Spotlight Artist - The Angels

The Angels became prominent after their number one hit "My Boyfriend's Back" in 1963 but they were formed earlier in 1961.  They hit the top 40 with "Till" in 1962 peaking out at number 14.  They only managed a half dozen hits on Billboard's Hot 100 but still were very popular during the sixties.

The original lineup consisted of sisters Barbara and Phyllis Allbut and Linda Jansen (born Linda Jankowski). Jansen left the group in 1962 and was replaced by Peggy Santiglia, formerly of The Delicates (Denise Ferri and Arleen Lanzotti).

In 1963, the trio signed to Mercury Records' subsidiary label Smash Records and began working with the Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer songwriting team, who wrote "My Boyfriend's Back". The Angels' performance was originally intended as a demo for The Shirelles' consideration, but the music publishers chose instead to release it as it stood. The song was a major hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but no follow-up of comparable success was released. "My Boyfriend's Back" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

The group left Smash in 1964 and signed with Congress Records. The group became The Halos, following a dispute over the ownership of the name "The Angels." Peggy Santiglia took a leave of absence from the group in 1965 and was replaced by Toni Mason (Angie & The Chicklettes). The group released several more singles, none of which charted.

Mason left the group in 1967 and was replaced by Debra Swisher (previously of The Pixies Three), who had recently recorded and released her own version of "Thank You And Goodnight" on the ABC-Paramount Records subsidiary, Boom Records. This lineup resumed using the name "The Angels" and released a handful of singles on RCA Records, with Bernadette Carroll singing lead, and made an appearance on "The Dean Martin Show" before disbanding in 1968. Santiglia and Phyllis and Barbara Allbut regrouped in the early 1970s and released a new single on Polydor Records.

Phyllis Allbut and Santiglia still perform as The Angels, joined occasionally by Barbara Allbut.