The
Dixie Cups originally consisted of sisters Barbara and Rosa Hawkins
with their cousin, Joan Johnson. They were pursuing a singing
career in their native New Orleans under the name The Meltones.
Singer/entertainer Joe Jones ("You Talk Too Much"), who
discovered the girls at a talent show, brought the trio to
songwriter-producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller at New York's Brill
Building. Leiber and Stoller, liking what they heard, decided to
sign the girls to a recording contract - and, with the
decision having been made to start a new label to launch the new
group, Red Bird Records was born. The powerhouse songwriting
team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, who'd been working with Leiber
and Stoller, joined Red Bird as composers/producers.
"Chapel of
Love," written by Barry and Greenwich with Phil Spector, had 
previously
been recorded by The Ronettes and The Crystals, but neither
version was released as a single. The girls recorded
"Chapel of Love" under their new name, The Dixie Cups
(another name that had been briefly considered for the trio was
Little Miss and The Muffets; the moniker decided upon was a
nod to the girls' New Orleans roots). Red Bird partner
George Goldner heard The Dixie Cups' master of "Chapel of
Love" and declared it to be a sure-fire hit, so after augmenting
the track with a Dixie-flavored brass section, Leiber and Stoller
released "Chapel" which ascended swiftly to #1 in the spring
of 1964, knocking The Beatles' "Love Me Do" out of the top
spot and earning the girls their first gold record. Thus The
Dixie Cups were the first American group to "take back" the
U.S. Cash Box and Billboard charts from the British Invasion.
The Dixie Cups' next
release, "People Say," garnered a second gold record for the
group. Other hits would follow, like "You Should Have Seen
the Way He Looked At Me," "Little Bell," and the
delightful chant "Iko Iko," which along with "Chapel of
Love" has become the group's signature tune.
In 1965, The Dixie
Cups' manager tried moving the group to another label,
ABC-Paramount. Within a year or two stress from traveling
led Joan Johnson to retire from the group. Barbara and Rosa brought
in another alto and continued to tour and entertain. However,
legal problems caused by The Dixie Cups' migration to the new label
were enough to stall the trio's career and cause their records to
be dropped from the charts. Despite having a couple of Top Forty
hits, the group was unable to recapture the success they'd
enjoyed at Red Bird and their recording career came to a halt.
The Hawkins sisters
returned to New Orleans in the late 60's, a decision fueled by
manager problems. Rosa Hawkins found work as a model and
also taught modeling at the Barbizon and John Casablanca Schools. In
addition, she worked as a makeup artist for Fashion Fair
Cosmetics and for Revlon. Rosa taught Barbara the makeup
business, and Barbara too became a makeup artist, working for these
same companies. They also continued to perform around the world.
During the 80's and 90's, thanks largely to renewed interest in the
songs they'd recorded for Red Bird, The Dixie Cups enjoyed a
resurgence of popularity. In 2002, The Dixie Cups were Rhythm
& Blues Foundation nominees; then, in 2003, the Foundation honored
The Dixie Cups with their Pioneer Award.
Today, The Dixie Cups
continue to perform on the concert circuit, thrilling audiences with
their pristine harmonies. Current members of the trio are Rosa
and Barbara along with their sister from their Neville
Brothers family, Athelgra Neville
