The Toys' Chart-Topping Triumph and Nightclub Monster Encounter
“Little June Montiero, she’s the one in the middle of the Toys… well, she’s the cutest thing you ever saw,” remarked Vince Marc, the Toys’ manager, to a reporter in 1965. “She’s so cute you just want to go bite her nose off!—and if you wink at her, she’ll blush like mad. She is adorable!”
The Toys. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
Marc went on, “Barbara Parrit is attractive, but… well, she’s tough. She is very direct. She wants to conquer the world and she’s set out to do it. On stage, though, she’s a tremendously energetic person, with a great sense of fun. She really has a ball up there performing. She can also be a little bit like Dionne Warwick at times.”
“Not much you can say about Barbara Harris except that she’s got a lot of grace of movement on stage. She used to be a dancer and she got several awards for it when she was at high school.”
• A TRIO READY FOR FAME •
In the summer of 1965, the three freshly-minted graduates teetered on the edge of adulthood, their futures shrouded in mystery. Unbeknownst to them, destiny was about to unfurl its grand design, casting them into a tempest of stardom that would reshape their lives irrevocably. While their ascent echoed the familiar cadence of music industry legends, the melody it forged within the hearts of these talented young women would be uniquely their own.
“I met Barbara [Parritt] in high school but I didn’t know June,” Harris said. “June’s sister lived in Barbara’s building and we use to all come by there after school and sing together on the stoop. That’s how I met June. We became close friends and we started doing talent shows and dinners or whatever someone needed us for.”
• BORROWING FROM BACH •
Originally a scrappy quintet, The Charlettes were whittled down to a trio when fate intervened at a talent showcase, introducing them to Eddie Chase, a discerning scout of young musical talent. Recognizing their innate knack for harmonizing, Chase wasted no time in ushering the girls into the presence of renowned manager Vince Marc and DynaVoice recording executive Bob Crewe. Enchanted by their vivacious personas, Marc and Crewe christened them "The Toys," a name befitting their infectious charm and spirited energy.
Next, they were introduced to songwriting maestros Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer, renowned for penning hits for illustrious acts such as the Four Seasons, Jay and the Techniques, The Invitations, and The Monkees.
“Sandy and Denny came in and said, ‘Girls, come around the piano, we want to teach you this song. We have one more song,’” Harris recalls.
The song, "A Lover's Concerto," was presented to the group on the final day of recording. Its melody, borrowing from Johann Sebastian Bach's "Minuet in G major" (now attributed to Christian Petzold), carried a distinctive charm. Yet, its departure from the norm left recording executives pondering how the Toys would interpret it. Should it fail to resonate, the option remained to discard it or pass it along to another artist or group under the DynoVoice label.
LISTEN TO “MINUET IN G MAJOR” BY JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (PETZOLD)
Harris continues, “So we all gathered around the piano, because it was so easy back then, ran the song down a couple of times and they said, ‘Okay, let’s go into the studio.’” Learning the material and the song’s rhythm was the first test they passed.
As the Toys stepped into the studio, curious executives observed them closely as they approached the microphones. Anticipating a lengthy session, the girls were ready to invest the necessary time, considering the recording duration of previous songs. Harris recalls, “We recorded it one time! Ran it down one time! And they said, ‘Okay, that’s it!’ and we couldn’t believe it and we said, ‘Are you sure?’ because the rest of the songs we spent a lot of time going over and over them. They said, ‘We are sure. Come on out.’ And that was it!”
Even after 53 years, Harris still savors each moment in the process to the magical final touch. “’A Lover’s Concerto’ was just so different and then they put a Motown beat to it and it was just awesome. I thought it was really awesome.”
“Few records are this perfect. Riding across one of the most deceptively hook-laden melodies ever conceived… ‘A Lover’s Concerto’ marks the apogee of the Girl Group sound.”
- Dave Thompson, music critic
The American and UK markets thought so too. Music critic Dave Thompson wrote, “Few records are this perfect. Riding across one of the most deceptively hook-laden melodies ever conceived… ‘A Lover’s Concerto’ marks the apogee of the Girl Group sound.” Released in August 1965, the song swiftly ascended the charts.
LISTEN TO “A LOVER’S CONCERTO” BY THE TOYS
In Detroit, Motown executives listened intently. The renowned Motown writing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland found themselves in a creative rut, having recently broken their streak of number one hits for the Supremes with "Nothing But Heartaches." Dissatisfaction lingered within Gordy, prompting executives to turn their attention to "A Lover's Concerto" for renewed inspiration.
“In fact, we had met the Isley Brothers and they were telling us the story of how Motown was playing our song on the loudspeakers,” Harris said. “They were trying to come up with a song like it for the Supremes. And I thought that was so cool. They said, ‘Yeah, we heard your record all through the building and they were trying to come up with a song like it.’ That was really cool. And they came up with ‘I Hear a Symphony’ which was a good song and I liked it.”
