Genres Pop music Active until 1997 | Years active 1956 to 1960 Genre Pop music | |
Labels Point, Marc, ABC-Paramount Past members Toni Cistone
Karen Topinka
Patti McCabe
LaVerne Novak Origin Lyndhurst, Ohio, United States (1956) Members Toni Cistone, Patti McCabe, Karen Topinka Albums Born Too Late, Born to Late, The Best Of, Titanium Hits Similar Tommy Edwards, Robin Luke, Kalin Twins, The Elegants, The Paris Sisters | ||
The poni tails born too late 1958
The Poni-Tails were an American girl group from Lyndhurst, Ohio. Their major hit was "Born Too Late" in 1958.
Contents
History
Formed in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, the Poni-Tails--Toni Cistone, Karen Topinka and Patti McCabe (Patricia Ann McCabe, July 6, 1939-January 17, 1989)--started singing at Brush High School, which they all attended. Tom Ilius, a music publisher, had them signed to a local record label, Point Records, which released their first single, "Your Wild Heart" b/w "Que la Bozena" (the latter of which was written by the group). "Heart" was covered by the then-15-year-old Joy Layne and became a nationwide hit. The next release was "Can I Be Sure" on Marc Records, which was not a success; following this release Topinka left the group and was replaced by LaVerne Novak.
Soon after this the group signed to ABC-Paramount and released "Just My Luck to Be Fifteen", a flop. Following this was "Come on Joey, Dance With Me" b/w "Born Too Late". The B-side was the one that caught the attention of radio DJs and became the group's biggest hit, reaching #11 on the U.S. R&B singles chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. Follow-ups "Seven Minutes In Heaven" (#85 Pop) and "I'll Be Seeing You" (#87 Pop) fared less well, and the group's last single, 1960's "Who, When And Why", did not chart.
ABC-Paramount attempted to sign the group to a further five-year contract, but they turned it down. The members left the music industry and pursued careers in other fields in Ohio. They reunited to play a Cleveland festival, Moon Dog Coronation ball, in 1997. A CD released by Poni Records with 12 tracks credited to the Poni-Tails contains only one Poni-Tails song ("Born Too Late") and 11 tracks recorded by other groups.
In 1991 LaVerne (Novak) Glavac was working for a real estate agent in Mentor, Ohio, and had five grandchildren. Toni (Cistone) Costabile was working at a high school in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Patti (McCabe) Barnes died of cancer on January 17, 1989. Tom Illius subsequently became a top executive with the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles, California. He died on September 7, 2011, in Los Angeles.
Members
Songs
Born Too LateThe Collection 1957-1960 · 2013
Come on Joey - Dance With MeThe Collection 1957-1960 · 2013
Que La BozenaThe Collection 1957-1960 · 2013