Biography
Krystal Generation, fronted by Joyce Smith with Darlene Arnold, Mary Shelley, and Mary Lead in support, issued eight singles across four labels before calling it quits. The Chicago quartet toured as part of Simtec & Wylie’s revue. Their first two efforts, “Good Man” b/w “I’ve Got to Leave Him” and “I’m Gonna Build” b/w “Hard Knot to Swallow,” appeared on T-Box Records, the imprint Simtec & Wylie named for the Tea Boxes Band that accompanied the show. Fred White, Maurice’s brother, performed with the revue until he departed to join Earth, Wind & Fire. Pamela Moffett, who would later work with Smokey Robinson and Eugene Record, shared writing credit on “Good Man.” When neither side clicked, the group moved to Twinight Records for the 1970 one-off “Is It Meant to Be” b/w “Satisfied,” which also failed to register.
Three further singles followed on Gene Chandler’s Mr. Chand label. “Wanted Dead or Alive” (1971) scraped together modest local airplay, while “Please Stop Don’t Walk Out” and “Where Does Love Go” remained unreleased. Their last outing, a CMC Records revival of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World,” seemed destined for the charts yet never connected. The quartet kept working clubs and stages long after the records stopped, eventually stepping away for steadier pursuits. Labels valued acts like Krystal Generation precisely because they stayed on the road fulfilling gigs rather than pressing owners for advances; even so, the talented foursome never broke through.
Three further singles followed on Gene Chandler’s Mr. Chand label. “Wanted Dead or Alive” (1971) scraped together modest local airplay, while “Please Stop Don’t Walk Out” and “Where Does Love Go” remained unreleased. Their last outing, a CMC Records revival of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World,” seemed destined for the charts yet never connected. The quartet kept working clubs and stages long after the records stopped, eventually stepping away for steadier pursuits. Labels valued acts like Krystal Generation precisely because they stayed on the road fulfilling gigs rather than pressing owners for advances; even so, the talented foursome never broke through.