The Crew-Cuts

The Crew-Cuts

The Crew-Cuts. Rock and roll vocal quartet. The tenors Pat Barrett and Johnnie Perkins, the baritone and arranger Rudy Maugeri, and the bass Ray Perkins, all students of Mgr John Ronan at St Michael's Cathedral Choir School in Toronto, sang together as the Four Tones first in 1952, performing in Toronto church variety shows and on radio station CKFH. Discovered in 1954 by Mercury Records while appearing as The Canadaires in Cleveland, the group became the Crew-Cuts, adopting the then-popular hair style of that name.

One of the first white groups to record rock and roll versions of black rhythm-and-blues hits, they had some success with such singles as 'Crazy 'Bout You Baby' (1954), 'Don't Be Angry' (1955), and 'Earth Angel' (1955). Their biggest hit, a version of the Chords' 'Sh-Boom,' was listed by Cashbox as the fifth most popular single of 1954. Before disbanding in 1964 the Crew-Cuts also made nine LPs for Mercury and Victor. Some of their hits were included in the anthology Solid Gold Rock 'n' Roll (2-Mer 61371/2).

Together with their contemporaries, the Diamonds and the Four Lads, the Crew-Cuts received the Juno Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984.