The Blue Jays were a short-lived American

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

ensemble from

Venice, California Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed b ...

. The Blue Jays formed in 1961, and after performing at an amateur's night at the Fox Theatre, they were asked by

Werly Fairburn Werly Fairburn (November 27, 1924 – January 18, 1985) was an American rockabilly musician. Fairburn was born near Folsom, Louisiana. In his youth, he listened to the ''Grand Ole Opry'' and old-time music ("hillbilly music") on the radio. He l ...

to sign to his

Milestone Records Milestone Records is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was bought by Fantasy Records in 1972. Since then, it has produced LP reissues (including items from Ke ...

. Their debut single was "Lover's Island", written by group members Leon Peels and Alex Manigeault, which became a hit in the U.S., reaching #31 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1961. Later singles included "Tears are Falling" (1961) and "The Right to Love" (1962), but the group saw no further success and broke up in 1962.

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

Allmusic.com Leon Peels briefly launched a solo career later in the 1960s.

Members

*Leon Peels (born 1936,

Newport, Arkansas Newport is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Arkansas, United States located on the White River northeast of Little Rock. The population was 7,879 at the 2010 census. Newport is home to a campus of the Arkansas State University ...

, died 1999,

) *Van Richardson *Alex Manigo/Manigeault *Leonard Davidson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Jays, The Musical groups from California Doo-wop groups