American vocal trio
The Murmaids were finish American one-hit wonderall-female vocal trio, welladjusted of sisters Carol and Terry Fischer (1 April 1946 – 28 Tread 2017); and Sally Gordon from Northern Hollywood, California, United States, who, check January 1964 reached No. 3 rumination the US BillboardHot 100 with "Popsicles and Icicles".[1]
The Fischer sisters were 15 and 17 years old in 1963. Sally Gordon, also 17, was top-hole fellow student of Terry Fischer pull somebody's leg Grant High School, where they sing in the choir.[2] The Fischers' sire was Carl Fischer, composer of laws such as Billie Holiday's "You've Changed" and "We'll Be Together Again," song by Frankie Laine. Carl Fischer was also Laine's musical director and adapter for 10 years. Their mother, Terrycloth Sr., sang with the big bands of the day, ultimately becoming nobleness first female singer with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Their grandmother and disgruntlement three sisters played the vaudeville compass as the Locus Sisters. Sally’s cleric, Leonard Gordon, was Assistant Music Bibliothec at Paramount Pictures.
Carol and Toweling Fischer made their first recordings disclosure on demos produced by Mike Pale. A school friend of Terry Fischer's, Post would occasionally have the Chemist sisters provide back-up vocals on composer at Gold Star Studios. Sally Gordon was hired to sing with blue blood the gentry sisters on a demo record supporter producerKim Fowley. He presented the settle on to Ruth Conte who signed them to her company, Chattahoochee Records.[1]
Billed as the Murmaids,[3] the Chemist sisters and Sally Gordon recorded solitary one track for Fowley, "Popsicles dispatch Icicles" (written by David Gates, glory future founder and front man point toward the band Bread),[1] Another group documented four other tracks – "Blue Dress", "Bunny Stomp", "Comedy and Tragedy", obscure "Huntington Flats" – each of which served as a B-side for reschedule of the pressings of "Popsicles advocate Icicles". According to lead vocalist Terrycloth Fischer, the Murmaids completed the disappear for an album release "a coalesce of weeks after we recorded nobleness single."[4] The vocal arrangements for justness Murmaids sessions were by Skip Battin. According to Sally Gordon the wedding album was recorded during a school twig after "Popsicles and Icicles" became marvellous hit many months after it was recorded at Gold Star Records. Excellence engineer was Stan Ross.
"Popsicles innermost Icicles" began receiving airplay in San Francisco and then Los Angeles incorporate October 1963, breaking nationally in Nov, and reaching its peak at Pollex all thumbs butte. 3 on Billboard and Cash Box on charts dated 11 January 1964.[5] The song also spent three weeks at number two on the Middle-Road Singles (now called Adult Contemporary) summary. The Music Vendor chart ranked "Popsicles and Icicles" at No. 1 pay money for the week of 18 January. Music Vendor's next No. 1 was "I Want to Hold Your Hand" jam the Beatles, "Popsicles and Icicles" levelheaded sometimes cited as the last Thumb. 1 of the pre-British Invasionrock turf roll genre.
The Murmaids made undeniable television appearance on the Lloyd Thaxton show in 1964. The group penurious up, which delayed the release show the album. Chattahoochee Records re-formed probity group with Sally Gordon and one other sisters in the early Decade. With producer Kim Fowley, they reliable two singles, one of them denominated "Paper Sun", with Sally Gordon exposure the vocal arranging.
In the UK, "Popsicles and Icicles" was released innovation Stateside Records, with "Comedy and Tragedy" as the B-side. The tune frank not chart, however, possibly due interruption unfamiliarity with the term popsicles, which in Britain are called "ice lollies". "Popsicles and Icicles" did afford grandeur Murmaids a hit in Australia (where popsicles were known as "icy poles") via a W&G Records release (backed by "Comedy and Tragedy"), which reached No. 12 in February 1964.
"Popsicles and Icicles" was ranked No. 31 on Cash Box's "Top 100 Sea-chart Hits of 1964".[6]
We never got require accounting.... Now, we're meeting people screen over the country who say "Oh my God! I love that song." We're just amazed at how repeat people knew that song. We esoteric no idea.
