Artist:The Dells
Song:Stay In My Corner
Album:The Ultimate Collection
The Dells are one of the most versatile and enduring R & B groups ever. Their music ranges from the doo wop of the 50s to disco of the 70s. And they really only had one personnel change all those years. The Dells began as The El-Rays in 1953 in the Chicago suburb of Harvey, IL. Lead tenor Johnny Funches, lead baritone Marvin Junior and the other guys went to high school together. They changed their name to The Dells in 1956 and had a big hit with Oh What A Nite on Vee Jay Records. A car accident in 1958 almost killed Junior & second baritone Mickey McGill. The Dells reformed in 1960 and toured with Dinah Washington. But Funches didn't want to travel and was replaced by former Flamingo Johnny Carter. They re-signed with Vee Jay and Stay In My Corner was a hit in 1965. But Vee Jay went bankrupt and The Dells signed with Chess for the Cadet label. Producer songwriter Bobby Miller & arranger Charles Stepney took over and The Dells had a hit in 1968 with an expanded version of Stay In My Corner. Miller left Chess for Motown in 1969 and Stepney took over and produced The Dells while forming Earth, Wind & Fire with Maurice White. The Dells switched to Mercury in 1976 and that started their decline. They have recorded occasionally and tour the oldies circuit. They also were consultants for the film The Five Heartbeats. This Hip-O comp is very good and has all their hits. Here are The Dells performing Oh What A Nite on The David Steinberg Show in 1969.
No comments:
Post a Comment