La La Brooks of The Crystals

Dolores "La La" Brooks joined the girl group The Crystals at the age of 13, featuring on the 1962 album Twist Uptown . At age 15, she sang lead vocals on two of Phil Spector’s most notable Wall of Sound singles: “Then He Kissed Me” and “Da Doo Ron Ron.” This American sound heavily influenced artists such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, and The Ramones. Brooks later performed on Galt McDermott’s early demos for the musical Hair and performed in the original 1968 Broadway cast. After a period of sporadic recordings with her husband Idris Muhammad and decades spent living in London and Vienna, she returned to New York in 2000. In 2011, she released the LP All Or Nothing on Norton Records, produced by Mick Collins (The Dirtbombs). Her current live band is led by Jeremy Chatzky, who previously spent 25 years in Ronnie Spector’s band. Brooks is currently recording new material at The Diamond Mine in New York.