Pixies Three ( Hanover, Pennsylvania)-, Summertime USA 1964

INFO & PHOTOS FROM --thepixiesthree.com
Aficionados of the Girl Group Sound of the 1960s often cite The Pixies Three to reflect the quintessential girl group sound of the era: finger snapping, foot stomping, perky girl-next-door, bubble gum-feel-good music.
The Pixies Three 2004 In 1963, three high school friends (Midge Bollinger, Debby Swisher and Kaye McCool) from Hanover, Pennsylvania, signed a recording contract with Mercury Records. This was quite an accomplishment for the girls, whose previous experience as The Pixies consisted of talent shows, service clubs, carnivals, a couple of summers at Tony Grant's ('unpaid' talent) Steel Pier show and two appearances on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. John Madara and David White, producers with Mercury and its sub labels, found the trio at a Philadelphia club on talent night where walk-on talent was not only welcomed but frequently discovered. Madara and White signed the girls to a recording contract and suggested the name be changed to The Pixies Three as a Baltimore group had previously made a record (although not successful) under the name The Pixies.
For one full month the group (with Midge on lead, Debby on high and Kaye singing low) rehearsed at the Schubert Theater in Philly working with Madara and White penned tunes. Leon Huff, who later partnered with Kenny Gamble to create The Sound of Philadelphia and Soul Train, was their 16 year old rehearsal pianist. Huff, who always stood and danced while he played, and the girls were frequently caught clowning and often chastised to get back to work. The result of the month's effort was BIRTHDAY PARTY b/w OUR LOVE (written by Kaye), which shot into Billboard's Top 40 with a bullet.
A second set of recording sessions at Reco-Art in Philadelphia on October 4, 1963 gave birth to the Pixies two sided smash, COLD, COLD WINTER b/w 442 GLENWOOD AVENUE. With both sides of the platter charting at the same time, neither song reached its full chart potential. But record sales were bigger than BIRTHDAY PARTY and the Pixies had another hit. Shortly after the release of their second hit, Midge left the group for personal reasons, and Bonnie Long, another high school friend, became the new Pixie.
By early 1964, the Pixies Three had become one of the most popular girl groups on the music scene. With two successful hits to their credit, The Pixies Three were appearing around the country with the likes of Dionne Warwick, The Four Seasons, The Dave Clark Five and The Rolling Stones. Mercury decided it was time for an album. The group's first, and only, album, PARTY WITH THE PIXIES THREE, was recorded at Mira Sound Studios in New York. Possibly the best party platter ever recorded, it featured not only the talents of the Pixies, but also those of renowned session musicians Trade Martin, Artie Kaplan, Vinnie Bell and the girls friend and fellow cut-up, now known as Leon Fingers Huff. Two cuts were pulled from the album, GEE b/w AFTER THE PARTY, for release as the next Pixies 45. Released in March 1964, this double sided slice of heaven encountered the over-bearing domination of the British Invasion on the charts. Even so, GEE still managed to hit the top 10 in many regional markets and held a respectable #87 spot in Billboard and #79 in Cashbox.
THE HOOTCH b/w SUMMERTIME USA, recorded at Mira Sound that May, hit the record shelves in June of 1964. After complaints from stations that the word Hootch (a new dance in the spirit of "The Monkey", "The Swim" or "The Mashed Potatoes") meant liquor and was not considered appropriate for airplay by program directors, the record was flipped by Mercury. Full page ads in Music Vendor, Cash Box and Billboard showed an inverted Pixies singing SUMMERTIME USA, with a banner announcement: You've Got Us Upside Down. But, it was too late, for record stores were already returning their overstocked copies of the unheard HOOTCH and, while SUMMERTIME was getting airplay, there were no records to purchase. In spite of this fiasco, SUMMERTIME managed to break Billboard's Top 100.
1965 brought the release of the two final Pixies Three singles, ORPHAN BOY and YOUR WAY, both noteworthy efforts that failed to chart. Kaye, Bonnie and Debby graduated from high school and went their separate ways.



YES!!!! says Midge. The Pixies Three live on. ,,,,,,I DO LOVE DOOWOP AND RARE DOOWOP .50'S.60'S & Golden Oldies.& .Teen SOUND.!!