The Halos were an American

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

group from

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. The group formed with members Al Cleveland, J.R. Bailey, Harold Johnson, and Arthur Crier (bass). Phil Johnson replaced J.R. Bailey shortly after the recording of "Nag". (Bailey later joined The Cadillacs.) The group got its start as

session musicians A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a record ...

, backing up vocalists recorded by producer Morty Craft. Their first single, "L-O-V-E" b/w "Heartbreaking World", was released in 1961 under the name The Craftys. It peaked at No. 4 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

. Their second release, now under the name The Halos, "Nag" b/w "Copy Cat", became a hit, reaching No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Further singles were not successful, but the group continued as a studio ensemble, appearing on the

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

-produced tunes " Pretty Little Angel Eyes" by Curtis Lee and "Every Breath I Take" by

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 h ...

, as well as

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and was part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early ...

's " Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)". Arthur Crier (born on April 1, 1935, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York) died on July 22, 2004, at age 69. Crier's son, Keith "Sabu" Crier, was later a member of GQ, and his grandson is

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, producer and songwriter. An early figure in the new jack swing musical movement, he is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her," "Make It Last Forever (song), Make It Last For ...

The Halos The Halos were an American doo wop group from The Bronx. The group formed with members Al Cleveland, J.R. Bailey, Harold Johnson, and Arthur Crier (bass). Phil Johnson replaced J.R. Bailey shortly after the recording of "Nag". (Bailey later joined ...

at Allmusic.com

Members

*Al Cleveland *Arthur Crier *Phil Johnson *Harold Johnson

References

External links

Arthur Crier's homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halos, The Doo-wop groups Musical groups from the Bronx