The Jaynetts were an American girl group based in the Bronx, New York, who became a one-hit wonder in 1963 with the song "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", which reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In 1954, Bronx-native Zelma "Zell" Sanders produced "Lonely Nights" by a female R&B vocal group called The Hearts. With no major labels interested in a track by a female R&B group, "Lonely Nights" was eventually released on the small independent label Baton and became one of the earliest girl-group hits when it made the US R&B Top 10 hit single in 1955. This success allowed Sanders to found her own doo-wop-oriented label, J&S. The Jaynetts name was conceived by adding the "J" in "J&S" to "Anetta", the middle name of Lezli Valentine, a session vocalist who sang on the group's 1957 debut, "I Wanted To Be Free", as well as on other J&S releases. The lead vocal on "I Wanted to Be Free" was by Justine "Baby" Washington, who regularly performed on the Hearts' releases in 1956–57; Washington also began recording solo in 1957 with the B-side of her second release, "Hard Way to Go" (1958), being a track credited to the Jaynetts entitled "Be My Boyfriend."
J&S Records had its first national success in 1961 when Abner Spector, an A&R man for the Chicago-based Chess Records, utilized J&S's Tuff subsidiary for the release of The Corsairs' hit "Smoky Places" which reached #12 in March 1962. In 1963 Spector had Zell Sanders assemble the line-up to cut a girl group record, and Spector's wife Lona Stevens wrote "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" with Sanders for this purpose. The credited members of the Jaynetts who recorded "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" were Yvonne Bushnell, Ethel Davis (aka Vernell Hill), Ada Ray Kelly and Johnnie Louise Richardson, who had all previously recorded for J&S; a fifth credited member Mary Sue Wells (aka Mary Sue Wellington/Mary Green Wilson) was recruited through a newspaper advertisement. It was announced that Johnnie Louise Richardson, Sanders' daughter, who had been a member of Johnnie & Joe, was not intended as a group member beyond singing on their first track. Vocalists who sang on "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" besides the five credited personnel include J&S veterans Selena Healey, Marie Hood, Marlene Mack (aka Marlina Mack/Marlina Mars), Louise (Harris) Murray (a member of the original Hearts), Lezli Valentine and Iggy Williams. The sessions produced only the one song, being released with the song's instrumental track as its B-side, credited to 'Sing Along Without the Jaynetts'. The single reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated 28 September 1963.
The single's success led to the release of a Sally Go 'Round the Roses album on Tuff; besides the title cut, in both the vocal and instrumental versions, and the follow-up single "Keep an Eye on Her" "bubbled under the Hot 100" in November 1963. The album featured "Archie's Melody", "Bongo Bobby", "I Wanna Know", "No Love At All", "One Track Mind", "Pick Up My Marbles", "School Days" and "See Saw"; also featured as "A Special Guest Appearance" was "Dear Abby" credited to the Hearts, a minor hit (#94) recorded by at least some of the same personnel as "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", and with the same "Sing Along without the..." instrumental-only version on the B-side. Despite the Jaynetts having been promoted as a quintet, their album cover image was of a trio, only two of whom—Ethel Davis and Lezli Valentine—are identifiable. Lezli is the lead voice on "Sally" and she performed the spoken part on "Dear Abby".
The Jaynetts name was used for the release of two further singles on Tuff: "Snowman, Snowman Sweet Potato Nose" and "There's No Love at All" b/w "Tonight You Belong to Me". Throughout 1964 Tuff also released recordings featuring at least some of the personnel from "Sally Go 'Round the Roses"; these releases were credited to the Clickettes (who were Lezli Valentine, Marlina Mars and Iggy Williams), the Poppies (not to be confused with the Poppies who recorded for Epic in 1966) and the Patty Cakes (whose release "I Understand Them" was subtitled "A Love Song to the Beatles"). In 1964, the Roulette single "Changing My Life for You" b/w "I Would If I Could", credited to the Z-Debs, was sung by members of the Jaynetts who had recorded "Sally Go 'Round the Roses". The 1964 J&S single, "Cry Behind the Daisies", was the first release credited to the Jaynetts with a new core line-up, retaining Johnnie Louise Richardson and adding Evangeline Jenkins, Linda Jenkins and Georgette Malone. This group had further J&S releases into 1965 with "Chicken, Chicken, Crane or Crow" b/w "Winky Dinky", "Peepin' In and Out the Window" b/w "Extra Extra, Read All About It", "Who Stole the Cookie" b/w "That's My Baby", "Looking for Wonderland, My Lover" b/w "Make It an Extra" and "Vangie Don't You Cry" b/w "My Guy Is As Sweet As Can Be". The group ceased their recording activities in 1965.
