The Dells
The Dells are a black R & B vocal band that had recorded their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The band was founded in 1953 in Harvey, a southern suburb of Chicago. Marvin Junior ( † 2013), Johnny Funches, Verne Allison, Lucius and Mickey McGill, and Chuck Barksdale all went to a school in Harvey and decided together to form a band, initially called The El- Rays. In the same year they took for Checker Records, a sub-label of Chess, their first single, Darling I know on. It flopped, and only a little later Lucius McGill left the band, which then renamed to The Dells.
1955 signed the Dells at Vee Jay Records and released the ballad Dreams of Contentment, which was a mini -R & B hit. Oh What a Nite, now a classic, made it 1956 then even up to # 5 on the R & B charts, but the band was the success of the song no longer initially repeat. 1958, on the way to a gig in Philadelphia to an accident of the car of the band. Juniors larynx was thereby violated, so that his voice was changing, and McGill almost lost a leg. The Dells then decided to take a break. Barksdale was temporarily a member of the Moonglows.
Started in 1960, the Dells for their return as opening and backing band on a tour of Dinah Washington. Funches decided not to attend and devote himself to his family. He was replaced by Johnny Carter. The band toured for two years with Washington and worked part-time along with Kirk Stewart. Finally, the Dells signed with Argo Records, a further sub-label of Chess, where they released four jazz- oriented singles. They all flopped. In 1964, she then returned to Vee -Jay in 1965 and had a Top 30 R & B hit with Stay in My Corner. When Vee -Jay in 1966 was bankrupt, the band moved to Cadet Records, also a sub-label of Chess. Thinking About You and run for cover after all were local hits. In addition, Dell's backing of Ray Charles were.
As a Cadet in 1967 hired Bobby Miller as producer Charles Stepney and as an arranger, the breakthrough of the Dells began. On the album There Is four hit singles were included, including a remake of Stay in My Corner, which is the R & B and managed to peak in the Top 10 on the pop charts. Always Together of 1968 brought four more hits and Love Is Blue 1969 contained a remake of Oh What a Nite, which had the same success as the Stay in My Corner remake. Miller began in early 1970 to pursue other projects, so that Stepney was the producer of the 1970 work Freedom Means. The ballad The Love We Had ( Stays on My Mind ) from the album became a hit. 1972 brought the Dells an LP with interpretations of Dionne Warwick songs on the market. With Don Davis as the new producers had the Dells Give Your Baby in 1973 with a standing ovation their first million seller. In 1975, after a few more hits, left the band Cadet and switched to Mercury Records.
Since the time hardly brought forth success with Mercury, it came again in 1978 to a label change, this time on ABC. But there remained from the success and Dell signed to 20th Century Records. I Touched a Dream, produced by Eugene Record 1980, got excellent reviews and earned again greater success. In the follow-up LP Whatever Turns You On, however, success was noticeably again and the Dells retreated back from the studio. In 1988 the album Second Time, which flopped. In the early 1990s engaged Robert Townsend the Dells then for his film The Five Heartbeats, which is about a fictional vocal band. The Heart Is a House for Love from the soundtrack in 1991, a small R & B hit. In 1992 another album, I Salute You, on Zoo Records. Despite more contemporary music, it flopped. In the coming years the Dells were mostly on tour. Appeared in 2000 with a new album Reminiscing. 2004, the Dells were included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Weblink
- Detailed Biography of Marvin Goldberg ( English)