THE CRESTS - "SIXTEEN CANDLES" (1959)

The Crests were a New York R&B doo-wop 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 Italian-American. 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 dance-easy 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