In the Studio:

A Glimpse into a 1960s Girl-Group Recording Session

When you listen to one of your old girl-group favorites, do you ever wonder how it was recorded? Here's a first-hand look from Kaye Krebs, an original member of the Pixies Three.

"Birthday Party" was recorded at RecoArt Studio in Philly. But all of our records after that were done in New York at Mira Sound, the premier studio at the time. At our session, we recorded "Cold, Cold Winter" and "442 Glenwood Avenue." I remember this session best because we were so excited to be in the "big leagues," recording where all the hits were made, with some of the most famous musicians of the period.

John Madara and David White were our producers and they wrote the songs and rehearsed us on two weekends prior to the session. Leon Huff (of the famed Gamble and Huff, and who later created the "Sound of Philadelphia" and "Soul Train") was our age, 15 to 17, and played piano for our rehearsals. I played piano for the Pixies for many years, but I was just blown away by Leon Huff, who stood while he played and danced at the same time.

When we got to Mira Sound for the session, the band was already set up and Leroy Lovett, the arranger, was rehearsing them. As I recall, it was a big session: piano, at least three sax players, lead guitar played by the renown Vinnie Bell, bass guitar or maybe acoustic bass, drums and, I believe, a keyboard player and a brass section. They rehearsed for awhile and then the producers asked us to sing--although we would not be recorded. This was just for the band to "get the groove."

After several hours, Madara and White were satisfied with the two instrumental tracks and the musicians left. I asked about that and was told the studio musicians in New York were all union. A "session" was a specific amount of time (like 4 hours, I think) and when you went over that, the overtime was very expensive. By this time, having recorded "Birthday Party" backed with "Our Love," I was aware that WE were actually paying for the session--subtracted from our royalties--and was glad to hear that someone was looking out for the cost.

They put Midge, the lead singer, in a separate enclosed glass booth, but we could see her from our booth. She was on a separate track and Debra and I were on another track since we were both singing in the same microphone. I wondered about this because there weren't enough musicians to use all 24 of the tracks. Later, I found out why they were saving those tracks. They overdubbed our voices probably three times; probably three tracks of Midge and three tracks of Debra and I. It was the style that gave you the big, chorusy sound. I can't even remember how many times we sang those two songs. They never told us which takes they were keeping and which they were not using. When they said, "It’s a wrap," I thought we were done. Little did I know.

We all moved into the control room: the producers, the arranger, our manager, us, and various hangers-on. Brooks Arthur was the engineer. They mixed all the tracks, adding EQ and reverb and I watched and listened in awe as the music came alive. After each run-through, Madara or White would say, "We need tambourines here" or sleigh bells, or hand claps, and one or more people would go into one of the recording booths and add another track to the song. The last thing I remember adding were more "oo's" to the chorus of "442 Glenwood Avenue."

I can't remember how long this session was, but know it was over 24 hours. I remember walking out of the studio the next evening and was confused. Could a day have gone by?

Back to the old days

Remember the early 1960s...when Coke was just a soft drink...when the only nudity you saw was a Barbie doll, between outfits...when the biggest worry was who Johnny would invite to the prom?

Girl-groups.com takes you back to those days, to the fab era of early 1960s girl groups. Most people can remember the Supremes, the Ronettes, and the Shangri-las. But there were actually hundreds of artists, both groups and solo singers, who were part of the girl-group era from 1960-1966.

Who were these singers? Who made the sound? Why was it so famous, and suddenly gone? Here you'll find an interesting history of the girl groups.

Do you remember a kooky song title? Check out our songs list.

Fun Page

Wanna know cool trivia or when your favorite song hit number one? You'll find it: Fun Page.

The girl-group sound is still popular, especially with the advent of CDs. You can find famous artists and one-hit wonders on girl-group CDs and in books about the era.

Review Pages!

Reviews of CDs, DVDs and books from the girl-groups era have been added and all reviews appear in alphabetical order by artist.

Groups and singers include all your favorites and hundreds more you didn't know about! Take a moment to look because that obscure song you can't remember or group you don't expect to find on CD will be there! Check it out:

As requested, we have now categorized the Reviews -- groups, soloists, compilations and more.

You Want It, You Got It!

By popular request, we have added a Q & A page. Read new info and see new pix here!
Q and A about the girl groups. You can email your questions, too!

In this installment, we answer your questions about what defines "the girl-group era," who is the most enduring group and songwriter, with details about characters like Phil Spector and groups like Ruby & the Romantics ("Our Day Will Come"), the Ad-Libs ("Boy From New York City"), the Orlons ("Don't Hang Up"), and the Essex ("Easier Said Than Done").

Oldies, oldies, oldies!

If you like girl-groups music of the 1960s, there are likely other oldies you like too!

Why not listen to Johnny Galindo's Vinyl Treasures? This fantastic show has an array of great oldies, including rare girl-group music. Listen now!. Or tune in every Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. Central Time/10:00 p.m. Eastern for Top Shelf Oldies for the newest show. You will love it!

Featurette

Clairette Clementino!

Known as the "little girl with the big voice," this California native had nine singles over four years. Here's all about her fascinating recording career that started as age 12 and revealed a strong, clear voice perfectly befitting of the girl-group sound! This special feature was written by Ken Friedman. Read all about it: The Little Girl with the Big Voice.

Best of the Girl Groups: Volume 1
The great songs you love: Leader of the
Pack, Chapel of Love, He's So Fine,
One Fine Day, Will You Love Me Tomorrow,
The Boy From New York City,
The Shoop Shoop Song, and more!

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