Jackie And The Starlites

Doo-wop / vocal group from New York City, New York. 1960-1964. Credited only as Starlites on their first record, singer Jackie Rue quickly made a reputation for himself through his hysterical, sobbing performances both on record and in concert. In one photographed instance, he is seen breaking down on his knees on stage at the Apollo, subdued by the other members of the group. Their most successful release came in September 1960 with "Valerie." It did not chart high nationally, but did nicely in New York and other east coast cities. The brief regional success was enough to get their name billed above Ike and Tina, James Brown, and other big names at a Philadelphia show later that year. On May 2, 1961, Starlites J. Carl Moody and Henry John Hicks (known as "The Roach") attempted to rob Emil Markussen, a 73-year-old retired French horn player of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the stairs of his Upper West Side apartment. When Markussen called for help, Hicks stabbed him. The pair fled without taking the $1.26 that Markusson had on him. Detectives (posed as “rock and roll enthusiasts” according to one news clipping) questioned over 150 people in the Upper West Side and Harlem, and the suspected pair was traced to the crime shortly after, as Carl was known for belonging to the group behind “Valerie.” Police went to the Fury label offices, where they obtained photos of the group to find the two. Carl later claimed to have no idea what Hicks was going to do when he entered the building and told Carl to act as a lookout. The two were jailed, but the group continued onward. After a few more singles on Fury, the label went bankrupt and the Starlites found themselves working with the Hull label (and later their subsidiary Mascot.) These singles sold poorly, and the group disbanded not long after. A posthumous release, "Seven Day Fool" was issued by Bell in 1965 on Sphere Sound as they had acquired the masters at a bankruptcy auction. Following the end of the group, Jackie Rue fell on hard times and is thought to have died of a heroin overdose in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Their best known tune remains “Valerie”, and it was later covered by Frank Zappa and the Mothers, played on WPIX by Lou Reed when he guest DJ'd in 1979, and was known to be in the jukebox at Malcolm Maclaren's Let It Rock store.