TOUR NOTES BIOGRAPHIES
The Pastels
Starting off as entertainers for the US Air Force, The Pastels began singing together at an Army base in Greenland. Upon being transferred to Washington D.C., they began singing at local USO’s and airmen’s clubs. While performing at the Tops In Blue show at Mitchell Air Force Base in 1957, they finally decided to make a career out of their music.
The Pastels consisted on four young men; Dee Ervin, Richard Travis, Tony Thomas and Jimmy Willingham. Their first singles, "Been So Long" and "My One and Only Dream" were released in late 1957. "Been So Long" eventually reached #4 on the R&B Charts and #24 on the Pop charts. They began touring all over the USA alongside various artists of the time including the Chantels, Chuck Berry, The Hollywood Flames and the Heartbeats. Their biggest tour was definitely the Alan Freed Big Beat Show.
Other songs released by The Pastels were, "You Don’t Love Me Anymore", "Let’s Go to The Rock & Roll Ball" and "So Far Away".
In 1959, The Pastels disbanded due to lack of work and no record company interest. All members went back home in different parts of the USA. Dee Erwin, however, worked on his solo career as "Big Dee Irwin" and went on to release a cover of Bing Crosby’s, "Swinging On A Star". This resulted in a nine month tour of the UK.
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