</ref> who wanted to quickly record writer [[Gene Pitney]]'s "[[He's a Rebel]]" before [[Vikki Carr]] could release her version on [[Liberty Records]].<ref name="Release">{{Cite book|last=Bronson|first=Fred|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&q=phil+spector+he's+a+rebel+darlene&pg=PA119|title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits|date=2003|publisher=Billboard Books|isbn=978-0-8230-7677-2|pages=119|language=en}}</ref> As Love and the Blossoms were also based in Los Angeles, Spector recorded and released their version under the Crystals' banner. It was not the first time Spector promised the Blossoms a single and release it under the Crystals name.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

The song had originally been offered to [[the Shirelles]], who turned it down because of the [[anti-establishment]] lyrics. It marked a shift in girl group thematic material, where the singer loves a "bad boy", a theme that would be amplified by later groups (especially [[the Shangri-Las]]' "[[Leader of the Pack]]").<ref>{{cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Buckley|first2=Jonathan|last2=Buckley|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|location=London|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2003|page=427}}</ref>

The ghost release of this single came as a total surprise to the Crystals who were an experienced and much traveled girl harmony group in their own right, but they were nevertheless required to perform and promote the new single on television and on tour as if it were their own.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ribowsky|first=Mark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKaQgGo9USYC&q=%22our+mouths+fell+open%22+mary+thomas&pg=PA144|title=He's a Rebel: Phil Spector—Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer|date=2000-05-02|publisher=Cooper Square Press|isbn=978-1-4616-6103-0|pages=144|language=en}}</ref> The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1962.<ref name="billboard" />

"He's a Rebel" was the Crystals' only [[US]] number one hit<ref name="Release"/> and also made the [[UK singles chart|UK top 20]]. Their follow-up single, "He's Sure the Boy I Love", was also recorded by Love and the Blossoms. It reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' chart and features a spoken intro by Love. "He's a Rebel" kept Pitney's own "[[Only Love Can Break a Heart]]" off the top spot on 3 November 1962.<ref name="billboard">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1962-11-10|title=Hot 100|date=1962-11-03|publisher=Billboard}}</ref> Pitney never reached the Hot 100's summit.<ref>{{cite book|title=An Avid's Guide to Sixties Songwriters|date=2017-04-10|author=Peter Dunbavan|publisher=AuthorHouse|location=Bloomington, Indiana|isbn=978-1-5246-3345-5}}</ref>

==="Real" Crystals return===
Though it is unclear as to the level of their participation in "(Let's Dance) The Screw", the 'real' Crystals definitely began recording again under their own name in 1963. However, Thomas had departed to get married, only to join another mildly successful group, the Butterflys, along with another original Crystal, Myrna Giraud. This reduced the group to a quartet. Alston, known for her shyness and stage fright, was never comfortable with being out front, stepped down from the lead spot giving it to [[Dolores "LaLa" Brooks]]. According to Brooks, she had been doing Alston's leads in their live shows for a while.

After "(Let's Dance) The Screw", the group's next release was "[[Da Doo Ron Ron]]". The song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the [[United Kingdom|UK]], as was the follow-up single "[[Then He Kissed Me]]", with lead vocals also sung by Brooks. Both these songs were actually recorded by Brooks, the Blossoms and other session singers (including a young [[Cher]]).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://500songs.com/podcast/episode-104-hes-a-rebel-by-the-crystals/ | title=Episode 104: "He's a Rebel" by "The Crystals" | date=November 16, 2020 }}</ref> Brooks also flew out to Los Angeles to record tracks for the seasonal album, ''[[A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records]]''. 

At the start of 1964, the Crystals flew to the UK for their first [[Europe|European]] live shows. "Then He Kissed Me" soared to number 2 in the UK,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> and the Crystals also headlined the TV programs ''[[Ready Steady Go!]]'', and ''[[Tonight at the London Palladium]]''.

===Mounting tension and break-up===
Despite the steady flow of hit singles, tensions between Spector and the Crystals mounted. Already unhappy with having been replaced by Love and the Blossoms on two singles recordings, the Crystals were even more upset when Spector began focusing much of his time on his other girl group [[the Ronettes]]. Not only did the Ronettes become Philles Records' priority act, the Ronettes actually replaced the Crystals on four album tracks on the 1963 compilation LP, ''The Crystals Sing the Greatest Hits''. As well, there were disputes about royalties, with the Crystals feeling that Spector was withholding royalty money that was owed to them.

Two failed Crystals singles followed before the band left Spector's [[Philles Records]] for [[United Artists Records]] in 1964. "Little Boy", which reached number 92,<ref name="Awards"/> was a [[Wall of Sound]] production that was layered multiple times, which meant that the vocals were hard to distinguish from the music. "All Grown Up", their final Philles single (of which two versions exist), only reached number 98.<ref name="Awards"/>

1964 also saw the departure of Wright. She was replaced by Frances Collins (aka Fatima Johnson), a dancer whom they had met while touring and mother of the rapper [[Prodigy (rapper)|Prodigy]]. Toward the end of that year Alston also departed and was not replaced, leaving the group a trio. As a trio, they recorded two singles for [[United Artists]], "My Place"/"You Can't Tie a Good Girl Down" (Sep 1965) and "Are You Trying To Get Rid Of Me Baby"/"I Got A Man" (Feb 1966). One more single was released by Alston, Brooks and Thomas on the tiny Michelle Records in 1967 ("Ring-A-Ting-A-Ling"/"Should I Keep On Waiting") and they disbanded later that year.

They reunited in 1971 and performed until at least 2018. Kenniebrew is the only Crystal who remained active throughout their touring from the 1970s to then, performing with Patricia Pritchett-Lewis, a member since 2005, and Melissa "MelSoulTree" Grant, a member since 2002. That trio of Crystals self-released a CD in 2010 entitled ''Live in [[Asia]]'', recorded in [[Singapore]]. 

After living in Europe for two decades, Brooks returned to the US in 2001 and, as of 2022, performs under her own name across the world, and as the Crystals in the UK and [[Canada]], where she holds the trademark rights to the name. 

Barbara Alston died at a hospital in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], on February 16, 2018, at age 74.<ref name="Chicago Tribune">{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-the-crystals-barbara-alston-dead-20180227-story.html|title=Barbara Alston, 'Da Doo Ron Ron' singer with 1960s group the Crystals, dies at 74|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=2021-12-01|date=February 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name="NME">{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/crystals-barbara-ann-alston-died-aged-74-2248475|title=The Crystals' Barbara Ann Alston has died, aged 74|publisher=[[NME]]|access-date=2021-12-01|date=February 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article201611459.html|title=Lead singer for '60s girl group behind hits like 'Da Doo Ron Ron' dies in Charlotte|accessdate=February 23, 2018|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]}}</ref>