Girl Group Chronicles: Royalettes

Never before had there been a girl group who more epitomized the "uptown soul" sound until Sheila Ross and her Royalettes hit the scene in the mid-sixties. Sheila, sister Anita, Ronnie Brown, and Terry Flippen came togather in Balitmore, Maryland at the beginning of the 60s.

The four young ladies practised quite often, specializing in vocal fireworks, with even some classical influence. There early sound is often compared to that of the Chantels, so it was no surprise when they chose to perform many songs the Chantels had recorded for early touring. By 1962 Chancellor Records had picked up the gals for a couple of singles. "No Big Thing" b/w "Yesterday’s Lovers," tried to capture the big dance craze sound for which Philadephia was quickly becoming well-known. It missed it’s mark, as did it’s follow-up "Blue Summer."

A stop at Warner Brothers Records, "There He Goes," didn’t generate much interest, but did establish a style used for future recordings, and the group’s characteristic harmonies. Later that same year, 1964, the Royalettes won a locally televised talent contest and found there way to Teddy Randazzo, formerly of the Three Chuckles. Randazzo had been working with Little Anthony and the Imperials as of late, and decided to use the Royalettes voices to create a female version of the group to great effect.

A verison of "He’s Gone," originally by the Chantels, and "Poor Boy," both fell by the wayside in late ‘64 and early ‘65. By July, however, their third release on MGM Records, Randazzo’s "Gonna Take A Miracle," started to chart around America. The song eventually reached number 41on the Billboard charts, but reached the Top 10 in many markets. The song hit different areas at different times which lead to staedy sales, but not enough to make it a monster hit.

The follow-up, "I Want To Meet Him," followed a similar pattern, and pushed its way up to number 72 on the charts in 1965, but five more singles on MGM didn’t quite live up to the previous hit status. By 1967 the group had moved to Roulette to release "River Of Tears," which couldn’t revive the Royalettes downward slide. Members of the group continued to perfom into the early 70s, and Sheila did some work with the Three Degrees, before reportedly become a Playboy bunny.