The Pearls were an English 1970s girl vocal duo from Liverpool, England, featuring Lyn Cornell and Ann Simmons (née O'Brien). They released a total of 12 singles, the most successful being "Guilty", which reached No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1974. Various Pearls singles were released around the world with different catalogue numbers and sometimes different labels . They had releases throughout Europe and in the Far East, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia .
Cornell and Simmons were originally part of The Vernons Girls, and they formed The Pearls in 1972. Their first records were cover versions of the 1960s songs "Third Finger, Left Hand" (a b-side from the Martha and the Vandellas hit single, "Jimmy Mack") and The Ronettes, "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered". These records were issued by Bell Records. However, the vocal on the first single issued by The Pearls was not performed by Cornell and Simmons. It was the duo Sue and Sunny - Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie - who sang on "Third Finger Left Hand" as stated on The Pearls compilation album. Sue and Sunny could not front The Pearls when the record was released, because they had previous contractual obligations. There were a total of seven singles issued on the Bell label.
The Pearls' original songs included "Let's Make Love Again", "Doctor Love" and "Wizard of Love" among others (although these all failed to chart). They had more success with "Guilty", co-written by Ron Roker, which became a UK Top 10 success in 1974. Their previously unreleased cover of The Everly Brothers, "Bye Bye Love" appeared on their compilation album, A String of Pearls.
In 1975 The Pearls changed label to Private Stock releasing three singles over the next two years. The first release "Lead Us Not into Temptation" was an original song but the next two were covers. "The Cheater" was a popular play on the Northern soul circuit, and their last single for Private Stock was a disco version of "I'll See You in My Dreams", which was also issued in the United States as a 10" D.J. single.
Both Cornell and Simmons were also session and backing singers, as detailed in the liner notes of their compilation album. They belonged at various stages of their careers to other groups. Cornell who had been a solo singer both prior to joining The Vernons Girls and after, was also a member of The Breakaways, The Ladybirds, The Chucks, The Carefrees and The Raindrops. She also sang and toured with the James Last Orchestra during the entire time she was a member of The Pearls. Simmons, as well as her time with The Vernons Girls, was a member of The Redmond Twins, The Breakaways and The Ladybirds during her career.
