The Marcels
The Marcels were an American vocal group in the style of Doo Wop in the early 1960s.
The Marcels were founded in 1959 in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), as the baritone Richard F. Knauss, after he had heard the bass Fred Johnson, along with this decided to bring the best singers in the city to a vocal ensemble together. For the voice of the second tenor, they won genes J. Bricker and Ron "Bingo" Mundy as first tenor, as the lead singer finally Cornelius Harp. The formation newly founded decided to call themselves after a hair fashion of the time Marcels. First, the group has performed in Pittsburgh until the manager Jules Kruspir became aware of them. As the Group had no own material, she took on known doo-wop songs, and Kruspir sent a demo tape to the record company Colpix Records in New York, a sub-label of Columbia Records.
Stu Phillips, the A & R manager of Colpix, the group got to New York, where they own Doo Wop recordings version of the classic Blue Moon by Glen Gray from the year 1935 in the RCA studios on 15 February 1961. Shortly after the recording, the company sent a tape with the title to the disc jockey Murray the K, who was of the song so much that he played the song 26 times during his four-hour radio show. The response from the public was so great that Colpix brought the board in February on the market.
The success of 1961
Already on March 6, 1961, the title of Blue Moon placed first in the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching the Top 10 on March 27, and repressed on April 3, Elvis Presley song Surrender from the No. 1 on the charts, the Blue Moon three weeks could keep long. Overall, the single thought 14 weeks in the charts. Also in the R & B charts, the single reached the first place. In the UK, the title could also occupy the first place in the singles charts. In the German singles charts of the title ended up in 13th place
On March 16, 1961, the Marcels took six more titles on April 11, in 1961 only five, including their next single, Summertime from the opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. However, the record only reached number 78 on the Billboard charts. In the summer of the Marcels came along with Dion and Chubby Checker into the Rock & Roll film Twist Around the Clock. In July, the album Blue Moon appeared
In the original cast Marcels took a total of only 18 tracks on since leaving in August 1961 after disputes between the manager Jules Kruspir and the ensemble 's founder, Richard Knauss and Gene Bricker of the group. They were the two white singer in the multi-racial group. They were replaced by the baritone Alan Johnson, the brother of Fred Johnson, and by the second tenor Walt Maddox, so that the group consisted only of colored people.
This new lineup took on September 1, 1961, the next song on, including the title Heartaches, a success of Guy Lombardo from the year 1931. Heartaches was the second and last Top Ten hit of the group and reached # 7 on the Billboard Pop charts and number 19 in the R & B charts.
End of 1961, Ronald " Bingo" Mundy left the group. Early 1962 tried the Marcels with another all-time classic, My Melancholy Baby by Walter van Brunt of 1915 to get in the charts. However, the single reached only accommodate 58 The follow-up single Twistin ' Fever could not take place in the charts. Colpix released five singles in 1961 the group was increased over this, partly new to bring out older material as singles.
More career
Achievements were made in 1962, and the end of the year also left Cornelius Harp Group. Another album titled Honestly Sincere ( Colpix 454) appeared in 1963. Well as the other three singles until the summer of 1963 were not successful, left the group Colpix Records and signed a contract with Kyra Records. The two 1964 published by Kyra Singles was also not a success, another record deal did not get the Marcels.
After 1964 Alan Johnson retired, turned the head of the group, Fred Johnson, a quartet consisting of Walt Maddox ( lead singer ), Richard Harris ( baritone), William Herndon ( tenor) and Fred Johnson ( bass) existed. Only in 1973 were the Marcels again a record deal, published 1973-1975 a total of six singles in four different labels, but success did not materialize. Until the 1980s, the quartet appeared on. A comeback attempt in 1982 by Walt Maddox as Maddox and the Marcels failed in 1983 after two unsuccessful singles.
Of the Marcels yet published several albums, but most were new compilations of the song material. So published Colpix ( Colpix CP 520) a sampler titled Heartaches with 21 shots. In Crystal Ball Records released the mid-1970s a produced by Adam Pick album of Marcel's Quartet on the Doo Wop songs are nachgesungen. 1986 Murray Hills Records published a compilation of old Marcel's title ( MHR LP # 229).
In 2002 the band into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame was recorded.
In 2006 she hit " Heartaches " by Peugeot was rediscovered for a commercial.
Members
- Cornelius Harp
- Ronald " Bingo" Mundy
- Gene Bricker
- Dick Knauss
- Fred Johnson