West Baltimore girl group consisting of sisters Sheila Ross (lead singer) and Anita Ross, with their cousin Veronica ‘Roni’ Brown, and friend Terry Jones. Named after the famed Royal Theater on Pennsylvania Avenue where they sang regularly after establishing themselves as a top vocal group.
As teenagers the girls appeared on the Buddy Deane Show, taking first place in a contest sponsored by Chancellor Records. The prize was a trip to Philadelphia to do a recording. From that session, “No Big Thing” became their first single, released in 1962. They soon moved on to the MGM label, releasing several records before scoring their biggest hit “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” in 1965.
Below: The Royalettes on stage at Carr’s Beach – courtesy of Bill Smith
In 1965 the Royalettes performed to a standing ovation and encores at the 10th Anniversary Convention of the National Association of Radio Broadcasters in Houston ,Texas. They traveled all across the country and appeared on bills with many of the top stars.
1966 saw the release of their second album “The Elegant Sound of the Royalettes” produced by Teddy Randazzo.
Locally the Royalettes played at some of the premier night spots including the Royal Theater, and Carr’s Beach.
The girls continued live performances while traveling along the storied Chitlin’ Circuit. They continued recording quality music for MGM but never quite equaled the impact of their 1965 hit.
In 1972, the group split up. Sheila (see Ross, Sheila) continued singing as a session vocalist backing artists for producer Teddy Randazzo. She released a single in 1973 on the Kwanza label. Roni Brown later sang lead for the band Monopoly in the late ‘70s.
The Royalettes reunited for a memorable performance on May 31, 2003 at the 1st annual Baltimore All-Star Soul Reunion at the 5th Regiment Armory.
Singles released by the Royalettes:
1963 Chancellor 1133 No Big Thing / Yesterday’s Lovers
1963 Chancellor 1140 Blue Summer / Willie, The Wolf
1964 W. B. 5439 Come to Me / There He Goes
1964 MGM 13283 Don’t You Cry / He’s Gone
1965 MGM 13327 Poor Boy / Watch What Happens
1965 MGM 13366 It’s Gonna Take a Miracle / Out of Sight, Out of Mind
1965 MGM 13405 I Want to Meet Him / Never Again
1966 MGM 13451 Only When You’re Lonely / You Bring Me Down
1966 MGM 13507 It’s A Big Mistake / It’s Better Not to Know
1966 MGM 13544 I Don’t Want to Be the One / An Affair to Remember
1966 MGM 13588 When Summer’s Gone / Love Without an End
1966 MGM 13627 My Man / Take My Love
1967 Roulette 4768 River of Tears / Something Wonderful
Album releases by the Royalettes:
1965(LP) MGM 4332 It’s Gonna Take a Miracle
1966(LP) MGM 4366 The Elegant Sound of The Royalettes
