Arlene Smith, an original member of The Chantels, has died at the age of 84, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Her friend Matt Beckoff told the outlet that Smith died of natural causes in a hospital in New York City on Wednesday, July 29.
Smith formed The Chantels in the early 1950s after she and the other members had been singing together for years prior in the choir of Saint Anthony of Padua in the Bronx. At the age of 12, Smith, along with Lois Harris, Sonia Goring, Jackie Landry, and Renée Minus, auditioned for record producer Richard Barrett at Carnegie Hall. In the summer of 1957, the group was signed by End Records, releasing their first single, “He’s Gone,” which peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Maybe” was the group’s second released song and became their biggest hit, making it to No. 15 on the pop chart and No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. The Chantels went on to appear on American Bandstand, and afterwards, released “Every Night (I Pray)” and “I Love You So” in 1958. They were ultimately dropped by End Records the following year.
Another popular group, The Shirelles, credited The Chantels with serving as their inspiration.
“They were our inspiration,” Shirelles singer Shirley Alston Reeves said in the past, per The Hollywood Reporter. “The harmonies were outrageous. We thought it was angelic. Of course, it made us want to harmonize the same way.”
Smith then embarked on a solo career. She was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
The Hollywood Reporter further details that Smith pursued a teaching career following her singing career, teaching elementary school in the Bronx until her retirement.
