The Orlons - WikiHQ

The Orlons are an American R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 1960.

Before they became the Orlons, they were an all-girl quintet called Audrey and the Teenettes. They formed in the late 1950s in junior high school and consisted of Hightower, Davis, and three Brickley sisters: Shirley, Jean, and Audrey. However, after the Brickleys' mother did not permit 13-year-old Audrey to sing in certain nightclubs with the group, she and Jean quit, making the group a trio.

In high school, the group's three remaining members discovered fellow student Stephen Caldwell, who was lead singer of a local group called the Romeos. Impressed, they invited him to join the group in 1960 and named themselves the Orlons as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the friendly rivalry they had with a popular group at their high school, the Cashmeres. (Orlon was a brand name for the widely used synthetic fiber acrylic.)

A high school friend, Dovells lead singer Len Barry, encouraged them to audition for Cameo-Parkway Records at the turn of the decade. The group took his advice in the fall of 1961, but were rejected at first, although the record label signed the group after two more auditions. Cameo executive Dave Appell appointed Hightower as the lead singer, and began writing songs for them.

In 1962, the group provided back-up vocals for Dee Dee Sharp's hits "Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)". They later found fame with their first national hit, "The Wah-Watusi", which reached No. 2 in the US pop chart They had a second hit in the same year with "Don't Hang Up", a No. 4 hit on the pop chart. The group had three hits in 1963: "South Street", the group's last Top Ten hit, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard chart; "Not Me", which reached No. 12; and "Crossfire", the group's last hit, which reached No. 19. Stephen Caldwell died on October 2, 2025 (aged 82) making him the last of the original members to pass away. Caldwell and Jean Brickley still had been performing as the Orlons with two of Caldwell's cousins, Alberta Crump and Madeline Morris.

In March 2012, Caldwell and Brickley took part in the benefit single "Mull of Kintyre", featuring Charlie Gracie with Clutch Cargo.

Awards

"The Wah-Watusi," "Don't Hang Up," and "South Street" each sold over one million copies and were awarded gold disc status.

Discography

Albums

(Chart positions and featured charted hits in parentheses)

1962: The Wah-Watusi—Cameo C-1020 (U.S. Billboard No. 80)
1963: All the Hits by The Orlons—Cameo C-1033
1963: South Street—Cameo C-1041 (U.S. Billboard No. 123)
1963: Not Me—Cameo C-1054
1963: Down Memory Lane—Cameo C-1073

Compilation albums

1963: Biggest Hits—Cameo C-1061
1963: Golden Hits—Cameo C-1067 (Duet compilation with the Dovells)
2005: The Best of The Orlons (Abkco compilation under series title: "Cameo Parkway 1961–1966")

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! style="width:20px;" rowspan="2"| Year of release

! style="width:250px;" rowspan="2"| Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated

! style="width:120px;" rowspan="2"| Label & Number

! colspan="4"| Chart Positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US R&B

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| CAN (CHUM RPM)

! style="width:60px;"| UK Singles Chart

|rowspan="1"|1961

|rowspan="1"|"I'll Be True" b/w "Heart, Darling, Angel" (Non-LP track)

|Cameo 198

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="3"|The Wah-Watusi

|rowspan="3"|1962

|"(Happy Birthday) Mr. Twenty-One" b/w "Please Let It Be Me" (Non-LP track)

|Cameo 211

| style="text-align:center;"|

|"The Wah-Watusi" b/w "Holiday Hill" (Non-LP track)

|Cameo 218

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

| style="text-align:center;"|

|"Don't Hang Up" b/w "The Conservative" (Non-LP track)

|Cameo 231

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

| style="text-align:center;"| 39

|rowspan="1"|All The Hits by The Orlons

|rowspan="5"|1963

|"South Street" b/w "Them Terrible Boots" (from Biggest Hits)

|Cameo 243

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|South Street

|"Where You Goin', Little Boy?" b/w "Gig" As "Zip and The Zippers"

|Pageant 607

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|Non-LP tracks

|"Not Me" b/w "My Best Friend"

|Cameo 257

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|Not Me

|"Crossfire!" b/w "It's No Big Thing" (Non-LP track)

|Cameo 273

| style="text-align:center;"| 19

| style="text-align:center;"| 25

| style="text-align:center;"| 36

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|It's Dance Time*

|"Bon-Doo-Wah" b/w "Don't Throw Your Love Away" (from All The Hits with the Stars*)

|Cameo 287

| style="text-align:center;"| 55

| style="text-align:center;"| 17

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|Shindig with the Stars*

|rowspan="4"|1964

|"Shimmy Shimmy" b/w "Everything Nice"

|Cameo 295

| style="text-align:center;"| 66

| style="text-align:center;"| 17

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|Non-LP tracks

|"Rules of Love" b/w "Heartbreak Hotel" (Non-LP track)

|Cameo 319

| style="text-align:center;"| 66

| style="text-align:center;"| 33

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|Hullabaloo with the Stars*

|"Knock! Knock! (Who's There?)" b/w "Goin' Places"

|Cameo 332

| style="text-align:center;"| 64

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

| style="text-align:center;"| 38

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="8"|Non-LP tracks

|"I Ain't Comin' Back" b/w "Envy (In My Eyes)"

|Cameo 346

| style="text-align:center;"| 129

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="3"|1965

|"Come on Down Baby Baby" b/w "I Ain't Comin' Back"

|Cameo 352

| style="text-align:center;"|

|"Don't You Want My Lovin'" b/w "I Can't Take It"

|Cameo 372

| style="text-align:center;"|

|"No One But Your Love" b/w "Envy (In My Eyes)"

|Cameo 384

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="1"|1966

|"Spinnin' Top" b/w "Anyone Who Had A Heart"

|Calla 113

| style="text-align:center;"|

|rowspan="2"|1967

|"Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" b/w "Everything"

|ABC 10894

| style="text-align:center;"|

|"Kissin' Time" b/w "Once Upon A Time"

|ABC 10948

| style="text-align:center;"|

*Compilations of various Cameo/Parkway artists

References

Bibliography

Clemente, John ed. (2013). Girl Groups — Fabulous Females Who Rocked The World (Second ed.). Authorhouse Publishing. pp. 384–387.

External links

The Best of The Orlons CD release on Abkco's Cameo-Parkway compilation page
The Orlons at history-of-rock.com
The Orlons at Doo Wop Heaven