The Tune Weavers were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in s ...

formed in 1957. They had a US top ten hit in 1957 with "

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" is a 1957 song written by Margo Sylvia & Gilbert Lopez. "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" was originally performed by The Tune Weavers, who had their only hit with this song. Both Margo Sylvia and Gilbert Lopez were mem ...

". After first splitting up in 1962, the group has continued to perform with two original members.

Career

The group formed in

Woburn, Massachusetts Woburn ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,876 at the 2020 census. Woburn is located north of Boston. Woburn uses Massachusetts' mayor-council form of government, in which an elected mayor is ...

, and originally comprised lead singer Margo Sylvia (born Margo Lopez, 4 April 1936 – 25 October 1991);Biography by Rovi at Allmusic.com
Accessed 25 October 2012 tenor Gilbert J. "Gil" Lopez (4 July 1934 – 3 July 1998); bass singer John Sylvia (b. 4 September 1935); and

obligato In Western classical music, ''obbligato'' (, also spelled ''obligato'') usually describes a musical line that is in some way indispensable in performance. Its opposite is the marking ''ad libitum''. It can also be used, more specifically, to indica ...

Charlotte Davis (b. 12 November 1936). Margo and Gil, who were sister and brother, sang as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and pop duo together in clubs, before being joined in 1956 by Margo's husband John, and her cousin Charlotte, to form the group. They were originally called the Tone Weavers before they were mistakenly announced as the Tune Weavers, and the new name stuck. J.C. Marion, ''I Remember Dear : The Tune Weavers'', 2004
Accessed 25 October 2012 The group came to the attention of former band leader Frank Paul, and in March 1957 they recorded a song, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby", that Margo and Gil had written together in 1952. The record was issued on Paul's own label, Casa Grande, but was not a success at first. However, a few months later it began to be played by radio DJs in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. It was promoted by

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

, and Chess Records in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

then bought the national distribution rights, and released it on their subsidiary label Checker Records. The record entered both the '' Billboard'' pop and

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

s in September 1957, reaching no. 5 on the pop chart and no. 4 on the R&B chart. The group appeared in an

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

concert in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and later went on national package tours with

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

, Buddy Holly and

the Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desir ...

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

Roy Hamilton Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought soul to Great American Songbook singing. Hamilton's greatest commercial success ca ...

The Clovers The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/ doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s.The Guinness Who's Who of Fifties Music. General Editor: Colin Larkin. First published 1993 (UK). . The Clovers p77. They ha ...

, and others. They released several more records on the Casa Grande label, distributed by Ember Records, including "I Remember Dear", but none of their later releases made the charts. Charlotte Davis left the group in 1960, and was replaced by William "Bunky" Morris Jr.. They continued to record until 1964, but then broke up. The Tune Weavers website
Accessed 25 October 2012 The group reassembled for some performances in the 1970s, and Margo Sylvia recorded under the Tune Weavers name in the late 1980s. Following her death in 1991, and that of Gil Lopez in 1998, John Sylvia and Charlotte Davis (now Charlotte Davis Rose) joined new group members Alice Fernandes and Burt Pina to do shows, and the group was inducted into the Doo Wop Hall of Fame in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tune Weavers, The American rhythm and blues musical groups American vocal groups