Biography
According to John Clemente's exhaustive article on the Spectropop website, the girl group Baby Jane & the Rockabyes originated in the Bronx, New York, during 1958. Vocalists Estelle McEwan, Yvonne DeMunn, Paula Hutchinson, and Brenda Carrow made up the original lineup; these schoolmates shared a deep admiration for the Chantels. First known as the DeVaurs—a name partly drawn from DeMunn's surname—the young ensemble soon claimed victory in a neighborhood talent contest, which led to a recording opportunity on the modest Brooklyn imprint D-Tone. Hutchinson handled lead vocals on the resulting single, the McEwan-penned "Baby Doll," yet the track gained no traction on local radio.
Shifting to the Moon label, the DeVaurs issued the 1959 follow-up "Where Are You," which climbed into the Top 20 on WNJR; label proprietor Al Browne further enlisted the quartet to supply backing vocals for an up-and-coming Baby Washington on four Neptune sides, including "The Bells" and "Nobody Cares." Despite that regional breakthrough, members began drifting away after marriages and steady employment; Carrow's departure in 1961 brought in the five-octave powerhouse Madelyn Moore, and once Hutchinson exited, the remaining trio pressed on.
While laying down demos for songwriter Arthur Crier, the DeVaurs collaborated with session singer Yolanda Robinson, who soon joined full-time. The revamped quartet quickly emerged as one of New York City's most active backing ensembles, frequently cutting demos for writers such as Bert Berns and the team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. After Phil Spector protégés Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans reached the Top Ten in 1962 with their version of the Disney favorite "Zip-a-Dee Doo-Da," Lieber and Stoller applied a similar approach to the Patti Page hit "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?," placing the DeVaurs out front. The group was surprised to see the track released on United Artists under the name Baby Jane & the Rockabyes, but the single's ascent to number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 cemented the new identity. The next release, the 1963 ballad "All I Want to Do Is Run," appeared instead under the Elektras credit for unknown reasons.
Credited once more as Baby Jane & the Rockabyes, the quartet tackled the nursery-rhyme update "Hickory Dickory Dock," yet it failed to chart. "Get Me to the Church on Time," drawn from the Broadway triumph My Fair Lady, followed, but even after sharing bills with Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Shirelles, and the Supremes, the act never ignited, and Lieber and Stoller dropped the contract. Without her bandmates' knowledge, DeMunn signed with composer-producer Ed Silvers, who rebranded the ensemble Henrietta & the Hairdooz; three Liberty singles—"Slow Motion," "It Might as Well Be Me," and "I Love Him," all from 1963—went nowhere. Billed as the Lullabyes, the foursome cut their sole Dimension release, 1964's "My Heart Cries for You," while their final outing, 1966's "Heartbreak Shop," again used the Baby Jane & the Rockabyes name, though it also flopped. Robinson departed early the next year. The remaining trio briefly added male vocalist Billy Guy, yet the group disbanded permanently in 1968. DeMunn and Guy later married and performed together as the Starr-Blair Affair.
Shifting to the Moon label, the DeVaurs issued the 1959 follow-up "Where Are You," which climbed into the Top 20 on WNJR; label proprietor Al Browne further enlisted the quartet to supply backing vocals for an up-and-coming Baby Washington on four Neptune sides, including "The Bells" and "Nobody Cares." Despite that regional breakthrough, members began drifting away after marriages and steady employment; Carrow's departure in 1961 brought in the five-octave powerhouse Madelyn Moore, and once Hutchinson exited, the remaining trio pressed on.
While laying down demos for songwriter Arthur Crier, the DeVaurs collaborated with session singer Yolanda Robinson, who soon joined full-time. The revamped quartet quickly emerged as one of New York City's most active backing ensembles, frequently cutting demos for writers such as Bert Berns and the team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. After Phil Spector protégés Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans reached the Top Ten in 1962 with their version of the Disney favorite "Zip-a-Dee Doo-Da," Lieber and Stoller applied a similar approach to the Patti Page hit "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?," placing the DeVaurs out front. The group was surprised to see the track released on United Artists under the name Baby Jane & the Rockabyes, but the single's ascent to number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 cemented the new identity. The next release, the 1963 ballad "All I Want to Do Is Run," appeared instead under the Elektras credit for unknown reasons.
Credited once more as Baby Jane & the Rockabyes, the quartet tackled the nursery-rhyme update "Hickory Dickory Dock," yet it failed to chart. "Get Me to the Church on Time," drawn from the Broadway triumph My Fair Lady, followed, but even after sharing bills with Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Shirelles, and the Supremes, the act never ignited, and Lieber and Stoller dropped the contract. Without her bandmates' knowledge, DeMunn signed with composer-producer Ed Silvers, who rebranded the ensemble Henrietta & the Hairdooz; three Liberty singles—"Slow Motion," "It Might as Well Be Me," and "I Love Him," all from 1963—went nowhere. Billed as the Lullabyes, the foursome cut their sole Dimension release, 1964's "My Heart Cries for You," while their final outing, 1966's "Heartbreak Shop," again used the Baby Jane & the Rockabyes name, though it also flopped. Robinson departed early the next year. The remaining trio briefly added male vocalist Billy Guy, yet the group disbanded permanently in 1968. DeMunn and Guy later married and performed together as the Starr-Blair Affair.