T h e P i x i e s T h r e e

Discography	Biography	Tour Dates	Gift Shop	Contact Info	About

Aficionados of the “Girl Group Sound” of the 1960’s often cite The Pixies Three to reflect the “quintessential” girl group sound of the era: finger snapping, foot stomping, perky girl-next-door, bubble gum-feel-good music.

In 1963, three high school friends (Midge Bollinger, Debby Swisher and Kaye McCool) from Hanover, Pennsylvania, signed a recording contract with Mercury Records. This was quite an accomplishment for the girls, whose previous experience as “The Pixies” consisted of talent shows, service clubs, carnivals, a couple of summers at Tony Grant's ('unpaid' talent) Steel Pier show and two appearances on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. John Madara and David White, producers with Mercury and its sub labels, found the trio at a Philadelphia club on “talent night” where walk-on talent was not only welcomed but frequently “discovered.” Madara and White signed the girls to a recording contract and suggested the name be changed to “The Pixies Three” as a Baltimore group had previously made a record (although not successful) under the name “The Pixies”.

For one full month the group (with Midge on lead, Debby on high and Kaye singing low) rehearsed at the Schubert Theater in Philly working with Madara and White penned tunes. Leon Huff, who later partnered with Kenny Gamble to create “The Sound of Philadelphia” and Soul Train, was their 16 year old rehearsal pianist. Huff, who always stood and danced while he played, and the girls were frequently caught clowning and often chastised to “get back to work.” The result of the month's effort was BIRTHDAY PARTY b/w OUR LOVE (written by Kaye), which shot into Billboard's Top 40 with a bullet.

A second set of recording sessions at Reco-Art in Philadelphia on October 4, 1963 gave birth to the Pixies’ two sided smash, COLD, COLD WINTER b/w 442 GLENWOOD AVENUE. With both sides of the platter charting at the same time, neither song reached its full chart potential. But record sales were bigger than BIRTHDAY PARTY and the Pixies had another hit. Shortly after the release of their second hit, Midge left the group for personal reasons, and Bonnie Long, another high school friend, became the new Pixie.

By early 1964, the Pixies Three had become one of the most popular girl groups on the music scene. With two successful hits to their credit, The Pixies Three were appearing around the country with the likes of Dionne Warwick, The Four Seasons, The Dave Clark Five and The Rolling Stones. Mercury decided it was time for an album. The group's first, and only, album, PARTY WITH THE PIXIES THREE, was recorded at Mira Sound Studios in New York. Possibly the best “party” platter ever recorded, it featured not only the talents of the Pixies, but also those of renowned session musicians Trade Martin, Artie Kaplan, Vinnie Bell and the girls’ friend and fellow cut-up, now known as Leon “Fingers” Huff. Two cuts were pulled from the album, GEE b/w AFTER THE PARTY, for release as the next Pixies 45. Released in March 1964, this double sided slice of heaven encountered the over-bearing domination of the British Invasion on the charts. Even so, GEE still managed to hit the top 10 in many regional markets and held a respectable #87 spot in Billboard and #79 in Cashbox.

THE HOOTCH b/w SUMMERTIME USA, recorded at Mira Sound that May, hit the record shelves in June of 1964. After complaints from stations that the word “Hootch” (a new dance in the spirit of "The Monkey", "The Swim" or "The Mashed Potatoes") meant “liquor “and was not considered appropriate for airplay by program directors, the record was “flipped” by Mercury. Full page ads in Music Vendor, Cash Box and Billboard showed an inverted Pixies singing SUMMERTIME USA, with a banner announcement: “You've Got Us Upside Down”. But, it was too late, for record stores were already returning their overstocked copies of the unheard HOOTCH and, while SUMMERTIME was getting airplay, there were no records to purchase. In spite of this fiasco, SUMMERTIME managed to break Billboard's Top 100.

1965 brought the release of the two final Pixies Three singles, ORPHAN BOY and YOUR WAY, both noteworthy efforts that failed to chart. Kaye, Bonnie and Debby graduated from high school and went their separate ways.

In 1991, The Pixies Three were asked by their classmates to reunite for their 25th high school reunion. Bonnie (Long) Walker, who still resided in Hanover and worked for an engineeing firm, had done some solo work with a regional band. Since she was on the reunion committee, she was asked to find the other Pixies. Debby (Swisher) Horn , it was learned, was in Oklahoma where she was active in music, singing with her own band. Kaye (McCool) Krebs was found in Virginia Beach, Virginia where she was a corporate executive. Kaye had not sung outside the shower since the break-up. Much to everyone's disappointment, Midge (Bollinger) Neel could not be found.

And so the reunion show with The Pixies Three of Bonnie, Kaye and Debby took place in 1991 and continued in various Oldies venues throughout the eastern US, until an auspicious moment in 1997 when a man came up to the group backstage, five minutes before a performance for 2000 people in Ocean City, MD. “There is someone special here who wants to see you,” he said. “Well, we're getting ready to go on, how about later,” they replied, not wanting to be impolite. And at that moment, Midge walked into view, and the real, complete Pixie reunion took place. After the show and many hugs and congratulations, Midge said, “Well, ladies, if you ever need me, I'm available.” So, imagine Midge's surprise when, three years later, she gets a call from Bonnie and Kaye in January of 2000, after Debby decided to leave the group. “Do you know that song, 442 GLENWOOD AVENUE?” Bonnie and Kaye sing, “Come along, come on….” Pixies At The Lake 2004

“YES!!!!” says Midge. The Pixies Three live on.

These pages are designed for use by old fans and new fans alike. You'll find useful information like upcoming Pixies tour dates, and special information about the Pixies found only on these pages (like biographies of all the Pixies and a full discography). These pages are designed to be flexible to what you, the fans, want, so feedback is a MUST! Please keep us up to date on any interesting happenings that correspond to the Pixies, or stories you have about the band as a fan. Also please remember to join our Fan Club, which entitles you to lots of cool Pixies merchandise!


Tour Dates		Gift Shop
Table of Contents
	The Discography section allows you to browse through an online compilation of all the Pixies published work. This section also contains links to images of album covers and sound clips of selected Pixies' songs.		The Biography section lets you view pictures and text all about current and former Pixies members. It contains lots of candid photos of the Pixies that can also be found in the Gift Shop area.
Discography		Biography
	The Tour Date section lets you find out when The Pixies Three will be rockin' in a city near you. It is updated as soon as dates become finalized. Those with JavaScript enabled browsers should stay tuned to the Pixies Ticker on the status bar for the most up-to-date information.		The Gift Shop area contains lots of classic photos and recordings of the Pixies along with information on ordering Pixies merchandise. The files are available in JPG and WAV format and are organized into four areas: Merchandise, Photos, Album Covers, and Sound Clips.
	The Contact section provides information on how to contact The Pixies Three. It also shows how to join the quickly growing Pixies Fan Club.		The About section gives information about the creators of this page.
Contact Info		About

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