Girls Next Door
Vocal quartet, Girls Next Door, came onto the country music scene strong during the mid 80s. Cindy, Diane, Doris and Tammy knew one another while performing in the live shows at Opryland Music Park. The idea of this group was sparked by Producer Tommy West, who knew Doris. West hailed from the days of Manhattan Transfer and mentioned to Doris his dream to produce a female vocal group. The rest is history. West was brought on as the head of A & R at the new Nashville label, MTM Records, and he brought Girls Next Door with him.
Right out of the gate the group scored a #14 hit on the billboard charts with their first single, Love Will Get You Through Times of No Money, Better Than Money Will Get You Through Times of No Love. They followed that single with the top 10 song, Slowboat to China. It went to #8 on the Billboard charts. All in all, Girls Next Door charted 9 songs in their nearly 10 years together.
They released 2 albums on MTM Records with West, and one on Atlantic Records with producer Nelson Larkin.
During Girls Next Door’s touring days, they traveled extensively with The Oak Ridge Boys, The Statler Brothers, and Lee Greenwood. They also performed with The Judds, Randy Travis, Exile, Loretta Lynn, and Sawyer Brown, to name a few. If you ask the girls, they will tell you their favorite events were with the legendary George Jones at The Kennedy Center, and with the Oak Ridge Boys at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Television appearances include, The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, and TNN shows – Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, On Stage, Hee Haw, and Video Country. The girls also made several appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage!
In 1991, Girls Next Door performed for the last time on Nashville Now with Ralph Emery. It was bittersweet, but these girls had no problem prioritizing family. Being with their husbands, children, and parents were where their hearts were.
There were several brief reunions over the years, but nothing seemed to stick. It wasn’t the right time. There were aging parents, teenagers, and Doris and Diane are both cancer survivors. Faith is an important component of their lives, and they knew things would come together in God’s timing – and it appears that NOW is God’s timing.
After 30 years, Girls Next Door is back with a new album titled appropriately, Girls Next Door 2.0 - NOW or NEVER, produced by H2 Productions, TW Hale and Tom Harding. The first single release is titled: What’s This Thing You’ve Got About Leaving, and right off the bat you will recognize their sound. It is like they never left. On this album each girl is featured, but come together with those tight, bright vocal harmonies you know and love. In their 2.0 version, they are lively, fun, confident, and entertaining. You won’t be disappointed!
The group consists of original members, Cindy Nixon Psanos, Diane Williams Austin, Tammy Stephens Smith, and Doris King Merritt.