• Get the app
  • Concerts
  • Charts
  • Radio Spins
  • Fast Forward 2025
  • Download Shazam
  • Apps
  • Concerts
  • Charts
  • Radio Spins
  • Fast Forward 2025
  • Help
Listen to The Fleetwoods, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!

The Fleetwoods

Pop

View Artist

Top Songs By The Fleetwoods

Listen to Mr. Blue by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
Mr. BlueThe Fleetwoods
Listen to Come Softly to Me by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
Come Softly to MeThe Fleetwoods
Listen to Tragedy by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
TragedyThe Fleetwoods
Listen to (He's) The Great Imposter by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
(He's) The Great ImposterThe Fleetwoods
Listen to Oh Lord Let It Be by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
Oh Lord Let It BeThe Fleetwoods
Listen to Goodnight My Love by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
Goodnight My LoveThe Fleetwoods
Listen to Unchained Melody (A Cappella Version) by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
Unchained Melody (A Cappella Version)The Fleetwoods
Listen to Runaround by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
RunaroundThe Fleetwoods
Listen to Come Softly to Me (Re-Recorded) by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
Come Softly to Me (Re-Recorded)The Fleetwoods
Listen to Skylark by The Fleetwoods, see lyrics, music video & more!
SkylarkThe Fleetwoods

Latest Release

Listen to Mr. Blue / Tragedy (Rerecorded Version) - Single by The Fleetwoods
ALBUMMr. Blue / Tragedy (Rerecorded Version) - SingleThe Fleetwoods

More albums from The Fleetwoods

Listen to Mr. Blue (Expanded Edition) by The Fleetwoods
ALBUMMr. Blue (Expanded Edition)The Fleetwoods

About The Fleetwoods

Listen to The Fleetwoods, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Hometown
Olympia, WA, United States
Formed
1958
Genre
Pop
Although the Fleetwoods' sound was smooth, without many of the rougher edges of doo wop groups, they were one of the few white vocal groups of the late '50s and early '60s to enjoy success not only on the pop charts, but also the R&B charts. Their forte was ballads -- beginning with the 1959 debut single "Come Softly to Me," they racked up a number of hits over the next three years, and nearly all of them were ballads. The Fleetwoods broke up in 1963, but their songs -- particularly "Come Softly to Me" -- became pop/rock classics of the pre-British Invasion era. Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis, and Gary Troxell formed the Fleetwoods while attending high school in Olympia, WA. Originally, the group consisted only of Christopher and Ellis, but the duo soon asked Troxell to accompany them on trumpet. Shortly after his arrival in the group, Troxell abandoned the trumpet and concentrated on singing once the other two members heard a portion of a song he had written. With some notable contributions from Christopher and Ellis, the group wrote "Come Softly to Me" and began performing the song at various events around Olympia, eventually gaining the attention of Bob Reisdorff, who ran the Seattle-based label Dolphin Records. Dolphin released "Come Softly to Me" early in 1959 and the song became an instant hit, climbing to number one on the pop charts and number five on the R&B charts; it also reached the Top Ten in U.K. The Fleetwoods weren't able to immediately produce a follow-up single as successful as their debut, but their third single, "Mr. Blue," was a number one pop and Top Five R&B hit in the U.S. in late 1959. By the time of its release, Dolphin had changed its name to Dolton. For the next three years, the Fleetwoods had a string of minor pop hits. The group wasn't able to consistently place singles in the upper regions of the charts partially because Troxell was drafted into the Navy at the height of the group's popularity at the end of 1959. Troxell was replaced by Vic Dana, who would later have a string of his own hit singles in the early '60s. The Fleetwoods' last Top Ten single arrived in the spring of 1961, when "Tragedy" climbed the U.S. charts. The group disbanded two years later, after releasing its final single, a cover of Jesse Belvin's "Goodnight My Love." Over the next three decades, the Fleetwoods reunited occasionally to perform concerts and appear in oldies revues. In 1973, the group recorded an album with producer Jerry Dennon, but the resulting recordings were unsuccessful. In 1990, the Fleetwoods -- featuring Christopher, Troxell, and instead of Ellis a singer named Cheryl Huggins -- played a tour on the American oldies circuit after Rhino released the compact disc collection The Best of the Fleetwoods. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Members of The Fleetwoods include, or have included, Barbara Ellis, Vic Dana, and Gretchen Christopher.

Similar to: The Fleetwoods

Discover more music and artists similar to The Fleetwoods, like The Skyliners, The Del-Vikings, Bobby Vee
Listen to The Skyliners, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
The Skyliners
Listen to The Del-Vikings, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
The Del-Vikings
Listen to Bobby Vee, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Bobby Vee
Listen to Bobby Rydell, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Bobby Rydell
Listen to Ricky Nelson, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Ricky Nelson
Listen to Johnny Tillotson, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Johnny Tillotson
Listen to Brian Hyland, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Brian Hyland
Listen to The Everly Brothers, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
The Everly Brothers
Listen to Gary Lewis & The Playboys, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Listen to Bobby Vinton, watch music videos, read bio, see tour dates & more!
Bobby Vinton

Shazam Footer

Select language:

Company

  • About Us
  • Apps
  • Careers
  • Help for Apple Devices
  • Help for Android Devices
  • ShazamKit for Developers

Legal

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Manage Your Data
  • My Library
Google Play Store
Apple App Store
Chrome Web Store
Galaxy Store

Follow Us

© Copyright 2025 Apple Inc. and its affiliates | Supplier Responsibility
instagramSharePathic_arrow_out