Lillian Walker-Moss, co-founder of "Tell Him" hitmakers The Exciters, dies

(February 6, 2023) Tonight we are sad to report the passing of Lillian Walker-Moss, co-founder of the doo-wop group The Exciters, known for the 1963 smash hit “Tell Him.” Walker-Moss died after a battle with angiosarcoma.

Walker-Moss (then Lillian Walker) formed the Masterettes with three female classmates at her high school in the Jamaica section of Queens, New York. They were signed by now-legendary songwriters Leiber and Stoller, changed their name to The Exciters, and added Herb Rooney as the first male member of the quartet as they prepared to make their first national recordings.

The Exciters came out of the box smoking in 1963, hitting the top 5 on the pop charts with “Tell Him,” now one of the most revered early 60s numbers which had a second run of popularity after its inclusion in the 1997 Julia Roberts movie My Best Friend’s Wedding. The success of the song led to a string of singles over the next couple of years, including “Get Him,” “A Little Bit of Soap,” and “He’s Got The Power,” as well as the auspicious booking as an opening act for The Beatles’ 1964 tour.

The hits slowed down for the group toward the end of the 60s, and Walker was gone by around 1970. She attended Hunter College, where she obtained a Masters of Education, and then established a career as a Guidance Counselor in the New York City school system.

It has been over a half century since her name was in lights around the world, but Lillian Walker-Moss gave the world great joy in a decade of soul and pop greatness and then gave herself to a generation of students in New York.

By Chris Rizik