THE CRESTS SIXTEEN CANDLES (1959)

The Crests were a New York R B doowop group in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their most popular song, Sixteen Candles, rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959, selling over one million copies, earning a gold disc. The interracial group had three black members (one female), one Puerto Rican, and one ItalianAmerican. Founded by J. T. Carter, the group included Talmoudge Gough, Harold Torres, and Patricia Van Dross, (older sister of R B great Luther Vandross). Carter selected vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (shortened to Johnny Mastro and later to Johnny Maestro) as lead vocalist. Maestro s recorded vocal style became instantly recognizable, and a juke box favorite of national teen audiences. Maestro s quality vocals, great song selections, and recordings, with danceeasy beats, made for charted hits. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records, including 16 Candles, Six Nights a Week, The Ang