The Halos were an 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 ...

group from

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. The group formed with members Al Cleveland,

J.R. Bailey James Ralph Bailey (June 17, 1937 – September 6, 1985) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. A member of The Cadillacs from 1956 to 1972, he also recorded as a solo artist. He worked as a background vocalist for singers such as Aretha Frankl ...

, Harold Johnson, and Arthur Crier (bass). Phil Johnson replaced J.R. Bailey shortly after the recording of "Nag". (Bailey later joined

The Cadillacs The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York, active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit " Speedo", written by Esther Navarro, which was instrumental in attracting white audiences to ...

.) The group got its start as

session musicians Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, backing up vocalists recorded by producer

Morty Craft Morton Irving Craft (August 19, 1920 – January 27, 2022) was an American music arranger, songwriter, record producer, business executive, and record label owner. Biography Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Craft's early career was as a saxop ...

. Their first single, "L-O-V-E" b/w "Heartbreaking World", was released in 1961 under the name The Craftys. It peaked at No. 4 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

. Their second release, now under the name The Halos, "Nag" b/w "Copy Cat", became a hit, reaching No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Further singles were not successful, but the group continued as a studio ensemble, appearing on the

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

-produced tunes "

Pretty Little Angel Eyes "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" is a 1961 song by American singer Curtis Lee. It was released on Dunes Records, #45-2007. Phil Spector served as producer, and also produced Lee's follow-up hit " Under the Moon of Love". Background The track is in the ...

" by

Curtis Lee Curtis Edwin Lee (October 28, 1939 – January 8, 2015) was an American singer of the early 1960s, who was twice a beneficiary of Phil Spector's productions in 1961. These were " Pretty Little Angel Eyes" ( US #7) and " Under the Moon of Love" ...

and "Every Breath I Take" by

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...

, as well as

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early li ...

's Who Put the Bomp. Arthur Crier (born on April 1, 1935 in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York) died on July 22, 2004, at age 69. Crier's son, Keith "Sabu" Crier, was later a member of GQ, and his grandson is

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give A ...

The Halos The Halos were an American doo wop group from The Bronx. The group formed with members Al Cleveland, J.R. Bailey, Harold Johnson, and Arthur Crier (bass). Phil Johnson replaced J.R. Bailey shortly after the recording of "Nag". (Bailey later joined ...

at Allmusic.com

Members

*Al Cleveland *Arthur Crier *Phil Johnson *Harold Johnson

References

External links

Arthur Crier's homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halos, The Doo-wop groups Musical groups from the Bronx