The Chantels belong in the Hall of Fame.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DECEMBER 1 BTR 4-20, 2018 67
The Chantels - a popular ‘50s group
My wife and I were shopping
in Barnes & Noble in Bay Plaza
a few weeks ago and decided
to have lunch at Applebee’s.
Their walls are lined with photographs
of local celebrities
along with displays of popular
high school and college sports
teams.
The hostess seated us directly
below a picture of the Chantels.
The late Diane Heaney
had introduced us to Arlene
Smith, the lead singer of the
group, at an affair she ran for
St. Frances de Chantal School
on May 30, 1992 so we reminisced
on that evening so many
years ago and the tragedy that
struck the group not too many
years thereafter.
When I got home, I checked
to see if the group was ever inducted
into the Rock and of
Hall of Fame in Cleveland and
was surprised that they were
not. This seemed rather odd
when one considers the big hits
they had back in the ‘50s.
I also checked the Bronx
Walk of Fame inductees on
the Grand Concourse and was
pleased to see that our past Borough
President Adolfo Carrion
Jr. honored them with a street
sign back in 2002. It was good
to see that the Bronx cared
enough to remember their
own.
The group was established
in 1956 and made their fi rst recording
“He’s Gone” in 1957 It
was produced by Richard Barrett
for the End Label. Barrett
is recalled as a member of the
early and popular rock and roll
group, “The Valentines.”
“He’s Gone” was released by
the Chantels in August of 1957
and by September had reached
number 71 on the Billboard national
charts. Then on October
16th “Maybe” was recorded
in a vacant church where the
acoustics were thought to be
better than a studio. The group
was formed from the girls’
choir at St. Anthony of Padua
Roman Catholic Church at
166th Street and Prospect Avenue,
so they were used to practicing
and singing in a church.
“Maybe” was released in December
and by January 20, 1958
had reached number 15 on the
Billboard charts and number
two on the Rhythm and Blues
chart. The group was on the
way to stardom.
“Every Night” (I Pray) was
another success for the Chantels,
who, by the way, took
their name from St. Frances
de Chantal School in Throggs
Neck where they had received
such a wonderful reception
when they started out. They
did, however, slightly alter the
spelling of name Chantal to Chantels.
“Everynight” reached
number 39 on the Billboard
on March 31, 1958 and number
16 on the Rhythm and Blues
Chart. They were one of the
most popular girl groups of the
1950s and I still fi nd it surprising
that they were never inducted
into the national Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame.
While viewing the picture
I also thought of their second
alto, Jacqulyn “Jackie” Jackson
who tragically passed away
from breast cancer shortly before
Christmas of 1997. Jackie
was born on May 22, 1941 and
was an original member of the
group. The others were Lois
Harris, Sonia Goring and Rene
Minus. When they broke up,
Jackie took a job as a grand jury
stenographer for the Bronx district
attorney at the courthouse
on the Grand Concourse and
161st Street. She would, however,
sing again in the rock and
roll revival era until illness
overtook her.
She passed away on December
23, 1997 and was interred in
the St. Matthew section of St.
Raymond Cemetery.. Jack Mc-
Carrick and I had breakfast recently
and were talking about
the group since Jack had also
met their lead singer. We decided
to visit Jacqulyn’s gravesite
to pay our respects and were
pleased to see the beautiful inscribed
stone.
Two of her favorite songs
are etched at the bottom of her
pink granite memorial: Look
into my Eyes and Maybe. It
was worth the visit.
REPRINTED FROM 11-10-2011