The R&B New York girl group called The Harlem Queens in 1955 . Two years later, The Queens took the supposedly less-provocative name, The Bobbettes at the insistence of their new label, Atlantic Records. Soon again The Bobbettes were forced by Atlantic to whitewash their first hit, Mr. Lee turning a song about how much they hated the school principal into a song of endearment.
After producing a couple duds, The Bobbettes were let go from Atlantic and they were free to move back toward their original grittier style born of the playground and the projects. In 1960, they released the excellent track, I Shot Mr. Lee which gives some insight into what they actually thought of their principal. A year later, they released the track I Don't Like It Like-That, an answer to Chris Kenner's song I Like It Like That.