Born 88 Years Ago Today in the Windy City, the Girl Group Soprano Who Sang Alongside Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Tom Jones

On this day (October 12) in 1938, Jean King was born in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in Utah, she earned a scholarship to study music at USC in Los Angeles. There, she began her professional singing career with Ray Charles’ backing group. Later, she joined The Blossoms. They provided backing vocals for some of the biggest names in the music business.

King was raised in Washington Terrace, Utah, where she took private voice lessons and sang in the Weber High choir, according to Utah Women’s History. Her performance with the choir led to a scholarship to the University of Southern California. After relocating to Los Angeles, she landed a role in the 1959 movie Porgy & Bess. Four years later, she sang backup for Ray Charles in his band group the Raelettes, while he was on tour in France. Additionally, she performed solo sets backed by Charles’ orchestra.

In 1964, the Blossoms were looking for a singer to replace Gracia Nitzsche, the only white member of the group. They had been invited to perform on the popular rock variety show Shindig!, but there was a catch. The show’s producers didn’t want a mixed-race group. Thanks to a connection to producer/arranger H.B. Barnum, King joined the group.

They became a fixture on the show. This allowed them to share the stage and sing with several established acts, including Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Aretha Franklin, and Patty Duke.

Jean King and the Blossoms

Jean King remained with the Blossoms until she died in 1983. By the time she joined the group, producer Phil Spector had already stolen two hits. First, he credited their 1962 single “He’s a Rebel” to the Crystals. It went to No. 1. Later that year, he credited “He’s Sure the Boy I Love” to the Crystals as well. It peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100.

Two years later, when King joined the group, they weren’t trying as hard to find success as primary artists. Instead, they remained Spector’s first-call backup singers. For instance, they appeared on Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep–Mountain Wide” in 1966. The group also appeared on Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback TV special.

King had a short solo career while she was a member of the group. She released a handful of singles and a single solo album–Jean King Sings for the In-Crowd–on Hanna-Barbera Records between 1965 and ’66.

[RELATED: 4 Girl Groups From the Early 1960s Who Defined a Classic Sound]

She remained active and died after suffering a heart attack while on tour in Las Vegas in March 1983.

Featured Image by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

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