Rosie & The Originals
- Soundtrack
Rosie & The Originals were a vocal group formed by Rosie Hamlin, a
14-year-old student at San Diego's Mission Hills High School. She wrote
a song called "Angel Baby", got some friends together and rented time
at a recording studio to record the song. They eventually hooked up
with Highland Records, which signed them to a contract. The song was
released in December of 1960 and became a hit. However, the group
almost immediately locked horns with their record label, as Hamlin
discovered that she was not eligible to receive royalties for the song
because she was not listed as the author (the label had insisted that
group member David Ponci receive writing credit, as he was the oldest
member). The group soon broke up (the battle with the label over
royalties would go on for years, with Hamlin eventually securing
copyright ownership of the song).
Hamlin and group member Noah Tafolla later signed with Brunswick Records, and recorded an album and toured. They eventually married and had children, and in 1963 she retired to raise her family. She stayed out of the music business for six years, returning in 1969 to record several singles, and did so again on and off until the 2000s. In 2002 she appeared in a PBS special, American Soundtrack: Red, White & Rock (2002). and performed "Angel Baby".
Hamlin and group member Noah Tafolla later signed with Brunswick Records, and recorded an album and toured. They eventually married and had children, and in 1963 she retired to raise her family. She stayed out of the music business for six years, returning in 1969 to record several singles, and did so again on and off until the 2000s. In 2002 she appeared in a PBS special, American Soundtrack: Red, White & Rock (2002). and performed "Angel Baby".