In late 1965, Carl Bonafede was seeking to form a sister group to accompany
the Buckinghams. After several auditions, Bonafede rounded out the original lineup of singers and guitarists Judy Johnson and Marsha Tomal,
bassist Andrea Levin, and
drummer Debi Pomeroy. The bandmates were influenced by the male-dominated rock music scene of the period, and they strived to be the exception to the typical band standard. They chose the local
Senn High School as their launching point to attract a local following. Bonafede quickly arranged several gigs for the group he gimmicked with matching outfits to make them more notable. Pomeroy became the early centerpiece of the group's sound for her standout performance at the drums for their act. The band soon gained a considerable following of both male and female fans. As Levin stated, regarding the audience, "We had a good sound and good energy, and the audience was always very receptive, just thrilled. I never felt like anyone was looking at us going 'Oh my god, who do they think they are?' It was like, 'Wow, you guys are great, and you're girls!'". Once the band became well known in Chicago, they began touring within the Midwest, and opened for contemporaries in the Chicago rock scene like
the Shadows of Knight,
the Cryan' Shames, and the Buckinghams. Since the bandmates were under the age of 16, many of the clubs they performed in required adult supervision and forbidding them to sit outside the stage. The first non-ballroom performance by the band was in February 1966 at the annual
Chicago Auto Show held in the
McCormick Place by Chicago's lakefront. The band was featured as a backing band in local programming with
Janis Ian to support the release of her song "Society's Child". In 1966, the band signed a contract with
USA Records to produce their first single "Hey Lover" b/w "Stand by Me" and their second one, "Symphony of My Soul" b/w "Help Me, Boy". They both failed to chart nationally, but it became a popular release in the Chicago area that they would tour to promote. For their next releases, the band changed bass players, first with Marilou Davidson and then Lori Wax. ==Singles==