Gene Puerling

Gene Puerling's biggest break came as a writer and arranger in 1956; The Hi-Lo's were featured for one season on a new weekly, half-hour syndicated television musical-variety production The Rosemary Clooney Show.

The popularity and advent of rock 'n' roll hastened the Hi-Lo's split in late 1964; like other older, traditional vocal groups they had fallen out of vogue as a commercial entity.

From this period on, Puerling would rarely perform live, focusing his attention on innovative studio arranging for voices and vocal groups; namely The Singers Unlimited.

Other than Puerling singing himself, three other singers are heard on the vast majority of his vocal writing: Bonnie Herman, Don Shelton and Len Dressler.

Herman had established herself as a first-call female, Chicago studio vocalist and can be heard on the State Farm Insurance jingle "Like a good Neighbor..." (composed by Barry Manilow).

With the advent of stereo recording and high level solid state technology, Puerling developed a whole new style of writing and arranging for multi voices.

Much like experimentation happening with the Beach Boys or the Beatles and other pop groups of the time, he utilized new, multiple tracking methods to double/triple up the Singers Unlimited four voices creating a unique, homogeneous sound.

John Neal of Harmony Sweepstakes said after Puerling's death: "As a craftsman of the art of blending and harmonizing the human voice in song, Gene has no equal.

"[3][4][5] Other groups heavily influenced by Puerling include The King's Singers, First Call, Chanticleer, Glad (band), The Free Design, and Brian Wilson.

The Hi-Lo's 1957, Gene Puerling on far left