The Pixies Three

by Jason AnkenyGirl group the Pixies Three was formed in Hanover, PA in 1957 by schoolmates Debbie Swisher and Kaye McCool; after a few months of singing as a duo, they recruited third vocalist Midge Bollinger and began developing the lovely three-part harmonies which distinguished their subsequent hits. After years of performing at local parties and social gatherings, in 1962 the Pixies Three signed to Mercury, and under producers John Madara and David White scored their first hit with Birthday Party, which reached the Billboard Top 40 in the summer of 1963. In the wake of the follow-up, the double-sided 442 Glenwood Avenue/Cold Cold Winter, Bollinger left the trio, and was replaced by Bonnie Long for 1964s minor hit Gee. Its Summertime U.S.A. was the Pixies Threes last hit, and the group disbanded in 1965; after issuing a solo single, the Boom label release Youre So Good to Me, Swisher replaced Peggy Santiglia as the lead vocalist of the Angels, cutting four singles for RCA before again going solo in 1968. In 1991, Swisher, McCool and Long reformed the Pixies Three to perform at their high school reunion; not only did they play many more live dates in the years to follow, but in 1995 also recorded a new studio album, Now and Then.