The Jaynetts

Female soul group from The Bronx, NY.

They recorded one of the more discussed recordings of all time, the mystical-sounding "Sally Go Round the Roses," which shot to No.2 on the pop charts in 1963.

Formed by producer/composer J & S Records label owner Zelma "Zell" Sanders, the Jaynetts were really more a studio concoction than a group. In fact, the three women in the usual Jaynetts publicity photo may not even be the Jaynetts that recorded the song. There were at least five female vocalists on the date the song was recorded-- Johnnie Louise Richardson, Ethel Davis, Mary Sue Wells, Yvonne Bushnell, and Ada Ray.

Zell had recorded for The Hearts as a group and was looking to form a second group to absorb some of the Hearts' overflow members. Thus, the Jaynetts came to be.

The first Jaynetts single under the group's name was "I Want To Be Free" in 1958, which was actually from Baby Washington and the Hearts in 1957.

In 1963 Chess Records had connections with J&S, sent Abner Spector to oversee production. Spector spent about a week creating "Sally Go Round the Roses".

Sally, Go 'Round The Roses was a number two song for the Jaynetts in 1963. Zell had this odd little number, "Sally, Go 'Round the Roses," when Tuff Record's producer-label executive Abner Spector came to town looking for some material; and a girl group. The meeting of Spector, the Jaynetts, and the mystifying lyrical ambiguity of Zell's "Sally" would culminate in the creation of a rock and roll classic.

Follow up singles on Tuff, "Keep An Eye On Her," "Snowman, Snowman, Sweet Potato Nose" failed to chart and Chess and Spector lost interest. Zell moved her J&S Records to upstate New York in 1965 and releases five more singles by the Jaynetts featuring her daughter Johnnie Richardson.

Johnnie Richardson recalled to one rock historian, "What happened was that Abner Spector was an electronics nut. He took the girls in the studio on a Friday, and they didn't get out of there until everybody was on the track. Anybody that came in the studio that week, he would put them on. Originally, I think he had about 20 voices on 'Sally.'" The cost of the project alone, Richardson figured was over $60,000 - an unheard of amount of money to spend on recording a pop single in 1961.

Zelma "Zell" Sanders was the mother of Johnnie Louise Richardson who was a touring member of the Jaynetts after she had been part of the singing duo of Johnnie & Joe. Johnnie suffered a stroke and died on 10-25-88.

Sally, Go 'Round The Roses was reprised by Grace Slick & the Great Society just prior to her joining the Jefferson Airplane.

Data provided by Discogs