Jim Freeman wrote a song called "The Jones Girl," which his group recorded along with another tune in an East Haven, Conn., church basement.

Never heard of "The Jones Girl"? You wouldn't insult Freeman by admitting it because the B-side of the single it was released with is better known today. In fact, it's become a classic: "In the Still of the Night," the Five Satins' biggest hit and one of the songs that defines the music of the '50s.

"'The Jones Girl' was supposed to be the hit," said Freeman, a tenor. "It stunk."

Originally released on an independent Connecticut label, Standard, the record sold well in New England -- once disc jockeys flipped it to give "In the Still of the Night" a spin.

"We had to sell the master tape to New York, Ember Records, because we had no promotion or way of getting it out to the public, except up through New York," Freeman said. "Once it went through Herald Records and Ember, which was a subsidiary of Herald Records, the damn thing took off."

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