Jean King

Jean Louise King (October 12, 1938 – March 28, 1983) was an American singer who was a member of the girl group the Blossoms from 1964 until her death.

Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois, King was raised in Washington Terrace, Utah. She sung in the choir and attended Weber High School. In July that same year, she backed Del Shannon on his song "Red Rubber Ball" in the vocal chorus.

The following year, she joined the Blossoms through a connection with H. B. Barnum, replacing Gracia Nitzsche. She replaced Nitzsche, who was white, after the group received a call by Shindig! to appear on the show after Nitzsche left because Shindig did not want a mixed group on the show. However, they continued to perform on the show from 1964 until 1966. During her tenure in the group, she had a stint as a solo artist, recording for Hanna-Barbera subsidiary Hanna-Barbera Records, and King released her debut and only studio album, "Sings for the In-Crowd" in May 1966. Throughout her tenure with the Blossoms, she sung backup for Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, and Bill Medley. By 1974, after Love left following a backstage incident that caused the Blossoms to be fired as background singers by Dionne Warwick, and King's collapse after taking drugs, King and James continued the Blossoms, performing in Las Vegas as background singers with Alex Brown, Stephanie Spruill, and Cynthia Woodward as replacements for Love. They released a single, "A.P.B." in 1977, on MAM Records.

In her later years, she married soundman Larry Richstein (1945–2012) and moved to Washington. On March 28, 1983, King suffered a heart attack and died in Las Vegas at the age of 44 from heart surgery complications.

Discography Albums Sings for the In-Crowd (1966, Hanna-Barbera Records) Singles Something Happens to Me (1965, Hanna-Barbera Records) Don't Say Goodbye (1966, Hanna-Barbera Records) Watermelon Man (1966, Hanna-Barbera Records)