From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Tue May 7, 2002  1:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Johnny Maestro
 
JOHNNY MAESTRO

Born John Maestrangelo, 7 May 1939, Brooklyn, New York City

Johnny Maestro was the lead singer of the Crests, a doo-wop group
formed in 1955 as a quintet, later a quartet. They first recorded for
the small Joyce label in 1957 and had a minor hit with "Sweetest One"
(# 86). Two very succesful years on the Coed label followed, with hits
such as "Sixteen Candles" (# 2, 1958), "The Angels Listened In" (# 22,
1959), "Step By Step" (# 14, 1960) and "Trouble In Paradise" (# 20,
1960). When Maestro left the Crests to go solo in 1961 his career took
a down-turn, though at first he still scored hits, like "Model Girl" (# 20).
In 1968 he formed a new group, Brooklyn Bridge, with singers Les
Cauchi, Fred Ferrara, both formerly of the Del-Satins (once the backing
group for Dion), and an eight-member backing band, formerly known as
the Rhythm Method. The new group fashioned an orchestral, more
modernized style of doo-wop, and with the dramatic vocals of Maestro,
were signed to Buddah Records. Their second single was a Jimmy Webb
song, "The Worst That Could Happen", which became a number 3 US hit
at the beginning of 1969. The group placed a total of seven singles on the
charts by the end of 1970, and two albums. They became a mainstay at
revival concerts featuring old rock 'n' roll. After many personnel changes,
Maestro could still be found fronting the band. Brooklyn Bridge were still
a top concert and club attraction on the East coast in the early '90s.

Recommended CD: "The Best Of The Crests Featuring Johnny Maestro"
(Ace 297) or "Johnny Maestro & The Crests : 20 All-Time Greatest Hits"
(Varese Sarabande, reviewed in NDT 228, March 2002).