The Fleetwoods

The Fleetwoods, an American vocal group from Olympia, Washington, were formed in 1958 and consisted of Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher, and Barbara Ellis. The trio met as high school students and initially performed under the name Two Girls and a Guy. They changed their name to the Fleetwoods after the Fleetwood telephone exchange and began performing locally. In 1959, they were discovered by producer Bob Reisdorff, who helped them record their self-written debut hit "Come Softly to Me," which reached number one on the Billboard chart in 1959. The song was also a top-five hit in the UK. Their subsequent hits included "Graduation's Here" and "Mr. Blue", both of which topped the US pop chart in 1959. Throughout the 1960s, the Fleetwoods continued to release albums such as Mr. Blue (1959), The Fleetwoods (1960), Softly, and Deep in a Dream (1961). They achieved their final top-10 hit with a cover of Thomas Wayne's "Tragedy" in 1961. The group's success waned in the mid-1960s due to Gary Troxel's military service and the British Invasion, leading to their disbandment in 1983. Despite this, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame of America in 2006. The Fleetwoods are notable for being the earliest vocal group to have a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with all members still living.

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