Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's pre-eminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community. From their 1961 debut with the regional hit "Surfin,"... [+] Read More

Yes No

One of the best early-'60s New York girl groups, combining sassiness and innocence on several of the style's greatest classics. The Chiffons had some singles under their belt when they reached number one with "He's So Fine," whose classic "doo-lang, doo-lang" riff was appropriated by George Harrison in 1970 for his own chart-topper, "My Sweet... [+] Read More

Yes No

Although they were one of the very biggest rock & roll groups of the 1960s, the Four Seasons -- unlike, say, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, or the Byrds -- don't excite virtually automatic respect from listeners and critics. A big factor is their most distinguishing trademark, the shrill falsetto vocals of their lead singer, Frankie Valli. Many... [+] Read More

Yes No

The '60s pop outfit the Happenings enjoyed a three-year run of several hit singles late in the decade. Formed in 1961 in Patterson, NJ, the group has seen their lineup change from time to time, but founding member/lead singer Bob Miranda has been a constant member through it all. Soon after, the Happenings began scoring hit singles, including... [+] Read More

Yes No

'60s British pop trio the Ivy League consisted of members John Carter, Ken Lewis (previous members of Carter-Lewis and the Southerners), and Perry Ford. All three members were session singers who possessed high-pitched singing voices, forming the group in 1964. Although an initial single quickly disappeared from sight, their second single,... [+] Read More

Yes No

The Jelly Beans were a mixed voice quintet (later a quartet) comprised of one man (Charles Thomas) and four women (Alma Brewer, Diane Taylor, Elyse Herbert, Maxine Herbert) who got together while attending high school in Jersey City, NJ. That was where their manager discovered them in 1963, and he brought them to the attention of songwriters... [+] Read More

Yes No

Best remembered for their 1964 smash "Bread and Butter," Nashville pop vocal trio the Newbeats teamed singer Larry Henley with brothers Dean and Mark Mathis. The Mathises previously performed as the duo Dean and Mark, notching a minor hit in 1959 with the single "Tell Him No"; three years later, Henley briefly collaboated with the siblings... [+] Read More

Yes No

Despite a couple of British Top Ten hits in 1964-65, the Rockin' Berries made no dent in the U.S. market at the height of the British Invasion. Much of the Berries' output reflected the lighter pop-rock face of the British beat boom, emphasizing catchy, carefully constructed tunes supplied by British and American songwriters, with high harmonies... [+] Read More

Yes No

Harmony-pop vocal group the Vogues were formed in 1960 by lead baritone Bill Burkette, baritone Don Miller, first tenor Hugh Geyer, and second tenor Chuck Blasko, who were all high school friends from Turtle Creek, PA. Originally dubbed the Val-Aires, the foursome eventually signed to the tiny Co & Ce label, reaching the number four spot in the... [+] Read More

Yes No

West Coast Consortium (later just known as Consortium) was a British pop/rock group that evolved through several incarnations in the mid-'60s, before finally achieving some chart success at the tail end of the decade. The band initially coalesced under the name Group 66, with Robbie Fair on lead vocals, Geoff Simpson on lead guitar and backing... [+] Read More

Yes No