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I'm Spinning
"I'm Spinning" is a Doo Wop song recorded by the Del-Vikings on the Fee Bee Records label in 1957 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as an A side for the single "I'm Spinning"/"You Say You Love Me," written by Pat DiCesare. It was soon released on Dot Records for national distribution, and later released by Mercury Records when Kripp Johnson rejoined the Del-Vikings in 1958. Over the years the song has been included on many Del Vikings greatest hits albums and Doo Wop compilation albums on various labels. The most recent release was in 2009. Controversy The single was involved in a legal battle between the label and management of the Del-Vikings and the Dell-Vikings, both claiming to be the rightful owners of the song. In 1957, with most of his bandmates in military service, Kripp Johnson signed with Dot Records calling his group the Dell-Vikings (with an extra 'L'). The Johnson lead group released the single at the same time as the original group did on Mercury Records. The Mercury ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Del-Vikings
The Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-Vikings) were an American doo-wop musical group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit songs "Come Go with Me" and " Whispering Bells", and for having been a successful racially mixed musical group during a period of time when such groups were rare. History Formation and early fame The Del-Vikings were formed in 1955 by members of the United States Air Force stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson, Don Jackson, Samuel Paterson, Bernard Robertson and guitarist Joe Lopes. Because all of the members were in the armed forces, the group constantly ran the risk of being disrupted by members being stationed in other places. This happened soon after the group's forming when Paterson and Robertson were sent to Germany. They were replaced by baritone David Lerchey, the group's first white member, and ten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. It features vocal group harmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge, a melodramatically heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables (such as "doo-wop") is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was "artistically and commercially viable" until the early 1960s, but continued to influence performers in other genres.Hoffmann, FRoots of Rock: Doo-Wop In ''Survey of American Popular Music'', modified for the web by Robert Birk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fee Bee Records
Fee Bee Records was a record label started by Joe Averbach in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The label is notable for recording The Del-Vikings hit "Come Go With Me" in 1957. Other Del-Viking songs recorded on the Fee Bee label include "How Can I Find True Love," " Whispering Bells", "I'm Spinning", and "You Say You Love Me." "Come Go With Me" was quickly released to Dot Records for national distribution in late January 1957, followed by "Whispering Bells" and "I'm Spinning" in May and August 1957. Some of the Del-Vikings band members left Fee Bee for Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ... claiming that their contract was void since they signed under the age of 21. Kripp Johnson, the only member of the Del-Vikings who signed with Fee Bee who was over 21 s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved to Hollywood, California. In its early years, Dot specialized in artists from Tennessee. Then it branched out to include musicians from across the U.S. It recorded country music, rhythm and blues, polkas, waltzes, Gospel music, gospel, rockabilly, pop music, pop, and early rock and roll. After moving to Hollywood, Dot Records bought many recordings by small local independent labels and issued them nationally. In 1957, Wood sold the label to Paramount Pictures, but remained in charge until 1967, when he departed to join Lawrence Welk in the formation of Ranwood Records. In 1968, the label was acquired as part of the acquisition of Paramount by Gulf and Western Industries, Gulf+Western, which transitioned it to exclusively recording country ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat DiCesare
Pat J. DiCesare Sr. (born April 12, 1938) is an American entrepreneur and rock concert promoter, whose career began at the early stages of rock and roll. His career in the music industry spanned the latter half of the 20th century, and his Pittsburgh-based company, DiCesare Engler Productions, was at one time one of the top-grossing businesses amongst US concert promoters. Early life DiCesare was born in Trafford, Pennsylvania into a family of 9 siblings. His father emigrated from Italy and settled in Trafford to work for Westinghouse Electric. After graduating from Trafford High School, DiCesare took a job with Westinghouse in nearby East Pittsburgh. He left his job just months later to work as a record distributor for Tim Tormey, a concert promoter and talent agent in the Pittsburgh area1. 1950s As a teenager, DiCesare wrote songs and performed in a doo wop band with a group of friends called "The Penn Boys". He wrote, produced, and released his first single in 1957, "G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whispering Bells (song)
