The Yum Yums

Gwen Oliver, Cassandra Wooten and Jean Jean Davis had started their own singing group called the Yum-Yums. Jimmy Bishop added Nadine Felder of Brewerytown as the lead singer for Philadelphia’s only girl group and for a short period the group was called Sugar and Spice, but later Bishop decided on the name Honey and the Bees. There are slightly differing accounts regarding the membership. ------------------------------ History ------------------------------ It began when Gwen Oliver and Cassandra Wooten who had been friends since grade school were asked by neighborhood friends to join their group. This would eventually lead to them being in The Yum Yums with Jean Davis etc.. They went on to audition for producer Jerry Ross and recorded the single, Looky, Looky / Gonna Be A Big Thing, released In 1965. The B side which was written by Ross would become popular years later on the northern soul scene. In a December, 2020 interview with Ady Crampton of Shinyl.co.uk, Wooten mentions another member called Shebbie (check spelling) who was in her words "Kinda new to the group and she wasn't as committed". So Shebbie was let go around the time they got together with Nadine Felder. And they were named Honey And The Bees by Bishop following an audition for him. The Philadelphia Neighborhoods website February 29, 2012 article mentions that when Felder was added, for a brief period of time, they were called Sugar and Spice and then they became Honey & the Bees. "Gonna be a Big Thing" has been re-issued on the Outta Sight label in 2013 and 2020. It has also appeared on at least seventeen compilation albums. Gwen Oliver and Cassandra Wooten would later become members of The Ritchie Family. Oliver passed away on November 27, 2020. ------------------------------ Reference ------------------------------ * Shinyl.co.uk, Ady Crampton chats to the stars, December 3, 2020 - The Ritchie Family (Yum Yums / Honey & the Bees info 08:30 - 18:30) https://www.shinyl.co.uk/the-ritchie-family/ * Philadelphia Neighborhoods, February 29, 2012 - Brewerytown: Philadelphia’s 1960s Soul Girl Group https://philadelphianeighborhoods.com/2012/02/29/brewerytown-philadelphias-1960s-soul-girl-group/