Although I’ve searched YouTube in vain several times over the years looking for video clips of vintage TV appearances by Reparata and the Delrons, I could never find any. This morning I finally located a Beat-Club lip-sync by the near-forgotten 60s girl group. Not only that, but it’s them doing my favorite song by them. Thanks Internet!

Formed in 1962 by a Catholic high school girl named Mary Aiese—who would change her name to the more exotic “Reparata” (her confirmation name, inspired by a favorite nun) at the suggestion of management—the Delrons were a vocal harmony group hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Although they never achieved much fame in America, they were participants in two national Caravan of Stars package tours produced by Dick Clark and opened once for the Rolling Stones in Philly. They had two minor regional hits, “Whenever a Teenager Cries” (that song reached #60 on the Billboard Hot 100) and the “don’t give your love to a bad boy” follow-up, “Tommy,” which was co-written by Chip “Wild Thing” Taylor.
 

 
Their biggest hit came in the UK with their 1968 number “Captain of Your Ship” which went to #13. John Lennon and Ringo Starr turned up to their party in London celebrating the song’s release. Reparata and the Delrons would also perform the background vocals (along with Nanette Workman) for the Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women.” Reparata herself dropped out of the group, got married and became a schoolteacher. After that member Lorraine Mazzola began to introduce herself as Reparata. They faded out in 1973 when Mazzola joined Barry Manilow’s back-up singers Lady Flash. According to Wikipedia, in May 2001 Lorraine Mazzola pleaded guilty to being involved in a fraudulent investment scheme along with Mafia kingpin Sonny Gibson.
 

 
Probably owing to the fact that their music was licensed to a number of different small record labels, for years Reparata and the Delrons albums clogged record store cut-out bins. Today you can hardly find a decent greatest hits CD for them, but there is an active Facebook group for their fans.
 

 
Below: As it turns out, this may be the sole TV surviving TV appearance by Reparata and the Delrons and certainly if there’s any song by them that I’d want to see them do, it’s definately gonna be “Captain of Your Ship.” Betty Boo used a clever interpolation of the Morse code break in her 1990 hit “Doin’ the Do.”
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Doin’ the do with Betty Boo, the original spice girl