Johnny Maestro (May 7, 1939 – March 24, 2010) was the
lead singer of one of the first mixed-race vocal groups to achieve
success in the US charts. The Crests — a group that consisted of three singers of Afro-American descent, a Puerto Rican and Maestro, who was of Italian parentage — reached No 2 in the US pop charts in February 1959 with 16 Candles, a doo-wop-styled ballad that has remained a staple of oldie radio stations and pop reissue albums since its release.
success in the US charts. The Crests — a group that consisted of three singers of Afro-American descent, a Puerto Rican and Maestro, who was of Italian parentage — reached No 2 in the US pop charts in February 1959 with 16 Candles, a doo-wop-styled ballad that has remained a staple of oldie radio stations and pop reissue albums since its release.
Maestro went on to form the Brooklyn Bridge in the
late-1960s, an 11-strong vocal group whose name was acquired when a friend said
that with so many people in the band they had as much chance of success as they
had of selling the Brooklyn Bridge. Despite that forecast the group went on to
have a No 3 hit in 1969 with a cover of the Fifth Dimension song The Worst That
Could Happen. The group has remained a recording and touring act up to the
present day.
The Crests' lineup in the late 1950s featured (from left)
Patricia Van Dross, Johnny Maestro, Harold Torres, Talmadge (Tommy) Gough and
J.L. Carter.
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Maestro was born John Mastrangelo in 1939 in New York City and grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He met the other members of the group at the Henry Street Settlement, a non-profit-making social services centre in Manhattan. The group decided on the name the Crests and practised, like many other groups of their time, in tenement hallways, on the streets and in the New York subway system. One day, while harmonising on a train, they were approached by a woman who gave them her business card. She turned out to be the wife of the musician and arranger Al Browne, who gave the group a chance to cut two tracks for the tiny Joyce label in Brooklyn. "My Juanita"/"Sweetest One" became a regional hit.
In 1959 the group joined a slightly larger record label,
Coed, and were rewarded with the biggest hit of their career, 16 Candles, a
ballad written originally as 21 Candles, but later modified to attract a
younger, teenage audience. Other hits followed including "Six Nights A
Week", "Step by Step", "The Angels Listened In", and
"Trouble in Paradise".
Between "Step by Step" and "Trouble in
Paradise", Coed released a single "The Great
Physician"/"Say It Isn't So" under the name Johnny Masters. Late
in 1960, Maestro would leave The Crests for a solo career. Maestro was unable
to reach his former chart heights with The Crests, but did have Top 40 hits
with "What A Surprise" and "Model Girl" in 1961 as solo
artist Johnny Maestro
, "The Voice of the Crests" for Coed Records. For
his next three singles with the label, he was known as Johnny Maestro, the
third spelling change for the label. None of those records charted and Maestro
recorded for three different labels before recording with new backup singers
(none from the original group) as Johnny Maestro & The Crests in 1965 and
1966, which produced four singles on two more labels.
Maestro left the group in the early Sixties and
re-emerged a few years later as lead singer with the Del-Satins, the group
which had backed the New York singer Dion DiMucci on his solo hits. Entering a
talent contest they were pitted against a group called the Rhythm Method. The
groups met after the show and agreed to join forces, creating the 11-strong
Brooklyn Bridge.
Johnny and the Bridge rehearsed their unusual combination
of smooth vocal harmonies and full horns, and signed a recording contract with
Buddah records. Their first release, a version of the Jimmy Webb song
"Worst That Could Happen", reached No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart.
It sold over one and a quarter million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The
follow-up, "Welcome Me Love", and its flip side, "Blessed is the
Rain" — both by Tony Romeo each reached the Top 50. The group sold over 10
million records by 1972, including LP sales, mostly produced by Wes Farrell.
Appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Della Reese Show, and other programs
helped to bring the group to the national stage.
The group appeared in the film version of the musical
Hair (1979) and enjoyed a string of well-received releases. When their
recording activities tailed off in the 1980s the group continued to perform live
to great acclaim.
After its heyday, the Brooklyn Bridge downsized to a
five-man group, with the vocalists playing their own instruments. For example,
Maestro could be seen on stage playing rhythm guitar, while former Rhythm
Method bassist Jim Rosica picked up a vocal part. Later in the 1970s, as the
Rock and Roll Revival evolved from a nostalgic fad to a respected genre, the
group began to add members, retaining its core vocalists. By 1985, the group
had solidified into an eight piece group, including original Del Satins,
Cauchi, Fred Ferrara, and original Bridge member Rosica, augmented by a horn
section for special occasions.
Maestro’s last performance with the group was in January
when the Brooklyn Bridge were among groups appearing in Connecticut at a
concert billed as The Ultimate Doo-Wop Party. He died, after a long battle with
cancer, on March 24, 2010, aged 70. (Info edited from Times Online & Wikipedia)
For “Collectors Only – Johnny Maestro & The Crests” go here:
ReplyDeleteCD 1 - http://www75.zippyshare.com/v/58564399/file.html
01 16 Candles
02 The Angels Listened In (unreleased version)
03 Molly Mae (unreleased version)
04 Trouble In Paradise
05 The Way You Look Tonight
06 Flower Of Love (unreleased version)
07 Pretty Little Angel
08 I Do (unreleased version)
09 Let Me Be The One (unreleased)
10 My Special Angel
11 Step By Step
12 Gee But I'd Give The World
13 Learning About Love (unreleased)
14 Journey Of Love
15 I.O.U
16 Paper Crown
17 Young Love (unreleased version)
18 I Thank The Moon
19 Always You
20 Mister Happiness
CD 2 - http://www75.zippyshare.com/v/9239942/file.html
01 The Angels Listened In
02 Silhouettes
03 Model Girl
04 The Test Of Love
05 Isn't It Amazing
06 Beside You
07 Keep Away From Carol (unreleased)
08 You Took The Joy Out Of Spring
09 Six Nights A Week
10 Step By Step (unreleased version)
11 What A Surprise
12 It Must Be Love (unreleased version)
13 Out In The Cold Again (unreleased)
14 If My Heart Could Write A Letter
15 In The Still Of The Night (unreleased version)
16 A Year Ago Tonight
17 Earth Angel
18 Strange Love (unreleased)
19 A Rose And A Baby Ruth
20 Let True Love Begin (unreleased)
A very big thank you to Jake @ The Vocal Group Harmony Blog for both active links.
Thank you for remindingus of the beauty of Johnny's voice. Rest in Peace Johnny Maestro.
ReplyDeleteIn my humble opinion, one of the best singers of our time. Thank you for this great post Bob.
ReplyDeletehi, my friend. Any chance to re-post this one? Thanks in advance
ReplyDeleteHello Juan. here's a new link
ReplyDeletehttps://www.upload.ee/files/12873015/Johnny_Maestro___The_Crests.rar.html
Wow! thanks a lot, my friend, Best wishes and a great weekend. Greetings from Aguascalientes, México
ReplyDeleteAny chance of re-upping this gem?
ReplyDeleteHello blessup, I did try to find the album in question but it wasn't in the location according to my data base. After searching through various un classified boxes I decided to reconstruct the playlist from various digital albums. Couldn't find any decent artwork though. So here it is....
ReplyDeletehttps://krakenfiles.com/view/0lrNer8Ri0/file.html
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ReplyDelete