The Dixiebelles

Female soul group from Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Mary Hunt, Mildred Pratcher and Shirley Thomas were originally known as The Tonettes, that had released two singles at Volt. They changed their name when Nashville's Sound Stage 7 wanted a black female group to record and go out for live performances to promote a studio masterminded hit "(Down At) Papa Joe's" that had been originally released by the white vocal group Anita Kerr Singers. The Dixiebelles had two hits "(Down At) Papa Joe's" (No.9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963) and "Southtown, U.S.A" (No.15 early in 1964), both produced by Bill Justis. They failed to repeat their success again with their subsequent single and their sole album and they were dropped by Sound Stage 7. Shirley Thomas left the group and Mary Hunt with Mildred Pratcher returned to Stax, to change their name to The Charmels along with Barbara McCoy and Eula Jean Rivers, under the protection of Isaac Hayes, releasing four singles between 1966 - 1968.