The Spaniels

The Spaniels – Introduced to the public as Pookie Hudson and the Hudsonaires at Gary Roosevelt High School in 1952, the Spaniels, a well-known doo-wop group, signed with Vee-Jay Records in the spring of 1953 and reached the R & B’s top ten list twice in its first year with “Baby It’s You” T #10 and “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight” at #5. Included in the 1958 tour that proved fatal for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, the Spaniels disbanded when Vee-Jay went under in 1966, but the group reunited in 1969. Currently, two manifestations of the Spaniels exist – one in D.C. (with Hudson until his death from Cancer in January 2007) and the original group in Gary.