The Exciters and the story behind 'Tell Him' (1962)

July 19, 2026 · Brenda Reid

The story of “Tell Him” is one of those moments in pop history where everything aligned: a fierce young voice from Queens, a songwriter on the verge of greatness, and a production team that already knew how to turn raw energy into radio gold. When The Exciters released “Tell Him” in late 1962, they delivered one of the most urgent, commanding records of the girl-group era — a song that didn’t plead or sigh, but ordered the listener to act. More than six decades later, it remains a defining recording of early American soul-pop and a snapshot of what New York’s vocal-group scene sounded like at its most electric.

From Queens Schoolgirls to The Exciters

The group began as the Masterettes, a set of teenage friends from Jamaica, Queens, singing together in the neighborhood tradition of countless New York vocal groups. The classic lineup centered on lead singer Brenda Reid, alongside Carolyn Johnson, Lillian Walker, and Sylvia Wilbur. When Wilbur departed, Herb Rooney — who had worked with the group and would later marry Brenda Reid — stepped in, giving The Exciters an unusual configuration for the era: three women and one man, with a female lead out front. The name change to The Exciters reportedly came from the impression they made on the professionals who heard them: they simply excited people. It was an apt description of a group whose stage presence and vocal attack set them apart from softer, dreamier contemporaries.

Bert Berns and the Birth of the Song

“Tell Him” came from the pen of Bert Berns, writing under the name Bert Russell. Berns would go on to become one of the most important figures in 1960s soul and pop, but at this point he was still building his reputation. The song had first circulated as “Tell Her,” recorded from a male perspective, before the lyric was flipped for a female voice. That inversion turned out to be the masterstroke. Sung by a woman, the song became a bold set of instructions to another woman — go tell him how you feel, right now, before it’s too late. In an era when many girl-group lyrics dwelled on waiting and wishing, “Tell Him” was about seizing the moment.

Leiber, Stoller, and the Sound of Urgency

Production duties fell to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, already famous for their work with The Coasters, The Drifters, and Elvis Presley. Their arrangement for “Tell Him” is a study in controlled momentum: a driving rhythm, punchy horns, and backing vocals that push the lead forward rather than cushion it. At the center is Brenda Reid, whose delivery is astonishing — gritty, breathless, and completely committed, sounding less like a teenager singing a pop song and more like someone testifying. Released on United Artists in the closing weeks of 1962, the single climbed rapidly and became a top-five pop hit in the United States in early 1963, crossing over strongly at a moment when the lines between pop, R&B, and soul were still being drawn.

Ripples Across the Atlantic

The influence of “Tell Him” traveled far beyond the American charts. Dusty Springfield, then still a member of the folk-pop trio The Springfields, recalled hearing the record while in New York and being struck by its force — an encounter she later described as pivotal in her decision to pursue a solo career rooted in American soul. In that sense, The Exciters helped light the fuse for the British fascination with U.S. soul music that would define much of the decade. The song itself was covered widely over the years, but few versions ever matched the original’s raw insistence.

Beyond the Big Hit

The Exciters never repeated the chart success of “Tell Him” on the same scale, but their catalog is far richer than a single hit. “He’s Got the Power,” another Berns composition, carried the same assertive spirit. Most notably, the group recorded the original version of “Do-Wah-Diddy,” written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, before Manfred Mann’s reworking became a worldwide smash. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Exciters recordings found devoted audiences among soul enthusiasts in the United Kingdom, where the group’s uptempo style fit perfectly with the dance-floor culture of the Northern Soul scene.

A Legacy of Power and Presence

The Exciters belong to the great live-performance tradition of New York vocal groups — acts built on harmony, discipline, and the ability to command a room. Their signature record redefined what a girl-group lead could sound like: not decorative, but dominant. Brenda Reid’s family connection to music continued into the next generation through her son, producer and songwriter Cory Rooney. But the group’s most enduring gift remains those two and a half minutes from 1962, when a voice from Queens told the whole world exactly what to do — and the world listened.