Song:Teardrop Sea
Album:Stax/Volt: The Complete Singles Vol. 2
There were three girl groups named the Tonettes. One was a doo wop group from the Bronx. They recorded Oh What A Baby in 1958. There was also a Jamaican group The Tonettes that recorded at Studio One. This girl group The Tonettes were the first girl group to record for Stax. Teardrop Sea was released on Volt in 1962. The trio were mainly backup singers and they also appeared as The Dixiebelles and The Charmels. The Tonettes were Shirley Thomas, Mary Hunt and Mildred Pratchett. Teardrop Sea was released on Volt in 1962. it was written and produced by Booker T & The MGs guitarist Steve Cropper. Their second single No Tears was released and then The Tonettes returned to studio work. You can get Teardrop Sea on this CD of Stax/Volt singles. In 1964, The Dixiebelles had a top ten hit with Down At Papa Joe's. The singers on the record were members of The Anita Kerr Singers. Producer Bill Justis needed a group to tour and he hired The Tonettes to tour as The Dixiebelles. Later on Shirley Thomas left The Tonettes. She was replaced by Eula Jean Rivers and Barbara McCoy and the group name was changed to The Charmels. They returned to Stax and recorded four singles produced by Isaac Hayes. Girl groups were usually backup singers at Stax. So it's not surprising attempts to record The Tonettes or The Charmels weren't successful. If you're wondering about the difference between the two groups, Shirley Thomas was lead singer of The Tonettes and Barbara McCoy was lead singer of The Charmels. So though the groups share personnel, they don't sound alike. Here's a video for Teardrop Sea by The Tonettes.
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