As "A Lover's Concerto" reached its peak on the charts, The Supremes recorded "I Hear a Symphony," releasing it in October 1965.
The Toys were in California for Where the Action Is, eagerly awaiting news about their chart position. Their manager entered the room with a solemn expression, capturing the attention of the girls who were anxiously waiting for the verdict. Would it be the Rolling Stones with "Hey You Get Off My Cloud," or their own hit, "A Lover’s Concerto"? With a dramatic pause, Marc finally announced that their song had reached number one. “We started jumping up and down on the set,” Harris said.
"A Lover’s Concerto" soared to the top spot on the U.S. Cashbox chart and Canada’s RPM national singles chart, captivating listeners on both sides of the border. Despite narrowly missing the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, it held firm at number two for an impressive three weeks in October and November 1965. Across the pond, it made waves in the UK, peaking at number five on the singles chart. The record's phenomenal success was underscored by over 2 million copies sold, earning it a coveted gold record certification from R.I.A.A.
Towards the end of November, the Supremes' "I Hear A Symphony" claimed the number one spot, overshadowing "A Lover’s Concerto" and "Get Off My Cloud." Motown's strategic response proved effective, propelling the Supremes back to the pinnacle of success. Inspired by the Toys' chart-topping hit, the Supremes even covered "A Lover’s Concerto" on their I Hear a Symphony album released in early 1966, with Linzer and Randell credited for the composition.
• ACROSS THE POND •
Harris harbors no bitterness; her group had left an indelible mark on the music scene, and they were only beginning their journey. Harris adds, “The writers and the record company was saying, ‘Come bring the girls back in the studio so we can finish the album’ and our manager wanted us to travel in Europe – so I guess he could make his money. They sent us over to England and Germany and we didn’t come back in time to finish the album. And I think we could have probably had a second number one hit if we would have came back and put it out in time. But we didn’t. But hey, that’s the break. We got to travel all around the world!”
“I think we could have probably had a second number one hit if we would have came back and put it out in time.”
- Barbara Harris, The Toys
Harris recalls a particularly warm reception in England. “When we got over there, they treated us like we did the Beatles when they came over here,” Harris said. “They had a big, big crowd of people outside the airport when we touched down. We had to walk through them and had to have bobbies lead us out to the car. It was an experience. It was kind of frightening because they tried to reach over to touch us.”
During their travel to England, the Toys picked up a habit. “They love recording,” Marc said. “To them it’s fun, not work. Only thing is they love to drink tea all the time, right through the session. The last time they made a record I guess they polished off about fifty cups.”
LISTEN TO “THIS NIGHT” BY THE TOYS (B-SIDE TO “A LOVER’S CONCERTO”)
• “ATTACK” & THE NIGHTCLUB MONSTER •
Later that year, The Toys returned to the studio to record "Attack!" The song begins with a horn riff from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker March," accompanied by a steady tambourine, leading into Harris' vocals. Parritt and Montiero join in with an elongated whine of "Attaaaaaack!" The catchy tune peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966. "Attack!" and "A Lover's Concerto" were later included on an album featuring songs where Montiero and Parritt took the lead vocals.
LISTEN TO “NUTCRACKER MARCH” BY PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
LISTEN TO “ATTACK!” BY THE TOYS
In 1966, the Toys enjoyed success with four charting singles, garnering attention from the music industry. Teen's Top Ten magazine even went as far as to suggest optimistically that "With four hits in a row, these chicks are the tuffest competition the Supremes have." However, the reality was quite different. Unlike the Supremes, the Toys lacked the marketing budget, opportunities, and A&R support provided by Motown.
In 1967, the group made a cameo appearance in the music comedy film It’s a Bikini World. In this beach party genre movie, the Toys perform on a stage situated in front of a giant fanged monster’s mouth, which also serves as the band's dwelling. Interestingly, the scene was filmed at The Haunted House nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard.
WATCH “IT’S A BIKINI WORLD” TRAILER
“It was a dragon in that nightclub scene!” Harris insists. “They even had smoke coming out of it even at one time. That was cute. I was scared to death! I was nervous and scared about that one but it seemed to come out alright and it was fun doing it.”
“I was nervous and scared about that one but it seemed to come out alright and it was fun doing it.”
- Barbara Harris, The Toys
• DISCONTINUED TOYS •
In 1968, The Toys disbanded when their second album failed to materialize. Despite their short-lived success, Harris emphasizes that their focus was always on creating music rather than achieving fame. Following the disbandment, she transitioned to jazz music, collaborating with her husband.
“I enjoyed it,” Harris said. “I enjoyed most all the music because it’s all creative and beautiful. There’s something about music, it’s just good for your soul.”