The former American girl group The Chiffons were originally formed in the Bronx in the year 1960. The three girls were schoolmates at James Monroe high school in the Bronx.
The original members were Judy Craig, Patricia Bennett, and Barbara Lee. The group later added Sylvia Peterson. The group was managed by Ronnie Mack who was at the same time their songwriter.
Of the four members of the girl group, Judy Craig is the only founding member still in the group. She leads a version of The Chiffons that now exists.
Who are the members?
Aside from the original founding members, the band later had two more people. After Peterson joined as lead vocalist, Connie Harvey later joined as well. Here is a list of the band members:
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Judy Craig
Craig is a native of the Bronx and is the lead singer of the American girl group. In 1969, she left the group and took a bank job in manhattan in 1970 but later returned in 1992. When the group resurfaced in 2009 she fronted the group alongside her daughter and niece.
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Patricia Bennett
Bennett is also from the Bronx where she met the others in the school. She is currently 77 years old. She has retired from performing in the group.
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Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee was an original member of the chiffons. Unfortunately, she passed on May 15, 1992, a day before her 45th birthday. She died of a heart attack.
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Sylvia Peterson
The 78-the year-old singer also left the group in the 70s and returned in the 80s. She later retired from performing in the group and was replaced with Connie Harvey.
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Connie Harvey
Connie Harvey was the one who replaced Peterson after she retired. Harvey was raised in Halifax County. She started singing with her mother in the Church Choir of Second Saint James Disciples of Christ’s Church in Brooklyn.
She worked with Earnest Wright from the imperials and JT Carter from The Crest. She later toured with the chiffons before leaving to pursue her solo career.
Where are they today?
The original members of the group have all moved on with their lives except for lee who died in 1992. While some of them have retired Harvey left to pursue a solo career.
The Chiffons is currently under the leadership of Craig and since 2009, the group continue to tour and perform select dates in North America and Europe
Here are 7 fast facts about The Chiffons
1. The band members took regular jobs while still touring
When Judy Craig first left the group, they didn’t have hits but they were constantly touring. The remaining three members continued with the live shows but they eventually took on regular 9-5 jobs. Even with the jobs, the group continued to do live shows on weekends.
2. Their first hit was written by Ronnie Mack
The Chiffons released their first hit single “He’s So Fine”. The song was written by Ronnie Mack and was produced by The Tokens. The song hit No.1 in the United States and it sold over one million copies and it was eventually given a gold disc.
3. Their song was rejected by many record companies
The Chiffons’ hit song was rejected by many record companies. A small label Laurie records later agreed to release it in 1963. The song became a radio staple for several weeks.
4. Ronnie Mack filed a copyright infringement claim against George Harrison
The songwriter and manager of The Chiffons Ronnie Mack filed a copyright infringement claim against George Harrison for his son “my sweet lord” that was released in 1970. The manager claimed there were musical similarities between He’s so sweet and the song Harrison released.
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5. There is another similar group with the name “The Chiffons”
There was another group that shares the same name as the girl group. The other group was said to have recorded a version of the Shirelles tonight’s the night on big deal records in 1960. It is a Californian group.
6. The Chiffons are signed to the Laurie Records label
The Chiffons have been signed to Laurie Records since 1965. This was almost the same time when the girl group was facing challenges like the inconsistency of the members.
7. Discography
The Chiffons is known to have released quite a number of albums and singles. Here is a list of some:
Albums
- 1963: He’s So Fine Laurie Records –”He’s So Fine”
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”
“Oh My Lover”
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love”
- 1966: Sweet Talkin’ Guy Laurie Records
“Sweet Talkin’ Guy”
“Up On the Bridge”
“Nobody Knows What’s Going On”
“Thumbs Down”
“Just a Boy”
- 1970: My Secret Love B.T. Puppy Records – BTPS-1011
“Secret Love”
“You’re The Love Of A Lifetime”
“Soul”
Singles
- 1963: “He’s So Fine”/”Oh My Lover
- 1963: “Lucky Me”/”Why Am I So Shy”
- 1963: “One Fine Day”/”Why Am I So Shy”
- 1963: “A Love So Fine”/”Only My Friend”
- 1963: “I Have a Boyfriend”/”I’m Gonna Dry My Eyes”
- 1964: “Sailor Boy”/”When the Summer Is Through”
- 1964: “Easy to Love”/”Tonight I Met an Angel”
- 1964: “What Am I Gonna Do With You (Hey Baby)”/”Strange, Strange Feeling”
- 1965: “Nobody Knows What’s Goin’ On (In My Mind But Me)”/”Did You Ever Go Steady”
