The Regents(I)

The Regents--named after the favorite cigarette brand of one of the group's members--was a "doo-wop" group that formed in the Bronx, New York, in 1959. The members included Ernie Maresca (who later went out on his own and had hits as a singer ["Shout, Shout, Knock Yourself Out"] and songwriter ["Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer", both huge hits for Dion DiMucci]), Sal Cuomo, Chuck Fassert, Tony Gravagna and Guy Villari. The group had two hits, the classic "Barbara Ann" which reached #1 in 1961, and its follow-up "Runaround".

They originally recorded as The Desires, but the records--as far as is known--were never released. They recorded for several other smaller labels, but had no hits. In 1959 they recorded "Barbara Ann" (in three takes), but soon disbanded because they couldn't secure a recording contract. In 1961 the owner of Cousins Records heard the song when it was done by a group auditioning for a contract. He liked it, found the original recording by The Regents and released it. It became a huge hit locally and the label leased it to Gee Records (owned by powerhouse producer George Goldner) for national distribution. The group reformed, and its follow-up record, "Runaround", was also a hit, reaching #28 on the Billboard charts. They recorded a few more songs for Gee, but broke up after a dispute over royalties with the label.

The group was revived by original member Guy Villari in 1973 and made a string of concerts and appearances at "oldies" shows across the country. In 1988 they were one of only four groups invited to appear on the Grammy Awards show (the others were The Cadillacs, The Angels and The Flamingos).