The Starlets - Songs

ABOUT

The Starlets were a girl group from Chicago that became famous during the early 1960s. Formed in 1961, the lineup consisted of Maxine Edwards (later Maxine Lightner), Jane Hall, Mickey McKinney, Jeanette Miles, and Liz Walker (a.k.a. Dynetta Boone). Over their short, ill-fated history, The Starlets ended up having two top hits, both of which became girl group classics, but with only one under their own name.

First signed to Pam Records, The Starlets made their national debut in 1961 on both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts with the Bernice Williams-penned "Better Tell Him No," in which Williams and Edwards sang co-leads as a mother-and-daughter dialogue. This smash, which reached the Top 40 on both charts, was followed in late 1961 with "My Last Cry," which became a minor hit. In the wake of their success with "Better Tell Him No," The Starlets toured with such top acts as The Spinners, Mary Wells, Jackie Wilson, and Gladys Knight & The Pips.

While performing in Philadelphia, Newtown Records convinced The Starlets to record an upbeat version of the old R&B standard, "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman." To avoid contractual issues with Pam Records, Newtown released the song credited to The Blue-Belles, and it became an even bigger hit than "Better Tell Him No," reaching the Top 20 in 1962 on both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts. The Starlets sued Newtown Records for ownership of the song, settling for $5,000 per member, but the group never recovered from the "Junkman" fiasco and had permanently disbanded by 1963.

SHOP EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS FOR THE STARLETS

Disclosure: The following links will take you to various online merchants outside of allbutforgottenoldies.net that sell recordings and other merchandise for the performing artist featured on this page. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which allbutforgottenoldies.net may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them.

SONGS

To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples.

The Starlets

Jump to:
Previous Artist | Next Artist