Jango Song Of The Day-The Del Vikings

Artist:The Del Vikings
Song:Come Go With Me
Album:The Doo Wop Box




The Del Vikings had their biggest success with the 1957 hit Come Go With Me. They were probably the first interracial doo wop group. They started at the Pittsburgh Air Force Base where five black enlisted men began singing together and won a talent contest in 1955. They were Kripp Johnson, Clarence Quick, Don Jackson, Bernard Robertson & Samuel Paterson. DJ Barry Kaye wanted to record them. Because they were all in the military, the lineup was changing all the time. Robertson & Paterson were transferred to Germany and replaced by Norman Wright & David Lerchey. Lerchey was white so it would become a big deal later on. They recorded demos with Kaye including the Clarence Quick song Come Go With Me and signed with a small Pittsburgh label called Fee Bee. Wright sang lead and Gene Upshaw played sax. Fee Bee owner Joe Auerbach couldn't handle the demand for the song and sold it to Dot Records. Come Go With Me reached #4 on the pop singles chart in 1957. Jackson left and was replaced by Gus Backus. The Del Vikings were in demand but their military commitments prevented them from fully taking advantage of that. Whispering Bells also reached the top ten in 1957. Then their manager found that their Fee Bee contract was invalid because the group signed it when they were underage. He started shopping them to other labels and signed them to Mercury as The Del-Vikings. So there were two groups. Most of the guys were on Mercury but they were still in the military. Over the years there have been several versions of The Del Vikings. Hip-O did release a Del Vikings comp but you should get Come Go With Me on Rhino's 4CD box set The Doo Wop Box. It's certainly a memorable song. Here are The Del Vikings performing Come Go With Me on the PBS special Doo Wop 50.