The Quin Tones

History

The group's members all attended William Penn High School (York, Pennsylvania), and originally formed in 1957 under the name The Quinteros to sing at local functions. Paul Landersman, a disc jockey at WHGB in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania became their manager and had them record four songs. The first to be released was "Ding Dong", issued on Chess Records in 1958; the song did not chart but the group received some notice for the tune.

"Down the Aisle of Love" was the next single, a marriage song which opened with the melody of "Here Comes the Bride". It was initially released on Red Top Records but, once it started to sell, was redistributed by Hunt Records. The song became a nationwide hit, reaching #5 on the U.S. Black Singles chart and #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following this the group appeared on American Bandstand and toured the country, including an August 23, 1958 show at the Apollo Theater with The Coasters, The Olympics, The Spaniels, and The Chantels, at which they received a standing ovation.

"There Be No Sorrow" and "Heavenly Father", follow-up singles recorded under new management, failed to chart. The group never recorded after this, having only released five singles, and broke up in 1960 when lead vocalist Roberta Haymon married. The group reunited in 1986, and continued with an altered lineup into the 1990s; some of the original members died in this decade. Phyliss Carr managed the band in the 1980s and 1990s after retiring from performance; she died in 2006 from breast cancer.

Members