The Pearls

The Pearls

Company type	Vocal duo
Industry	Music
Founded	1972
Headquarters	Liverpool , England
Area served	Europe, Far East, North America, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia
Key people	Lyn Cornell, Ann Simmons
Products	Singles, albums

The Pearls were a female vocal duo from Liverpool, England, active during the 1970s. The group consisted of Lyn Cornell and Ann Simmons (born O'Brien). Over their career, they released a total of 12 singles, with their highest-charting song, "Guilty," reaching number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1974. Their music was distributed internationally, covering regions including Europe, the Far East, North America, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

Career

Both Cornell and Simmons initially performed as members of The Vernons Girls before forming The Pearls in 1972 with the assistance of producer Phil Swern. Prior to this, Cornell had achieved solo recognition with her single "Never on a Sunday," which peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Pearls’ initial releases primarily featured covers of popular 1960s songs such as "Third Finger Left Hand" (originally a B-side to Martha and the Vandellas' "Jimmy Mack"), The Ronettes' "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered," and the Stylistics' "You Are Everything," all of which entered the UK top 50. Their 1973 single "Yo Yo," penned by Chris Andrews, followed this pattern. These singles were released under Bell Records. Interestingly, due to contractual restrictions preventing Cornell and Simmons from appearing on their debut single, the vocals were performed instead by Sue and Sunny. Bell Records issued seven singles in total for The Pearls.

Original compositions like "Let's Make Love Again," "Doctor Love," and "Wizard of Love" came close to entering the UK Top 50 but did not quite achieve it. The group's only original non-cover track to chart was "Guilty," co-written by Ron Roker, which secured a Top 10 position in the UK in 1974. An unreleased cover version of The Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love" was later included on their compilation album A String of Pearls.

In 1975, The Pearls signed with Private Stock Records, where they released three singles over a two-year period. Their first release under this label was an original song titled "Lead Us Not into Temptation." This was followed by two cover tracks: Bob Kuban's "The Cheater," which gained popularity within the Northern soul scene, and a disco-styled rendition of "I'll See You in My Dreams." The disco version was also distributed as an extended 10-inch DJ single in the United States and France; other international markets received only the shorter version included on their CD compilations.

Following their tenure with Private Stock Records, The Pearls issued two additional original singles: "Let's Make Love Again" on the Handkerchief label in 1976 and "Double Trouble" via Ebony Records in 1978. Neither managed to replicate their earlier chart success.

In March 2023, Renaissance released Anthology, a US compilation featuring 22 tracks selected from their 2005 collection. This release omitted both "Bye Bye Love" and "Let's Make Love Again." Throughout their careers, both Cornell and Simmons maintained extensive work as session and backing vocalists.

Cornell’s musical journey also included participation in groups such as The Breakaways, The Ladybirds, The Chucks, The Carefrees, and The Raindrops. She toured alongside the James Last Orchestra during her time with The Pearls and afterward. Simmons similarly contributed to ensembles including The Redmond Twins, The Breakaways, The Ladybirds, and The Anita Kerr Singers.

Cornell was married to session drummer Andy White, notable for playing drums on The Beatles' album version of "Love Me Do"; they eventually divorced. She currently lives in London.

Singles

Release date	Title	AUS	NZ	UK	Label
17 March 1972	"Third Finger Left Hand" / "Little Lady Love Me"	-	-	31	Bell
11 August 1972	"You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" / "Sing Out to Me"	-	-	32
19 January 1973	"You Are Everything" / "She Say He Say"	-	-	41
8 June 1973	"Yo Yo" / "Deeper in Love With You"	-	-	-
26 April 1974	"Guilty" / "I'll Say It Over Again"	76	-	10
9 August 1974	"Wizard of Love" / "Playing Around"	-	-	51
10 January 1975	"Doctor Love" / "Pass It On"	95	35	55
18 July 1975	"Lead Us Not into Temptation" / "Love Sensation"	-	-	-	Private Stock
17 October 1975	"The Cheater" / "I'm Gonna Steal Your Heart Away"	-	-	-
6 February 1976	"I'll See You in My Dreams" / "Pearly"	-	-	-
10 September 1976	"Let's Make Love Again" / "We Can Make It Baby"	-	-	-	Handkerchief
24 February 1978	"Double Trouble" / "One in the Eye for Love"	-	-	-	Ebony

Albums

• A String of Pearls (CD issued July 2005 by Rev-Ola Records)

1. "Lead Us Not into Temptation" – (Roger Greenaway, Tony Macaulay) 2:52
2. "Third Finger, Left Hand" – (Holland–Dozier–Holland) 2:31
3. "Yo Yo" – (Chris Andrews) 2:45
4. "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" – (Irwin Levine, Phil Spector, Toni Wine) 2:39
5. "Guilty" – (Ron Roker, Gerry Shury) 3:03
6. "Sing Out to Me" – (Johnny Arthey, Phil Swern) 2:51
7. "Pass It On" – (Johnny Arthey, Phil Swern) 2:26
8. "You Are Everything" – (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) 2:40
9. "She Say, He Say" – (Johnny Arthey, Phil Swern) 2:24
10. "Deeper in Love with You" – (Johnny Arthey, Phil Swern) 2:48
11. "Wizard of Love" – (Gerry Shury, Phil Swern) 3:25
12. "I'll Say It Over Again" – (Johnny Arthey, Phil Swern) 2:25
13. "Doctor Love" – (Biddu) 2:35
14. "Playing Around" – (Johnny Arthey, Phil Swern) 2:26
15. "Love Sensation" – (Biddu, Phil Swern) 3:13
16. "The Cheater" – (Mike Krenski) 2:52
17. "I'll See You in My Dreams" – (Isham Jones, Gus Kahn) 3:02
18. "Let's Make Love Again" – (Mel Taggart, Ray Roberts) 3:43
19. "I'm Gonna Steal Your Heart Away" – (Biddu, Phil Swern) 3:20
20. "We Can Make It Baby" – (Lyn Cornell, Richard Hewson) 2:13
21. "Double Trouble" – (Gerry Shury, Phil Swern) 2:56
22. "One in the Eye for Love" – (Gerry Shury, Phil Swern) 3:29
23. "Bye Bye Love" – (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant) 2:07 (*)
24. "A Lover's Concerto" – (Sandy Linzer, Denny Randell) 2:43 (*)

The CD mistakenly credits track eighteen as the instrumental B-side “Pearly,” attributed to The Pearls Orchestra; the actual track is “Let's Make Love Again.” Additionally, the instrumental B-side “Little Lady Love Me” from the debut single was not included. The final two tracks marked with (*) were introduced on CD for the first time.