The Crescents were best known for their Top 10 hit "Mr. Blue" and for their tours with Lee Gordon's "Big Shows" supporting Johnnie Ray, Fabian, and Ricky Nelson.

Johnny O'Keefe became their manager, and promoted his young vocalists with live performances, appearances on his television program, "Six O'Clock Rock", in print media, and by signing them to Leedon Records.

The Crescents released seven singles, and two EPs, with "Mr. Blue" reaching the Top 10 in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, their only hit record.

American vocal quartet, the Four Tops, were unknown in Australia at the time, and gained international recognition in 1964 with "Baby I Need Your Loving".

[1] In a matter of months, Dennis O'Keefe left the group to sign up for the Air Force, and the remaining trio changed their name to The Crescents.

"[2] O'Keefe invited The Crescents to the "sheer terror" of performing live on television for the first time on his program "Six O'Clock Rock" on 7 March 1959.

[3] Several more appearances on "Six O'Clock Rock", and more live performances created a fan base which promoter Lee Gordon couldn't ignore, signing The Crescents to his Leedon recording label.

The Crescents were drafted into a Big Show in August 1959 featuring American singer Johnnie Ray[3] who was often referred to as "Mr.

Supporting Ray were The Horrie Dargie Quintet, Johnny Rebb and The Rebels, O'Keefe, Shirley Simmons, The Crescents, and the Lee Sisters on a six-day tour of Australian state capitals.

[1] Melbourne newspaper, The Age concluded that "O'Keefe almost stole the show", and "of the other supporting artists, The Crescents vocal group were the most popular"[5] in a review of a concert at "The Stadium" (now known as Festival Hall).

The Crescents were invited to support Fabian[3] in October 1959 at the Sydney Stadium Big Shows along with O'Keefe, Col Joye, Lonnie Lee, and Johnny Devlin among others.

O'Keefe was performing on the Queensland Gold Coast, and leaving late in the evening attempted the long drive home to Sydney.

On the morning of 27 June 1960, O'Keefe fell asleep while driving, crashing his red 1959 Plymouth Belvedere into a gravel truck just north of Kempsey.

[1] In November 1960, Loughnan (not the driver), Heffernan, Barry Stanton, and Ray Hoff were rounding a bend on a Victorian road, and a tyre blew out.

[3] Featuring six concerts at the Sydney Stadium, the bill included O'Keefe, Lee, Joye, Devlin, Dig Richards, and Candy and Mandy.

[1] Leedon released Rock Time, an EP covering other artists' songs: "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", previously a hit for Frankie Lymon, "Down by the Riverside" (anonymous), and "Dreaming", written by Loughnan and Palace.

Following a poll of Sydney viewers of Six O'Clock Rock rating the most popular artists of 1960, The Crescents placed a respectable fifth behind the top solo singers of the day.

[note 2][1] During 1960, many musicians and singers attended parties at Tom Hart's home, including O'Keefe, Lee, the Delltones, The Crescents, Judy Cannon, Rob EG, and many others.

Their friend, Noel Widerberg, lead singer of the Delltones, died in a car crash at Brighton-Le-Sands, a suburb of Sydney, in July 1962.