Inez and Charlie Foxx were a sibling pop and soul duo best known for their 1963 hit single “Mockingbird.” Initially, Charlie Fox – born October 23, 1933, in Greensboro, North Carolina – began singing with a gospel choir as a child and was soon joined by his younger sister Inez Fox, who was born on September 9, 1937, in Greensboro. In 1960, Inez pursued a solo career under her then-married name Inez Johnston. The duo decided to pursue music as a duo and met with the owners of Sue Records. After presenting their new arrangement of the traditional lullaby “Hush, Little Baby,” the label signed the duo. Inez and Charlie Fox’s version of the lullaby was retitled “Mockingbird” and released on Symbol Records – a subsidiary of Sue Records – in June 1963. The song was an enormous hit, reaching Number 7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart and Number 2 on the R&B Singles chart. Selling over a million copies, the single earned the duo a gold record has since been covered by artists such as James Taylor & Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin, and many others. Unfortunately, the duo never achieved the same success with subsequent singles although two of them – “Hi Diddle Diddle” (1963) and “(1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days” (1967) – managed to land in the Top 100. Several of the duo’s recordings were released under Inez Fox’s name only including “Hurt by Love,” which reached Number 54. While their fame dwindled in the US, Inez and Charlie Fox found continued success in Europe, where they would tour frequently. The duo eventually split up as a recording and touring act in 1971 and each sibling pursued their own musical paths. Charlie Fox died on September 18, 1998, at the age of 64. Inez Fox died on August 25, 2022, at the age of 84.
