Today’s classic song of the day was recorded by one group but released under another group’s name. The song is that Wall of Sound classic, “He’s a Rebel,” and there’s an interesting story behind it.
To start out, “He’s a Rebel” was written by Gene Pitney for the Shirelles, but that group, which was really hot at the time, turned it down. Singer Vicki Carr recorded it for her debut release on Liberty Records (in a somewhat militaristic style), but producer Phil Spector heard about the pending release and decided to beat Ms. Carr to the punch. He wanted “He’s a Rebel” as a single for his group, the Crystals, but they were currently on tour out on the East Coast and unavailable to go into the studio. To facilitate a speedy release, Spector had another one of his groups, the West Coast-based Blossoms, record the song but then released it under the Crystals’ name. (Imagine the Crystals’ surprise when they first heard “their” new record on the radio!)
In addition to the Blossoms, the recording featured members of L.A.’s Wrecking Crew providing the instrumental accompaniment. That included Steve Douglas on sax, Howard Roberts and Tommy Tedesco on guitars, Al DeLory and Don Randi on pianos, Jimmy Bond on upright bass, Ray Pohlman on electric bass, and the legendary Hal Blaine on drums. The session was arranged by Jack Nitzsche and engineered by Larry Levine.
The Blossoms were a trio comprised of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King. Ms. Love sang lead and really belted it out on “He’s a Rebel.” In fact, when the Crystals tried to perform “He’s a Rebel” live in concert, that group’s lead singer (Barbara Alston) couldn’t copy Ms. Love’s vocals at all. That lead to Delores “La La” Brooks taking on lead vocal duties, even though she was just 15 years old at the time.
Spector released “He’s a Rebel” (under the Crystals’ name) on his Philles label in August of 1962. Less than three months later, the single hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since become a Girl Group/Wall of Sound classic.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, the real Crystals lip synching to the Blossoms’ recording of “He’s a Rebel” on the July 3, 1965, episode of Shivaree. The music business is complicated.
