Billy & Lillie
Encyclopedia
Billy & Lillie were an American
pop
vocal
duo
, composed of Billy Ford (born March 9, 1925 - 1985, Bloomfield
, New Jersey
) and Lillie Bryant (born February 14, 1940, Newburgh, New York
).
for United Records
, without attaining much commercial success. Billy & Lillie recorded
for Swan Records
in the late 1950s, and charted
three hit single
s in the United States
, two of them written by the songwriter
and record producer
Bob Crewe
, and producer Frank C. Slay, Jr. Crewe later became one of the most successful songwriters and producers in history, having produced or written most of the songs record by The Four Seasons. Frank C. Slay, Jr. co-wrote several songs with Bob Crewe, including "Tallahassee Lassie" by Freddy Cannon
. He would also, later in 1967, produce the hit "Incense and Peppermints
" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock
.
The first single, "La Dee Dah" (written by Crewe), was the only one of them to hit the Top 10 on the Billboard chart
, peaking at #9. It was released on Swan Records
, catalog reference #4002. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. Dick Clark, when they were performing "La Dee Dah" on American Bandstand
, liked their song so much that he asked the songwriters to write another song. Crewe and Slay came up with their third single release, "Lucky Ladybug". The Billy & Lillie version of "Lucky Ladybug" was a number 14 hit on the Billboard chart, released by Swan Records (catalog #4020). Both "La Dee Dah" and "Lucky Ladybug" referred in their lyrics to a number of other recent popular hits, a formula first used by Larry Williams
in his hit "Short Fat Fannie
"
"Lucky Ladybug" was later covered
by The Four Seasons, and appeared on the B-side
of their hit "Walk Like a Man" (1963).
Ford died in 1985 at the age of 59. Bryant returned to her hometown of Newburgh, New York, and became a community activist. She was the Democratic candidate for mayor of Newburgh in 2007. She lost the election to the Republican candidate by 150 votes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
, composed of Billy Ford (born March 9, 1925 - 1985, Bloomfield
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 47,315. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.-History:...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) and Lillie Bryant (born February 14, 1940, Newburgh, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
).
Career
Billy Ford had previously recorded two singlesSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for United Records
United Records
For "United Records", see United Records United Records was in business from July 1951 to December 1957. It was operated by Chicago businessman Leonard Allen, initially in collaboration with Lew Simpkins...
, without attaining much commercial success. Billy & Lillie recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for Swan Records
Swan Records
Swan Records was a mid-20th century United States based record label, founded in 1957, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records....
in the late 1950s, and charted
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
three hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, two of them written by the songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
, and producer Frank C. Slay, Jr. Crewe later became one of the most successful songwriters and producers in history, having produced or written most of the songs record by The Four Seasons. Frank C. Slay, Jr. co-wrote several songs with Bob Crewe, including "Tallahassee Lassie" by Freddy Cannon
Freddy Cannon
Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. , known as Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".-Biography:...
. He would also, later in 1967, produce the hit "Incense and Peppermints
Incense and Peppermints
Incense and Peppermints is the first album by psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock. Released in late 1967, the album reached #11 on the Billboard 200 album charts and includes the band's #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Incense and Peppermints"...
" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock
The Strawberry Alarm Clock
The Strawberry Alarm Clock is a PPI award winning breakfast programme on FM104, an Independent Local Radio station in Dublin. It broadcasts weekday mornings from 6-10am, with "Best Of The Strawberry Alarm Clock" Saturdays from 9am-12pm...
.
The first single, "La Dee Dah" (written by Crewe), was the only one of them to hit the Top 10 on the Billboard chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at #9. It was released on Swan Records
Swan Records
Swan Records was a mid-20th century United States based record label, founded in 1957, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records....
, catalog reference #4002. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. Dick Clark, when they were performing "La Dee Dah" on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, liked their song so much that he asked the songwriters to write another song. Crewe and Slay came up with their third single release, "Lucky Ladybug". The Billy & Lillie version of "Lucky Ladybug" was a number 14 hit on the Billboard chart, released by Swan Records (catalog #4020). Both "La Dee Dah" and "Lucky Ladybug" referred in their lyrics to a number of other recent popular hits, a formula first used by Larry Williams
Larry Williams
Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...
in his hit "Short Fat Fannie
Short Fat Fannie
"Short Fat Fannie" is Larry Williams' second single release after "High School Dance". Williams' original penned track peaked at number five on the U.S. pop chart, and at number one on the R&B chart...
"
"Lucky Ladybug" was later covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by The Four Seasons, and appeared on the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of their hit "Walk Like a Man" (1963).
Ford died in 1985 at the age of 59. Bryant returned to her hometown of Newburgh, New York, and became a community activist. She was the Democratic candidate for mayor of Newburgh in 2007. She lost the election to the Republican candidate by 150 votes.
Singles
- "La Dee Dah" (1958) U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
#9 - "Bells, Bells, Bells (The Bell Song)" (1959) U.S. #88
- "Lucky Ladybug" (1959) U.S. #14