Biography
Led by Jimmy Stephens, the Safaris from Southern California scored immediately in 1960 with their debut single "Image of a Girl," which climbed to number seven on Billboard via Eldo Records, yet the light-singing ensemble never repeated that success. Their follow-up, the calypso-tinged and somewhat amateurish "Girl With the Story in Her Eyes," briefly raised hopes before vanishing from the charts. Neither "In the Still of the Night" nor "Soldier of Fortune," both issued in 1961, managed to register with listeners or radio. After parting ways with Eldo, the group placed "Legion of the Lost" on Image Records the same year, though the track sank without a trace among buyers and programmers. Still in 1961, their last release appeared under the name the Suddens rather than the Safaris; "Childish Ways" backed with "Garden of Love"—the latter also serving as the B-side to "Legion of the Lost"—surfaced on Sudden Records and faded from view almost instantly. Mark Wynter scored a number 11 British hit in 1962 with his own version of "Image of a Girl." Following roughly two years of activity, the Safaris/Suddens slipped into obscurity. Among vintage-record enthusiasts, "Girl With the Story in Her Eyes" remains a sought-after collectible.