The Bobbettes: The Ultimate Collection - Mr. Lee and Others (1998)

The Bobbettes were among the first successful girl groups of the rock era. In a field dominated by male artists, these five young girls from Harlem became the first all-girl doo-wop group to have a #1 R&B hit and a Top Ten pop hit with their first single, 'Mr. Lee,' in 1957. Originally dubbed the Harlem Queens, the group teamed sisters Emma and Jannie Pought with Laura Webb, Helen Gathers, and Reather Dixon. First meeting in 1955 while singing in the glee club at Harlem's P.S. 109, soon the girls were appearing at the Apollo Theater's legendary amateur nights, and through manager James Dailey, they landed a contract with Atlantic. Inspired by their fifth grade teacher, the Bobbettes' debut ‘Mr. Lee’ appeared in mid-1957 and was also their biggest hit. The song reportedly began as an insulting one until their label made the group change the lyric to something more upbeat. Four Atlantic follow-ups failed to chart, and after issuing the ballad ‘You Are My Sweetheart’ in 1959, the group left the label for the Triple-X imprint. There they released ‘I Shot Mr. Lee’, a song which returns to the original sentiment when the girls gleefully describe shooting Mr. Lee in the head. Despite (or perhaps because of) its graphic subject matter the song began to climb the charts, forcing Atlantic to release their own version and effectively killing the single's momentum. Although the subsequent ‘Have Mercy Baby’ and ‘Dance with Me Georgie’ both emerged as minor hits, in 1960 the Bobbettes moved to End Records, cutting the standard ‘Teach Me Tonight.’ 1962's ‘I Don't Like It Like That,’ an answer song to the Chris Kenner hit ‘I Like It Like That,’ was the group's last chart entry, although they continued recording for a series of labels, most notably Diamond and Mayhew, through 1974, touring oldies circuits in years to follow. The Bobbettes were a unique vocal group with an original style and a youthful energy that is contagious, particularly on their early cuts. As lengthy as it is, this 34-tracks collection doesn't have all of the Bobbettes' singles, but compiles so many of them that collectors can hardly complain. http://www.answers.com/

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