The Cookies

The Cookies was a American Girl group which known two incarnations between 1953 and 1967. At the end of the Fifties, the first version of the group became The Raelettes, the chorus-singers of Ray Charles.

Biography

Formed in 1953 in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, the Cookies was in the beginning made up of Dorottea " Dorothy" Jones, of his cousin Beulah Robertson and Darlene (Ethel??) McCrea. The girl group records first simple for Lamp Records in 1954. After being itself pointed out by Jesse Jones, in 1955, they are committed on Atlantic Records where Margie Hendricks replaced Beulah Robertson. Three simple is followed from there, of which In Paradise classified with the signal 10 R &B in 1956. Cookies make choruses on many discs of Atlantic Records, among which Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner ( Lipstick, Powder And Paint ), LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown and Chuck Willis ( It' S Too Late ).

In 1958, Hendricks and McCrea join Ray Charles and become the Raelettes. Dorothy Jones, then pregnant cannot follow them. In final, only Margie continued within Raelettes, it sang several duet with Ray Charles (of which Hit The Road Jack ). It was also its mistress and have a child of him, Charles Waynes. Margie was transfered by Ray in 1964, it recorded several discs on Tangerine, Mercury and Sound Stage 7.

With beginning of the year 60, Dorothy, starts again Cookies with another of his/her cousins, Margaret Ross and the sister of Darlene, Earl-Jean McCrea.

In 1964, Darlene McCrea records a 45t in solo, Don' T Worry Baby . In 1967, it joined the Cookies which had just left his/her sister, Earl-Jean, to record their two simple last on Warner Bros. In 1967, Earl-Jean records in his turn two 45t which will not function very well, I' m Into Something Good (Colpix) and Randy (Colpix 748). Ironically, the first will be taken again with much success by the group Hermann Hermits four months later and will reach the first place of the charts.

The group also recorded under other names: The Palisades, The Cinderellas, The Stepping Stones or The Honey Bees.

Precise details

There were two sisters within Cookies, the McCrea sisters. But it is difficult to make the distinction between Earl-Jean, Ethel and Darlene. Indeed, according to the sources their identity and their role within Cookies and from Raelettes vary. Certain times, Ethel and Darlene are identified like two different people and of other like the same person. Having recorded each one of the 45t under their name, one can easily determine Earl-Jean and Darlene as being two distinct people, but in this case which of both was Ethel? Certain sources specify that Darlene would have replaced his/her sister with her departure of the Raelettes. Confusion between the two sisters is all the more strong as their voices were almost similar.

Other confusion reigning in connection with the Cookies is the place of Patricia " Pat" Lyles. According to certain sources, it would have belonged to the first version of Cookies whereas Dorothy Jones would have arrived only in 1962. Pat Lyles, on the other hand, belonged to the first grinding of the Raelettes.

Margie Hendricks, born on March 13rd, 1939, started used the name " Margie Hendrix" at the time of the Raelettes. It is deceased of an overdose in July 1973 and it is also under this name that it appears on the register of the deaths of the social security.

Anecdotes

In Ray, film recalling the life of Ray Charles, left in 2004, unquestionable members of Cookies/Raelettes are incarnated with the screen. A big role is in particular given to Margie Hendricks, which is played by Regina King. Ethel McCrea (credited Ethel McRea) is interpreted by Kimberly J. Ardison and Pat Lyle by Renee Wilson.

Discography

Simple

"Don' T Let Go" /" All Night Mambo" (7" , Lamp Records, 8008,1954)
" Later Later" /" Precious Love" (7" , Atlantic Records, 1061,1955)
" In Paradise" /" Precious Love" - #9 signal R&B (7" , Atlantic Records, 1084,1956)
" Down By The River" /" My Lover" (7" , Atlantic Records, 1110,1956)
" King Off Hearts" /" Happy Dippy Daddy" (7" , Josie Records, 882,1957)
" In Paradise" /" Precious Love" - republication (7" , Atlantic Records, 2079,1960)
" Chains" /" Stranger In My Arms" - #17 Pop charts (7" , Dimension Records, 1002/London American Recordings, 45-HLU 9634,1962)
" Don' T Say Nothin' Bad (Butt My Baby) " /" Softly In The Night" - #3 charts R&B, #7 Pop charts (7" , Dimension Records, 1008,1963)
" Will Power" /" I Want has Servant boy For My Birthday" (7" , Dimension Records, 1012,1963)
" Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys" /" Only To Other People" - #33 charts R&B, #33 Pop charts (7" , Dimension Records, 1020,1963)
" I Never Dreamed" /" The Old Crowd" (7" , Dimension Records, 1032,1964)
" Wounded" /" All My Trials" (7" , Warner Bros, 7025,1967)
" Mr. Cupid" /" Hang My Head And Cry" (7" , Warner Bros, 7047,1967)

Republications

"Don' T Say Nothin' Bad Butt the Cookies" (LP, Teenager Records, 608,1991)
" Hits and Rarities" - 26 tracks (CD, Marginal Records, MAR 109)
" The Supplements Cookies" - 16 tracks (CD, Sequel Records, NEM MINOR ROAD 649,1994)
" … The Absolute Supplements Cookies! (And Oh So Sweet!)" - 26 tracks (CD, Chocolate Chip Records, CCRCD 4001,2004)
" Chains" - 10 tracks (CD, Collectable Records, 9936, August 9th, 2005)

Notes and references of the article

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