Biography
The Innocents formed as a West Coast pop trio in California's San Fernando Valley, featuring lead singer James West, bassist Al Candelaria, and tenor-guitarist Darron Stankey. Their biggest commercial success arrived when they supported fifteen-year-old Kathy Young under the billing Kathy Young & the Innocents on the 1960 Indigo Records single "A Thousand Stars," which reached number three on the pop chart and number six on the R&B side. The three friends had belonged to a local car club also called the Innocents and first crossed paths with Young at Wink Martindale's television dance program, where they were lip-syncing a current release. Indigo producer Jim Lee spoke with Young and her mother during the taping and proposed that the acts record together.
Six years earlier the Black New York doo-wop outfit the Rivileers had cut the original version of "A Thousand Stars," a detail that later prompted many listeners to classify the Innocents themselves as a doo-wop act. West and Stankey had already issued a 1959 single on Andrex Records under the name the Echos; West was added specifically to handle the upper harmonies. After briefly considering and then discarding the name the Hubcaps, the group adopted the Innocents and signed with Indigo, where they scored their first chart entry with "Honest I Do" at number twenty-eight pop in 1960. That same year Trans World Records issued an earlier track of theirs titled "Tick Tock," prompting Indigo to counter with the Kathy Young collaboration. In 1961 the trio returned to the charts with "Gee Whiz," which peaked at number twenty-eight pop and number eleven R&B, and released the album Innocently Yours; its cover photograph of the singers looking through prison bars was later named one of the one thousand best album covers ever.
Indigo next tried "Kathy" without success, and seven further singles on various labels—including two for Reprise, one on Decca, and one on Warner Bros.—also failed to register. Three additional sides charted, albeit only in the lower regions. With Kathy Young the Innocents placed two more modest hits, "Happy Birthday Blues" and "Magic Is the Night," both issued in 1961, yet six subsequent releases went nowhere. In addition to their work with Young, the trio reportedly appeared on roughly half of Indigo's total output. They disbanded in 1964 after performing on every major teen television program and sharing bills with Jan & Dean, Chubby Checker, and other leading pop acts of the era.
Starfire Records issued the 1981 compilation Our Best to You, pairing the Innocents on one side with Kathy Young on the other. That same year James West released a solo album on Atlantic. The original members regrouped in 1984 to record four new tracks, though the effort arrived at an inopportune moment and produced no commercial traction. West continued working sessions across surf, harmony, and rock-and-roll styles, while Candelaria established himself as a session guitarist. During the 1990s the group reunited for oldies concerts alongside Kathy Young, the Penguins, Rosie & the Originals, and additional vintage acts. Ace Records released the Innocents Complete Indigo Recordings in 1992.
Six years earlier the Black New York doo-wop outfit the Rivileers had cut the original version of "A Thousand Stars," a detail that later prompted many listeners to classify the Innocents themselves as a doo-wop act. West and Stankey had already issued a 1959 single on Andrex Records under the name the Echos; West was added specifically to handle the upper harmonies. After briefly considering and then discarding the name the Hubcaps, the group adopted the Innocents and signed with Indigo, where they scored their first chart entry with "Honest I Do" at number twenty-eight pop in 1960. That same year Trans World Records issued an earlier track of theirs titled "Tick Tock," prompting Indigo to counter with the Kathy Young collaboration. In 1961 the trio returned to the charts with "Gee Whiz," which peaked at number twenty-eight pop and number eleven R&B, and released the album Innocently Yours; its cover photograph of the singers looking through prison bars was later named one of the one thousand best album covers ever.
Indigo next tried "Kathy" without success, and seven further singles on various labels—including two for Reprise, one on Decca, and one on Warner Bros.—also failed to register. Three additional sides charted, albeit only in the lower regions. With Kathy Young the Innocents placed two more modest hits, "Happy Birthday Blues" and "Magic Is the Night," both issued in 1961, yet six subsequent releases went nowhere. In addition to their work with Young, the trio reportedly appeared on roughly half of Indigo's total output. They disbanded in 1964 after performing on every major teen television program and sharing bills with Jan & Dean, Chubby Checker, and other leading pop acts of the era.
Starfire Records issued the 1981 compilation Our Best to You, pairing the Innocents on one side with Kathy Young on the other. That same year James West released a solo album on Atlantic. The original members regrouped in 1984 to record four new tracks, though the effort arrived at an inopportune moment and produced no commercial traction. West continued working sessions across surf, harmony, and rock-and-roll styles, while Candelaria established himself as a session guitarist. During the 1990s the group reunited for oldies concerts alongside Kathy Young, the Penguins, Rosie & the Originals, and additional vintage acts. Ace Records released the Innocents Complete Indigo Recordings in 1992.
Albums
