Groupe Doo Wop US formé en 1954 à New York et comprenant Bobby Mansfield, George Magnezid, Francis Conception et Jimmy "Archie" Archer. Les Wrens se sont séparés en 1956.

The Wrens were one of the best of the dozens of R&B vocal groups who recorded in the mid- to late '50s for George Goldner, signed to his Rama and Gee labels in the wake of his success with "Gee" by the Crows. Lead singer Bobby Mansfield, George Magnezid (tenor), Francis "Frenchie" Concepcion (tenor), and James "Archie" Archer (bass) first started singing together in 1954 at a community center in the Bronx, NY. There they were spotted by Fred Johnson, a promoter who organized local talent shows, and he offered to manage the quartet. The Wrens were known best for their smooth, elegant harmony singing, which elevated both their ballads and their jump numbers above much of the competition. They sang R&B, but it tended more toward mature ballads and serious jump songs, rather than teen novelties.
Johnson got the group an audition with George Goldner's Rama Records and a recording contract followed late in 1954, with the group's first session taking place on November 21 of that year. Fred Johnson played piano behind them on that session and Goldner produced; in later recordings, legendary saxman Jimmy Wright led the band that backed them up. The group's first released single was "Love's Something Made for Two" b/w "Beggin' for Love," featuring Mansfield and Concepcion, respectively. It was their second single, "Come Back My Love," however, that achieved some local popularity in New York early in 1955 and put the Wrens on the map for R&B vocal fans. At their best, the Wrens sounded a lot like the Moonglows -- Mansfield's singing at times bore a striking resemblance to Harvey Fuqua of the latter group, and both outfits were at their best doing mid-tempo jump numbers and ballads, though the Wrens' records also had a hard edge from Wright's sax and the bold sound of the Rama house band under his leadership.
Goldner issued a total of six singles by the Wrens, but they never enjoyed a bigger hit than "Come Back My Love," which became their signature song despite competition from a cover version done by the Cardinals on Atlantic that same year. By 1956, however, Bobby Mansfield had split off from the group for a solo career, during which he made some records for Goldner with the Supremes (the male R&B vocal group, not the Motown trio) backing him. The Wrens disappeared into the mists of R&B vocal group history, while Mansfield remained active into the 1990s, even recording with a new group of "Wrens" in the middle of the decade. The original Wrens all lived long enough to see themselves inducted into the United Group Harmony Association's Hall of Fame in 1998. Collectables Records issued a collection of the Wrens' recordings in the early '90s and England's Westside label followed this up in 2000 with Strictly for the Birds, compiling the Wrens' and the Crows' material on one CD.

Style musical : Doo Wop

Talents : Bobby Mansfield : Lead - George Magnezid : First Tenor - Francis Conception : Bariton - Jimmy "Archie" Archer : Bass

Years in activity :

DISCOGRAPHY

78 t. & Singles

1954	78 t. & SP RAMA RR-53 (US)	Love's Something That's Made For Two / Beggin' For Love
01/1955	78 t. & SP RAMA RR-65 (US)	Come Back My Love / Beggin' For Love
1955	78 t. & SP RAMA RR-110 (US)	Love's Something That's Made For Two / Eleven Roses
11/1955	78 t. & SP RAMA RR-174 (US)	Hey Girl / Serenade Of The Bells
1955	78 t. & SP RAMA RR-184 (US)	I Won't Come To Your Wedding / What Makes You Do (The Things You Do)
03/1956	SP RAMA RR-194 (US)	C'Est La Vie (Wrens featuring Bobby Mansfield) / C'Est La Vie (Jimmy WRIGHT)
1965 ?	SP Roulette Golden Goodies Hits Series GG-62 (US)	Come Back My Love (WRENS) / You're An Angel (CONTINENTALS)
1992	SP Classic Artist 45-131 (US)	Wrens featuring Bobby Mansfield - Why Can't You / I'm Just The Kind Of Guy
199?	SP COLLECTABLES COL 0223 (US)	C'Est La Vie / Eleven Roses
199?	SP COLLECTABLES COL 0224 (US)	Come Back My Love / Serenade Of The Bells

Unissued Tracks

Albums

11/1991	CD COLLECTABLES 5404 (US)		THE BEST OF THE WRENS - Come Back My Love / Wreckless (previously unreleased) / What Makes You Do The Things You Do / She's My Everything (previously unreleased) / Eleven Roses / C'Est La Vie / Love's Something That's Made For Two (previously unreleased alternative take) / Betty Jean (previously unreleased) / Beggin' For Love / Love's Something That's Made For Two / House Of Cards (previously unreleased) / Hey Girl (previously unreleased alternative take) / Serenade Of The Bells / I Won't Come To Your Wedding
02/2000	CD WESTSIDE 604 (UK)		STRICTLY FOT THE BIRDS - THE RAMA AND GEE RECORDINGS -1953-1956 - (THE CROWS & THE WRENS) - Gee (The CROWS) / I Love You So (The CROWS) / No Help Wanted (The CROWS) / Seven Lonely Days (The CROWS) / Seven Lonely Days (The CROWS with Viola WATKINS) / Perfidia (Ellis, Lorraine & Group) / Call A Doctor (The CROWS) / Heartbreaker (The CROWS) / Untrue C(The CROWS) / Baby (The CROWS) / Miss You (The CROWS) / I Really, Really Love You (The CROWS) / Baby Doll (The CROWS) / Sweet Sue, Just You (The CROWS) / Mambo Shevitz (Man, Oh Man) (The CROWS) / Baby (The CROWS) / Love's Something That's Made For Two [version 1] / Beggin' For Love / Come Back My Love / Eleven Roses (And The Twelfth Is You) / Love's Something That's Made For Two [version 2] / Serendade Of The Bells / Betty Jean (The CROWS) / (She's My) Everything / What Makes You Do The Things You Do / I Won't Come to Your Wedding / C'Est La Vie / Reckless (Bobby MANSFIELD & GROUP) / House Of Cards (Bobby MANSFIELD & GROUP) / Hey Girl (The WRENS) / Eleven Roses (And The Twelfth Is You) [take two]
07/2005	CD COLLECTABLES 9924 (US)		COME BACK LOVER - Come Back My Love / What Makes You Do (The Things That You Do) / Eleven Roses / Hey Girl / Beggin' For Love / Serenade Of The Bells / Betty Jean / C'Est La Vie / Wreckless / Love Is Something That's Made For Two

© Rocky Productions 23/09/2005