Biography
The Poni-Tails’ founding members were lead vocalist Toni Cistone together with LaVerne Novak and Karen Topinka. Far from the impoverished origins associated with certain rock-era successes, all three women hailed from Lyndhurst, OH, an affluent Cleveland suburb that steered its youth toward high-school graduation, college degrees, and professional careers while viewing involvement in popular music as an idle distraction. Their vocal partnership began at Brush High School, where attorney John Jewitt arranged an introduction to publisher Tom Illius, who then launched their professional path. Impressed by the teenagers’ original composition “Que la Bozena,” Illius offered to pitch the song locally and secured a contract with Point Records, assuming management duties. The label paired “Your Wild Heart” with the group’s track as its B-side. Although the debut nearly charted, Chicago vocalist Joy Layne’s Mercury Records cover reached number 20 on Billboard’s pop survey; her performance, marked by greater range and dynamic control than the Poni-Tails displayed, succeeded at age fifteen and evoked the look and sound of Sandy Duncan.
Illius next placed the trio with Marc Records, yielding the single “Can I Be Sure,” which underperformed their first effort. Around the same period, Karen Topinka’s father withdrew her from the enterprise amid concerns over unfulfilled promises and missing royalties. Auditions led to the selection of Regina High School student Patti McCabe as her successor. Through Illius, ABC-Paramount signed the revised lineup, which recorded “Just My Luck to Be Fifteen,” a release that attracted no notice. Their breakthrough arrived with the enduring radio favorite “Born Too Late,” issued as the B-side of “Come on Joey, Dance With Me.” Cleveland disc jockeys, most notably Bill Randall, favored the flip side, and the track took hold. Follow-up ABC-Paramount singles “Seven Minutes to Heaven” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” peaked at numbers 85 and 89, respectively. The group’s last release, “Who, When, and Why,” appeared in 1960 without charting.
Despite ABC-Paramount’s proposal of a five-year extension, the members’ enthusiasm for the industry faded; suburban women possessing alternative prospects found the business unappealing. In return for their recordings, the Poni-Tails received only fan correspondence and modest spending money. The absence of royalties—likely offset by session, wardrobe, travel, and promotional expenses—contributed to their exit. Patti (McCabe) Barnes succumbed to cancer in January 1989. Toni (Cistone) Costabile later worked at a Shaker Heights, OH high school, while LaVerne (Novak) Glivic established herself as a real-estate agent in Mentor, OH, residing near Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Toni Cistone recalled, “The three years were fun, but I just wanted to get out of the record business and get back to normal living.” The original members did reunite to perform their hit at Cleveland’s Moon Dog Coronation Ball in 1997 alongside Herb Reed & the Platters, the Skyliners, the Drifters, and additional acts.
Poni Records later issued a spurious twelve-track CD titled Fun Fun Fun that credits the Poni-Tails with only one authentic song, “Born Too Late.” Tracks such as “Ooh Baby, Baby,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Tell Him,” and “Da Do Ron Ron” postdate the group’s 1960 retirement and could not have been recorded by the original members. The package depicts three model-like women in form-fitting leather attire—two brunettes and one blonde.
Illius next placed the trio with Marc Records, yielding the single “Can I Be Sure,” which underperformed their first effort. Around the same period, Karen Topinka’s father withdrew her from the enterprise amid concerns over unfulfilled promises and missing royalties. Auditions led to the selection of Regina High School student Patti McCabe as her successor. Through Illius, ABC-Paramount signed the revised lineup, which recorded “Just My Luck to Be Fifteen,” a release that attracted no notice. Their breakthrough arrived with the enduring radio favorite “Born Too Late,” issued as the B-side of “Come on Joey, Dance With Me.” Cleveland disc jockeys, most notably Bill Randall, favored the flip side, and the track took hold. Follow-up ABC-Paramount singles “Seven Minutes to Heaven” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” peaked at numbers 85 and 89, respectively. The group’s last release, “Who, When, and Why,” appeared in 1960 without charting.
Despite ABC-Paramount’s proposal of a five-year extension, the members’ enthusiasm for the industry faded; suburban women possessing alternative prospects found the business unappealing. In return for their recordings, the Poni-Tails received only fan correspondence and modest spending money. The absence of royalties—likely offset by session, wardrobe, travel, and promotional expenses—contributed to their exit. Patti (McCabe) Barnes succumbed to cancer in January 1989. Toni (Cistone) Costabile later worked at a Shaker Heights, OH high school, while LaVerne (Novak) Glivic established herself as a real-estate agent in Mentor, OH, residing near Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Toni Cistone recalled, “The three years were fun, but I just wanted to get out of the record business and get back to normal living.” The original members did reunite to perform their hit at Cleveland’s Moon Dog Coronation Ball in 1997 alongside Herb Reed & the Platters, the Skyliners, the Drifters, and additional acts.
Poni Records later issued a spurious twelve-track CD titled Fun Fun Fun that credits the Poni-Tails with only one authentic song, “Born Too Late.” Tracks such as “Ooh Baby, Baby,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Tell Him,” and “Da Do Ron Ron” postdate the group’s 1960 retirement and could not have been recorded by the original members. The package depicts three model-like women in form-fitting leather attire—two brunettes and one blonde.
Albums
