The Six Teens

The name of the Six Teens originated from the members' collective average age divided by six, with Ed Wells the eldest at 17 and Trudy Williams the youngest at 12. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers provided the model for most adolescent ensembles of the period, and the Six Teens followed suit. They began as the Sweet Teens and issued a lone single under that billing, "Don't Worry About a Thing," on Flip Records in 1956; Wells handled lead vocals for that session, after which Williams assumed the role on all later sides. Their initial release as the Six Teens, "A Casual Look," proved their strongest seller when Flip's owner favored the flip side "Teenage Promise," only for disc jockeys to reverse the preference, sending the track to number 25 on the pop charts and number seven R&B.

Live work followed, including an extended engagement across Hawaii for much of summer 1957. Their second outing, "Send Me Flowers," topped local playlists there, whereas the third, "Only Jim," failed to extend their momentum. "Arrow of Love," the fourth single, climbed only to number 80, and Flip's subsequent campaign to reach teenyboppers yielded increasingly shallow material such as "Stop Playing Ping Pong With My Little Heart," which stood no realistic chance of success. A change in lineup likewise failed to steady the group's direction.

Also in 1957 they cut "My Surprise," issued under the billing the Six Teens featuring (14-year-old) Trudy Williams. Three further releases went uncharted, yet the act persisted with varying personnel into the late '60s. They later reunited for doo wop revival shows and issued a collection of new recordings, The Six Teens Greatest Hits, on Lacoriha Records.