Biography
Hailing from the United States, Earl-Jean McCrea took her cue from sibling Darlene McCrea and stepped into her place within the Cookies, a modestly popular R&B vocal trio. She joined forces with longstanding member Dorothy Jones and Margaret Ross to form the group’s revised roster. In 1962 the Cookies inked a deal with Goffin and King’s Dimension imprint, functioning simultaneously as recording artists and session vocalists. The act notched US Top 20 successes via “Chains,” which the Beatles would later cover, and “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby).” Earl-Jean launched a solo career on Colpix in 1964; her debut outing, the Goffin and King song “I’m Into Something Good,” registered her sole US chart entry at the lower reaches of the Top 40. Herman’s Hermits propelled the same track to UK number 1 status the following year. Her subsequent release, “Randy,” made no commercial impression, and further recording efforts failed to yield sustained recognition.