Biography
Among the earliest doo wop ensembles and bird groups alike, the Crows also ranked as one of the first acts to land a genuine rock & roll hit, which helped cement their status as significant one-shot performers in the music’s development. Their discovery came at New York’s Apollo Theater in 1952, after which they joined the wave of acts shaping doo wop through buoyant vocal lines and harmonies, playful nonsense syllables, and jump-blues instrumentation that had been subtly reworked. The 1953 release “Gee” stood out at once for its memorable melody, guileless street-corner exuberance, and guitar solo echoing Charlie Christian; it proved both their strongest record and their only commercial success. Nearly a year passed before the single gained momentum, climbing to number 14 on the pop charts and number two on the R&B charts in early 1954. The group cut roughly a half-dozen additional 45s from 1952 through 1954, yet dissolved quietly within months of “Gee” slipping from the hit parade.
Albums