"Whispering Bells" is a song performed by The Del-Vikings (a.k.a. the Dell-Vikings). It reached #5 on the U.S. R&B chart and #9 on the U.S. pop chart in 1957. Kripp Johnson was the lead vocalist on this recording. Clarence E. Quick, who was the bass vocalist in the group, wrote the song. The song ranked #49 on ''Billboard's'' Year-End top 50 singles of 1957. Other versions *The Mighty Echoes released a version of the song on their 2006 album ''A Cappella Cool''. *Jesse Winchester James Ridout "Jesse" Winchester Jr. (May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014) was an American-Canadian musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967 to avoid b ... released a version of the song on his 2014 album ''A Reasonable Amount of Trouble''. In popular culture *The Del-Vikings' version of "Whispering Bells" was featured in the 1986 film '' Stand by Me'' and was included in the film's soundtrack. Reference ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doo Wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. It features vocal group harmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge, a melodramatically heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables (such as "doo-wop") is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was "artistically and commercially viable" until the early 1960s, but continued to influence performers in other genres.Hoffmann, FRoots of Rock: Doo-Wop In ''Survey of American Popular Music'', modified for the web by Robert Birk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Del-Vikings
The Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-Vikings) were an American doo-wop musical group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit songs "Come Go with Me" and " Whispering Bells", and for having been a successful racially mixed musical group during a period of time when such groups were rare. History Formation and early fame The Del-Vikings were formed in 1955 by members of the United States Air Force stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson, Don Jackson, Samuel Paterson, Bernard Robertson and guitarist Joe Lopes. Because all of the members were in the armed forces, the group constantly ran the risk of being disrupted by members being stationed in other places. This happened soon after the group's forming when Paterson and Robertson were sent to Germany. They were replaced by baritone David Lerchey, the group's first white member, and teno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia, and the 68th-largest city in the U.S. with a population of 302,971 as of the 2020 census. The city anchors the Pittsburgh metropolitan area of Western Pennsylvania; its population of 2.37 million is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 27th-largest in the U.S. It is the principal city of the greater Pittsburgh–New Castle–Weirton combined statistical area that extends into Ohio and West Virginia. Pittsburgh is located in southwest Pennsylvania at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River, which combine to form the Ohio River. Pittsburgh is known both as "the Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses and as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the database was first made available on the Internet in 1994. AllMusic is owned by RhythmOne. History AllMusic was launched as ''All Music Guide'' by Michael Erlewine, a "compulsive archivist, noted astrologer, Buddhist scholar and musician". He became interested in using computers for his astrological work in the mid-1970s and founded a software company, Matrix, in 1977. In the early 1990s, as CDs replaced LPs as the dominant format for recorded music, Erlewine purchased what he thought was a CD of early recordings by Little Richard. After buying it he discovered it was a "flaccid latter-day rehash". Frustrated with the labeling, he researched using metadata to create a music guide. In 1990, in Big Rapids, Michigan, he founded ''All Music Gui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is operated through Republic Records; in the United Kingdom and Japan (as Mercury Tokyo in the latter country), it is distributed by EMI Records. Since the separation of Island Records, Motown, Mercury Records, and Def Jam Recordings combining the Island Def Jam Music Group, Mercury Records has been placed under Island Records, although its back catalogue is still owned by the Island Def Jam Music Group (now Island Records). Background Mercury Records was started in Chicago in 1945 and over several decades, saw great success. The success of Mercury has been attributed to the use of alternative marketing techniques to promote records. The conventional method of record promotion used by major labels such as RCA Victor, Decca Records, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kripp Johnson
Kripp Johnson (born Corinthian Johnson; May 16, 1933 in Cambridge, Maryland – June 22, 1990) was an American singer for The Del-Vikings from 1956 to the 1980s. Johnson sang lead vocal on their hit "Whispering Bells (song), Whispering Bells", among other songs. He died of cancer in 1990 at age 57. References 1933 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American singers People from Cambridge, Maryland {{US-singer-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
