The Ad
Libs aka The Ad-Libs
(Bayonne, New Jersey)
Ref.
The Creators (3)
The Ad Libs (1964) |
Group members:
1st lineup (1964 - 1966)
Mary
Ann Thomas (lead)
Danny
Austin (tenor)
Norman
Donegan (baritone)
Hugh
Harris (tenor and lead)
David Allen
Watt (bass)
2nd lineup (1966 – 1968)
Irene Baxter
aka Irene Baker (lead and soprano)
Rose
Myers (soprano)
Arthur
Robinson (lead)
Hugh
Harris (tenor)
David
Allen Watt (bass)
3rd lineup (1968 - 1975)
Linda
Goodson (lead)
Danny
Austin (tenor)
Hugh
Harris (lead)
Norman
Donegan (tenor)
David Allen
Watt (bass)
4th lineup (1975 - 1982)
Natalie
? (lead)
Eller
Weas Little
Chris
Bartley (lead)
Jimmy
Hollinger
David Allen
Watt (bass)
5th lineup (1988)
Mary
Ann Thomas (lead)
Abby
Grant
Chris
Bartley (lead)
Ray
Block
David Allen
Watt (bass)
Discography:
The
Creators
1962 - I’ll
Never Never Do It Again / Boy He’s Got It (T-Kay 110)
1962 - Yeah
He’s Got It / Boy He’s Got It (instrumental) (Philips 40058)
1962 - I’ll
Stay Home (New Year’s Eve) / Shoom Ba Boo (Philips 40083)
The Ad
Libs
Singles:
1964-
The Boy From New York City / Kicked Around
(Blue Cat 102)
1965 - He
Ain’t No Angel / Ask Anybody (Blue Cat 114)
1965 - On
The Corner / Oo-Wee Oh Mee Oh My (Blue Cat 119)
1966 -
Johnny My Boy / I’m Just A Down Home Girl (Blue Cat 123)
1966 - Human
/ New York In The Dark (A.G.P. 100)
1966 - Every
Boy And Girl / Think Of Me (Karen 1527)
1967 -
You’re In Love / Don’t Ever Leave Me (Philips 40461)
1968 - You’re
Just A Rolling Stone / Show A Little Appreciation (Share 101)
1968 - Giving
Up / Appreciation (Share 104)
1969 -
Nothing Worse Than Being Alone / If She Wants Him (Share 106)
1970 -
Love Me / Know All About You (Capitol 2944)
1977 - Dance
With Me, Children (Part 1) / Dance With Me, Children (Part 2) (Right-On 105)
1982 -
I Don’t Need No Fortune Teller / Spring And Summer (Passion 1)
1988 -
I Stayed Home / I Stayed Home (acapella) (Johnnie Boy 1)
1988 -
The Tide Has Turned / The Tide Has Turned (instrumental) (Johnnie Boy 2)
1988 -
Close To Me / Close To Me (instrumental) (Johnnie Boy 3)
1989 -
I Stayed Home / Santa’s On His Way (Johnnie Boy 4)
Album:
1967 -
{New York City To L.A. -– Acappella All The Way!} Human / New York In The Dark
(Various Artists) (Acappella Records LP 1001)
Unreleased:
1964 -
Come On And Help Me (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
Kicked Around (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
Kicked Around (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Oo-Wee
Oh Me Oh My (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 - Oo-Wee
Oh Me Oh My (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
Santa’s On His Way (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
Strange Things (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
The Tide Has Turned (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
The Boy From New York City (acapella demo) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
The Boy From New York City (backing track, no lead vocal) (Blue Cat)
1964 -
The Boy From New York City (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1965 -
Johnny My Boy (alternate version) (Blue Cat)
1965 -
The Slime (Blue Cat)
1965 - You'll
Always Be In Style (Blue Cat)
Biography:
The Ad-Libs might seem like an odd combo to call a
"girl group." After all, the band consisted of one woman and four
men. But their sound was thoroughly in the girl-group style. Their release,
"The Boy from New York City," was a monster hit in early 1965 and was
later covered by Manhattan Transfer.
