Hushabye: The Mystics, the Music, and the Mob

by Al Contrera

An original founding member of the Mystics, author Al Contrera tells the true story of how five Brooklyn teenagers went from singing on street corners to fame in the fifties with their first hit song, “Hushabye.” Contrera, provides vivid and detailed accounts of the trials and adventures of forming a rock-‘n’-roll group in a neighborhood controlled by the mob.He narrates the story of the group’s formation, their recording and touring career, as well as their successes and heartbreaks, including the story of when the Mystics’ lead singer was arrested for being an innocent witness to a holdup and accidental shooting by a neighborhood gang and was mistakenly jailed for two years. Hushabye tells about walking the fine line between the music and the mob and how peer pressure and the temptations of fame changed their lives.Contrera offers keen insight and background into the sweet sound of the street corner doo-wop harmonies of the 1950s.

237 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2018

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A peek into a very special place and time in history. The street corners of Brooklyn were teeming with the kind of characters that Al describes, but only those "in the business" had this unique perspective - and even fewer had the ability to articulate what they saw and what they lived. This book is a triumph and a much-needed documentary on the experiences of a street corner vocal group thrust into the public eye - and some very interesting situations.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 3 out of 5]

The years of music and all the people in and out and around music was really fun to read.