Secrets

Jackie Allen Schwegler, Karen Cray Cipriana, Carole Raymont, and Patty Miller were students at Cleveland's Shaw High School in the early 60s.

Members:
    Jackie Allen - 1st soprano
    Karen Gray - lead
    Carole (Raymont) McGoldrick - alto
    Patty Miller - 2nd soprano

"I can't remember what we called ourselves." We always say it was a secret, but none of us remembers how we got the Secret name"
Karen Cray Cipriana

For a moment they were the the Sonnets. It was while they were performing in 1963, without a name, that the pianist looked at his Sonnet piano and suggested that as a name.

"We sang songs like "Side by Side and "September Rain," said Karen, "for the girls athletic club, the GAA, the friendship club.....

The girls went to with Tom King, leader of the Starfires, later to become the Outsiders. King asked the girls to do five Twist shows with the Starfires accompanying.

1963 (clockwise from top left) Jackie  Allen, Patty Miller,  Karen Gray, Carole Raymont

It was at one of these jobs in 1962 that Redda Robbins, a talent promoter, heard the girls and offered to represent them. Robbins coached and dressed them, and lined up a meeting with Johnny Madera and David White, members of the Spokesmen; the latter who recorded with Danny and the Juniors. Madera and White were affiliated with Mercury Records, who were at this time having hits with Lesley Gore, the Pixies Three, and the Sherrys, and it's subsidiary Smash with the Angels. Madera and White came to see them perform at the Chateau a club in Cleveland.

Liking what they saw the Secrets were soon signed by Mercury to a recording contract. They then went to Philadelphia to learn the songs and from there to New York to record them. Drummer Bobby Gregg, saxman Buddy Lucus, and guitarist Al Cailo (known for his recordings of "Bonanza" and "The Magnificent Seven) accompanied them in the thirty minutes they were allotted to record the two sides. Out of the session came "The Boy Next Door," which reached #18 on the charts on December 23, 1963.

Secrets -1964
Photo courtesy Karen Cipriani

The Secrets then began touring. It was during this time that they met, Lou Christie, Vic Dana, Lesley Gore, etc.  They even headlined over the Supremes at a series of shows in Detroit.

Three more Philips singles, all produced by Johnny Madera and Danny White, all quickly disappeared.

Jackie and Karen fell in love, and despite the Secrets being offered a continuation of their contract and an offer to appear for twelve weeks at the New York's World Fair, the group split up in 1965. Carole and Patty continued as the Memories, a duo for about a year.

In the early 90s, all of the original Secrets regrouped to perform at their 30th High School Reunion. A limited production cassette with the tune "Never Too Old to Rock" was issued.

The Secrets disbanded in 1965.

Carole McGoldrick passed away June 16, 2010.