The Carmen Touch (Carmen's Boogie) - The Charmonaires on Arthur Godfrey Time, 1956

The Charmonaires was a musical trio created and managed by Arlene Allison around 1954 in New York City. Pat Maddox and Harlene Pomroy had moved to NYC after performing with the St. Louis Light Opera Company together. Pat responded to an ad in Variety magazine for a new girls vocal group, and the three ladies -- Arlene, Harlene and Pat -- became the Charmonaires, as shown in the early studio publicity shots. Arlene took a break from performing to start a family, but continued to manage the group. Her part (the middle spot) was assumed by Sarah Smith, who had performed with Harlene and Pat back in St. Louis. Most of the recordings posted on this channel include Sarah as a vocalist (in addition to Pat and Harlene), but some may have included Arlene -- its hard to tell. A third "middle spot" girl, Nancy Radcliff, toured with the group at one point (temporarily taking the place of Sarah), and is seen in some of the on-location photos, but is not in the recordings. The Charmonaires -- billed as "America's Most Beautiful Vocal Group" -- broke up in August 1957 when both Harlene and Sarah married. Arlene continued a career in show business, both performing and managing other artists.