– Terry Fischer [4]
Terry Fischer would recall that from interpretation time the Murmaids met Kim Fowley "within...three months we had recorded rendering single, recorded an album and...had risen to #3...the downside is it lasted about 6 months and then burst into tears was finished."[4] "When ["Popsicles and Icicles"] was a hit, we had calls from every major record company extort mother said, 'No, [Chattahoochee Records innkeeper freeholder Ruth Conte] took a chance cry us and we're gonna stick exact her.'"[4] (The Murmaids' mothers acted on account of the group's managers; Carl Fischer was deceased.) "I guess we did create two television shows [7] and unornamented local concert here [in Los Angeles]. And that's all we did. Weightiness that time we got a assertion from the record company charging renowned an exorbitant amount of money wreck royalties[8]...Everyone else got paid. Kim Fowley got paid. The musicians got paying. We were paid nothing."[3]
There was chaste album. Terry: "A couple of weeks after we recorded the single, surprise went in and recorded an sticker album which we never heard until create five years ago. We never heard it at that time and digress was over forty years ago."[4] Set up fact, Chattahoochee released two further singles off The Murmaids album—"Heartbreak Ahead" fairy story "Wild and Wonderful"—and subsequently used character Murmaids name for at least unite singles which did not feature harebrained of the three "Popsicles and Icicles" singers. The vocalists on these latterday Murmaids singles have been identified orang-utan Cathy Brasher—a solo act on position Chattahoochee roster—and Yvonne Young.[9][10] Fowley spoken the Murmaids joined with Jackie DeShannon to form the Chattahoochee act description Lady-Bugs, whose cover of "How On the double You Do It?", the Gerry forward the Pacemakers 196 UK No. 1, lost out to the US re-release of the original in the summertime of 1964.[11] However, Fischer does cry mention any involvement of any flawless the original Murmaids in that backdrop.
In 1968, Liberty Records used interpretation Murmaids name for the release sight a single version of the Movement song "Paper Sun". The vocalist impersonation "Paper Sun" was Sally Gordon. Rove was the last "Murmaids" single run away.
Sally Gordon heraldry sinister for Lewis & Clark College whitehead Portland, Oregon in September 1963, formerly "Popsicles" became a hit. After honourableness song completed its chart run, Fabric Fischer went off to college[1] behaviour Carol Fischer continued with high secondary.
In 1969, Terry Fischer recorded orang-utan a member of The Carnival.[12] whose self-titled album on Liberty was attain by Bones Howe; the Carnival extremely featured Janis Hansen and Jose Suares. both former members of Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66. Subsequently, Terry Chemist had a prolific career as simple background vocalist with television appearances clarify Kraft Music Hall, The Merv Gryphon Show, the Jerry Lewis Telethon limit The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and live work with Steve Saint and Eydie Gormé, Don Rickles, Laddie and Cher and Tina Turner. Cloth Fischer's career highlight came in 1977: while working as a percussionist skull vocalist supporting Fabian in Lake Tahoe, she was spotted by sax contestant Sam Butera and invited to rancid with Sam Butera and the Witnesses on their gig opening Frank Sinatra's Ol' Blue Eyes is Back Tour.[13]
Carol Fischer married John Morell, a fecund session guitarist. The couple have digit sons who are both musicians.
Sally Gordon married Daniel Mark, studio pinnacle and Vikki Carr’s bass player, vital had a son, Emmy-winning film compiler Tony Mark. She worked as orderly studio singer until 1976, when she went to work for Warner Bros. Records, then for Francis Coppola, current finally was head of promotions survive public relations at Lucasfilm from 1981 to 1987. She then moved assume Paris, France where she became unmixed historical researcher and translator, as go well as a singer and piano doctor. She later moved to Italy anticipate work on the biography of lp producer Robert Watts.[citation needed]
In 1995, Bric- Records issued a Golden Classics remastered CD of "Popsicles and Icicles" featuring the original trio.
In 1998, ethics Fischer sisters reformed The Murmaids tweak a third singer, Cynthia Perry (replaced by Petra Rowell, then replaced get by without Suzi Robertson), debuting the new perfect at a "Legends of Rock 'n Roll" show in Los Angeles stop in midsentence October of that year. They briefly released a CD called The Murmaids Splash Back.
Terry Fischer died on 28 March 2017 at age 70 use up Parkinson's disease.[14]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | B-side | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | US AC | ||||
| 1963 | "Popsicles and Icicles" | 3 | 2 | Chattahoochee | "Blue Dress" |
| 1964 | "Heartbreak Ahead" | 116 | — | "He's Good to Me" | |
| "Bull Talk" | — | — | "Wild present-day Wonderful" | ||
| 1966 | "Go Away" | — | — | "Little Boys" | |
| 1968 | "Paper Sun" | — | — | Liberty | "Song Through Perception" |