The Ad Libs (1964) |
The strong voice that led "The Boy from New York
City" was that of Mary Ann Thomas. Prior to her joining the group, the
all-male band, from New Jersey, was called the Creators. Consisting of Hugh
Harris, Danny Austin, James Wright, John Alan and Chris Cole, the group had a
virtually invisible release in 1963 with "I'll Stay Home."
The Ad Libs (1964) |
They re-grouped in 1964, with only Hugh Harris and
Danny Austin staying, and were joined by Dave Watt and Norman Donegan. They
added Mary Ann Thomas as their female lead. Under the tutelage of songwriter
John Taylor, a saxophone player who had been in the music business since the
1930s, they created a new sound heavily influenced by jazz and big band
flavors.
The Ad Libs (1965) |
But what to name the new group, who wanted to
differentiate themselves from the Creators name? Though they were pressured to
call the group the Cheerios (perhaps by Taylor), they instead chose a name
based on a hot New York nightclub.
The Ad Libs (1965) |
The Ad-Libs, as they were now known, cut a demo with
Taylor that featured a driving piano rhythm: "The Boy From New York
City." Taylor presented the demo to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller of Blue
Cat Records. It was an unknown group, but the song had snap and they agreed to
give it a try, releasing it as a single in December 1964.
By March 1965, the song reached number eight on the
pop charts. For their second hit, the group used a back-catalogue song written
by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, "He Ain't No Angel." The song had
been earlier recorded in a fast-paced, gospel style by Leola & The Love Joys.
The Ad Libs (1965) |
It wasn't the right song for the right group, even
with the Ad-Libs' treatment of the song. (The Barry/Greenwich tune "Chapel
of Love" had a similar fate: Phil Spector wasn't pleased with the
Ronettes' version and wouldn't release it. When the Dixie Cups recorded it
later, Greenwich knew their treatment of it was a can't-miss sound, and it
became a number-one hit.)
The Ad Libs (1967) |
Two other singles by the Ad-Libs ("On the
Corner" and the funky "Just a Down Home Girl") failed to chart,
and the Ad-Libs were dropped by the Blue Cat label.
Chris Bartley & The Ad Libs (1977) |
They tried singles with other record labels
("Think of Me" on Karen Records and "New York in the Dark"
on Eskee Records), then signed with Share Records of New York and released
"Giving It Up," which made it to 34 on the R & B charts. During
the next years, there were group member changes and more songs but none of them
scored. Their last releases were many years later, with "I Stayed Home
(New Year's Eve)" in 1988 and "Santa's On His Way" in 1999.
Their time was truly brief but blazing: in the day
when albums could quickly be slapped together by adding the group's demos if
they hit it hot, the Ad-Libs never had an album release when they were famous.
Sadly, Mary Ann Thomas passed away a few years ago of pancreatic cancer.
Source:
Excerpt from Girl Groups
Photo Gallery:
Links:
Songs:
The
Creators
I’ll
Never Never Do It Again
Boy
He’s Got It
Yeah,
He’s Got It
I’ll
Stay Home (New Year’s Eve)
Shoom
Ba Boo
The Ad
Libs
The Boy
From New York City
Kicked
Around
He
Ain’t No Angel
Ask
Anybody
On The
Corner
Oo-Wee
Oh Mee Oh My
Oo-Wee
Oh Mee Oh My (unreleased acapella demo)
Oo-Wee
Oh Mee Oh My (unreleased alternate version)
Johnny
My Boy
Johnny
My Boy (unreleased alternate version)
I’m
Just A Down Home Girl
Human
Human
(acapella)
New
York In The Dark
New
York In The Dark (acapella)
Every
Boy And Girl
Think
Of Me
You’re
In Love
Don’t
Ever Leave Me
You’re
Just A Rolling Stone
Appreciation
aka Show A Little Appreciation
Giving
Up
Nothing
Worse Than Being Alone
If She
Wants Him
Love Me
Dance With
Me Children Pt. 1
Know
All About You
I Don’t
Need No Fortune Teller
The
Slime
You'll
Always Be In Style
The Boy
From New York City (alternate version & backing track)
The Boy
From New York City (acapella demo)
Come On
And Help Me
Santa’s
On His Way
Strange
Things
The
Tide Has Turned