The Innocents were an American pop

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

from

Sun Valley, California Sun Valley is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood is known for its overall youthful population and moderate racial diversity. There are three recreation centers in Sun Valley, one of which ...

, United States. The trio existed primarily between 1958 and 1964, although they did reform in the 1990s.

Career

The members of the group grew up in the same neighborhood and attended the same schools. They shared a love for harmony and music in general. They were discovered and signed to a contract with Andex Records by

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

, where they recorded under the name The Echoes. After leaving Andex Records they changed their name and signed with

Indigo Records Indigo Records was an American pop record label formed in 1960. Within two years the label issued nearly 50 singles and five LPs. Origin Indigo Records was formed in Hollywood, California, in September 1960, by record promoters and producers ...

as The Innocents. The trio were all members of a car club named The Innocents, hence the name of the group. Their first Indigo hit single, "Honest I Do," was released in 1960. It was produced by

Gary Paxton Gary Sanford Paxton (born Larry Wayne Stevens; May 18, 1939 – July 17, 2016) was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and the Hollywood Argyles and was ...

. The record hit No. 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in October 1960. "Honest I Do" was followed by “Gee Whiz” (a different composition than the popular

Carla Thomas Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Thomas is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1960 ...

hit), which also topped out at No. 28 in January 1961. The 1961

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

release, ''Innocently Yours'', featured the trio staring out through prison bars. This cover is featured in the book, ''1000 Album Covers''. (

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...

) At this time a new, young female singer named

Kathy Young Kathy Young (born October 21, 1945) is an American musician; she was a teen pop singer during the early 1960s, whose rendition of "A Thousand Stars", at age 15, rose to No. 3 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Biography A native of Southern Ca ...

was signed to the Indigo label; the Innocents were asked to provide the background vocals for her recordings. The label used The Innocents' photos and name to gain publicity and thereby airplay for the Kathy Young singles. "

A Thousand Stars "A Thousand Stars" is a song written by Eugene Pearson and performed by Kathy Young and the Innocents. The song was produced and arranged by James Lee, and was featured on her 1961 album ''The Sound of Kathy Young''. Background Sandy Nelson p ...

" and others were released as by "Kathy Young with The Innocents." "A Thousand Stars" became a hit, reaching No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1960. In June 1961, the British music magazine, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', reported that the Innocents were part of

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's road show, that also included

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Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to '' Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-e ...

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and

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

. The Innocents released seven singles after "Gee Whiz" on Trans World Records,

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

, and

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...

, but none of them charted, though they continued to score hits backing up Kathy Young. The group disbanded in 1964. James West went on as a solo artist; Al Candelaria became a

session musician 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 ...

. The group reunited in the 1990s for reunion shows.

Members

*James West – First tenor, lead vocals *Darron Stankey – Second tenor *Al Candelaria – Baritone

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

*
Kathy Young and The Innocents

Kathy Young Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Innocents, The American vocal groups Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1958 Musical groups disestablished in 1964 1958 establishments in California