Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – Apr 09, 2023

The success of the Chantels, a female singing group formed in 1957 inspired other girls to follow in their footsteps.

The Chantels are most noted for their big hit “Maybe” which made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 1958. Eight months later, a vocal group, with a similar sound, went Top 20 …

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The members of the Chantels-sound-a-like group all attended William Penn High School in York, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1957 to play at local functions, the group, originally known as the Quinteros, was comprised of four female and one male singer who were accompanied by a male pianist.

As seniors in the Fall of 1957, they received permission from their high school principal to go out on tour. It was somewhere in the middle of that tour that they wrote their hit record.

The record caught the interest of Dick Clark who apparently purchased 95% of the group’s contract, switching the record over to Hunt Records from their original Red Top label. The record took off as Dick Clark began playing it a lot and had the group perform on American Bandstand.

Opening with the melody from “Here Comes The Bride,” the record was a slow dancing number with a beat – a classic “ladies’ choice” rock ballad. It ended up peaking at the #5 position on the R&B charts and went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On August 28, 1958, the group appeared at the Apollo Theatre with the Coasters, Olympics, Spaniels and their rivals – the Chantels. The group received a standing ovation that night.

Their hit record is reportedly to have sold over 800,000 copies. Yet, according to group member, Phyllis Carr, in an exclusive interview, the group never received any royalties from the record. She goes on to say, “We were just kids, too young, didn’t know nothin’. We didn’t know we had any recourse.”

The record ended up being the group’s only hit and they disbanded in 1960.

The Quinteros who had become the Quin-tones were no more. One could argue that the record executives misled them “Down The Aisle Of Love,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.

YouTube video of this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeiMN71OBfc

This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.