Lonely Nights - Music

The Hearts Refers To Two R&B Vocal Groups -- One Formed In New York In The '50s Another A Fictional Group That Appears In The 1976 Film "Sparkle." The Fictional Group Comprised Irene Cara Who Starred As The Title Character Lonette McKee Philip Michael Thomas Dwan Smith And Dorian Harewood. In The Film The Group Performs The Song '"Jump." High Schoolers Louise Harris Joyce West Hazel Crutchfield And Forestine Barnes Were Originally Assembled By Bronx NY-Based Zell Sanders An Aspiring Composer Who Recruited The Girls To Rehearse Her Songs. Accompanied By Sanders' Neighbor Rex Garvin On Piano The Hearts Cut The Single "Lonely Nights" For The Tiny Baton Label Scoring One Of The Earliest Girl Group Hits When The Record Reached The R&B Top Ten In 1955. It Looked Like The Group Might Never Be Heard From Again When In 1963 The Hearts Returned To The Charts With "Dear Abby" None Of The Original Members Remained However -- By Now Sanders Ran Her Own Label J&S Records For Which The Same Five Vocalists Johnnie Louise Richardson Ethel Davis Mary Sue Wells Yvonne Bushnell And Ada Ray Recorded Under A Variety Of Aliases Including Not Only The Hearts But Also The Poppies The Z-Debs And Most Famously The Jaynetts To Whom The 1963 Classic "Sally Go 'Round The Roses" Was Credited. Rex Garvin Meanwhile Later Cut A Series Of Underground Soul Classics Backed By His Group The Mighty Cravers. The Hearts May Also Refer To A Welsh Indie Band Of The Same Name. read less