Biography
The Drapels consisted of siblings Mary and Johnny Frierson along with Marianne Brittenum and Wilbur Mondie, and the quartet placed two singles on Stax Records. Johnny, Brittenum, and Mondie were the eldest members, all in their late teens, while Mary was roughly fifteen. Johnny alone brought prior experience, having played guitar and performed weekend and summer dates with gospel ensembles. All four attended Klondike and Manassa High in North Memphis. Before reaching Stax the group had never appeared in public, not even at neighborhood talent contests. Mondie and Johnny assembled the lineup expressly to earn income and viewed a recording contract as an avenue to rapid financial gain. Mary joined first, followed by Brittenum, who was older yet already Mary’s friend. Executives at the label quickly recognized that the strongest vocalists were Mary and Johnny. The name itself emerged from an extended brainstorming session that eliminated one possibility after another until Mondie proposed “the Drapels,” drawn from the drapes hanging in the Frierson home and pronounced with emphasis on the final syllable in a French manner.
Their persistence secured a Stax contract in 1963, leading to the release of the first single, “Wondering When My Love Is Coming Home” backed with “Please Don’t Go,” in January 1964. Both sides were written by the Drapels. The only promotion consisted of the members telephoning local radio outlets to request airplay; they performed cartwheels the few times a disc jockey obliged. The record failed to generate interest, and Stax waited until July 1964 before issuing the group’s second and final single, “Young Man” backed with “Your Love Is All I Need.” Mary, Brittenum, and Mondie composed the A-side, while Earl Hines and Richard Randolph supplied the flip. Although Stax offered scant support for that release, the following month the label issued “After Laughter Comes Tears” under the name Wendy Rene—born Mary Frierson—with the Drapels supplying uncredited backing vocals. Several tracks, including that song, had originally been cut as Drapels material, yet the company chose to disband the group and focus solely on its lead singer. Mondie, disillusioned by the lack of activity, departed for Tuskegee University, later remarking that Stax had done little on the quartet’s behalf and that he could count their live performances on one hand without using his thumb or little finger.
His principal satisfaction remained having written a song that Carla Thomas nearly recorded. In the mid-1990s Mondie received an unexpected first royalty payment of $305, accompanied by evidence that the Drapels’ recordings were selling in European markets. Smaller checks, typically around twenty dollars, continued to arrive. By then Mondie resided and worked in Washington, D.C., whereas the remaining members stayed in Memphis. Marianne developed a songwriting career of her own, penning material for Wendy and collaborating with Don Bryant, husband of Ann Peebles; after marriage she became Marianne Brittenum-Cleaves. Johnny likewise composed, co-writing “I’ve Got a Feeling” with Lonnie Watson for Ollie & the Nightingales and cutting solo sides for Hi Records under another name. Mary achieved modest chart success as Wendy Rene before marrying and becoming Mary Cross. Without Mondie, the other three members supplied both credited and uncredited background vocals on sessions for Rene, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, and Carla Thomas.
Their persistence secured a Stax contract in 1963, leading to the release of the first single, “Wondering When My Love Is Coming Home” backed with “Please Don’t Go,” in January 1964. Both sides were written by the Drapels. The only promotion consisted of the members telephoning local radio outlets to request airplay; they performed cartwheels the few times a disc jockey obliged. The record failed to generate interest, and Stax waited until July 1964 before issuing the group’s second and final single, “Young Man” backed with “Your Love Is All I Need.” Mary, Brittenum, and Mondie composed the A-side, while Earl Hines and Richard Randolph supplied the flip. Although Stax offered scant support for that release, the following month the label issued “After Laughter Comes Tears” under the name Wendy Rene—born Mary Frierson—with the Drapels supplying uncredited backing vocals. Several tracks, including that song, had originally been cut as Drapels material, yet the company chose to disband the group and focus solely on its lead singer. Mondie, disillusioned by the lack of activity, departed for Tuskegee University, later remarking that Stax had done little on the quartet’s behalf and that he could count their live performances on one hand without using his thumb or little finger.
His principal satisfaction remained having written a song that Carla Thomas nearly recorded. In the mid-1990s Mondie received an unexpected first royalty payment of $305, accompanied by evidence that the Drapels’ recordings were selling in European markets. Smaller checks, typically around twenty dollars, continued to arrive. By then Mondie resided and worked in Washington, D.C., whereas the remaining members stayed in Memphis. Marianne developed a songwriting career of her own, penning material for Wendy and collaborating with Don Bryant, husband of Ann Peebles; after marriage she became Marianne Brittenum-Cleaves. Johnny likewise composed, co-writing “I’ve Got a Feeling” with Lonnie Watson for Ollie & the Nightingales and cutting solo sides for Hi Records under another name. Mary achieved modest chart success as Wendy Rene before marrying and becoming Mary Cross. Without Mondie, the other three members supplied both credited and uncredited background vocals on sessions for Rene, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, and Carla Thomas.