The Crystals

Formed in New York in the early 1960s, The Crystals are part of the great tradition of American girl groups, at the crossroads of rhythm and blues, pop and rock’n’roll. The group formed around Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores “Dee Dee” Kenniebrew, Myrna Giraud and Patsy Wright, before several lineup changes, notably the arrival of Dolores “LaLa” Brooks. Associated with Phil Spector’s productions for the Philles label, The Crystals recorded a string of singles that became landmarks of vocal pop of the era, including “There’s No Other (Like My Baby)” in 1961, “Uptown” in 1962, then “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me” in 1963. Their music rests on tight harmonies, direct refrains and a dense production that blends rock’n’roll energy, melodic sense of pop and R&B grounding. The story of The Crystals is also marked by a particular situation around “He’s a Rebel” and “He’s Sure the Boy I Love”, two tracks released under their name in 1962 but sung in the studio by Darlene Love with the Blossoms. Despite these tensions and several reorganizations, the group continued its activity into the mid-1960s with the albums Twist Uptown in 1962 and He’s a Rebel in 1963, before disbanding in 1967 and then reforming from the 1970s. The Crystals thus remains tied to the New York pop-soul aesthetic and to the sound of the early major productions of girl groups.