The Ivy Three

Formed toward the close of the 1950s by three Adelphi University undergraduates in Garden City, Long Island, the Ivy Three brought together Artie Kaye (born Berkowitz), Charlie Cane (born Koppelman), and Don Rubin through their shared interest in singing. Shell Records, the modest New York independent launched by songwriters Lou Stallman and Sid Jacobson, added the group to its roster, after which Charles Koppelman assisted the pair in completing a track they had begun, “Yogi,” that served as the trio’s debut single. That recording climbed to number eight on the national charts during autumn 1960, yet no subsequent Ivy Three release approached comparable success, and the act disbanded inside twelve months. Koppelman and Rubin subsequently established the management firm Koppelman-Rubin Productions, whose clients included the Critters, Tim Hardin, and Gary Lewis & the Playboys, yielding substantial pop achievements throughout the mid-1960s. The Critters also proved pivotal to Kama Sutra Records’ initial momentum while functioning as an outlet for the songwriting team of Peter Anders and Vince Poncia, a pair of Phil Spector veterans responsible for “Do I Love You” and similar material who had previously performed with the vocal group the Videls.