The Del-Satins were an American vocal group, most active in the early 1960s, who recorded on their own but are best remembered for their harmonies on hit records for Dion and others. They have been described as having "few peers as practitioners of white doo-wop.""The Del-Satins", from The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin Retrieved 13 July 2015
History
The group was formed in 1958 in
Manhattan, New York
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, through a merger of two existing street corner groups, the Yorkville Melodies and the Jokers. The original members were teenagers Stan Zizka (lead), Fred Ferrara (baritone), his brother Tom Ferrara (bass), Leslie Cauchi (first tenor), and Keith Koestner (second tenor). They chose the name Del-Satins as a tribute to
The Dells
The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...
and
The Five Satins
The Five Satins are an American doo-wop group, best known for their 1956 million-selling song, " In the Still of the Night." They were formed in 1954 and continued performing until 1994. When it was formed, the group consisted of six members, w ...
, and built a solid following with their live performances, coming first in a prestigious New York citywide "Battle of the Groups". Koestner left before their first recording session, to join the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
George Goldner
George Goldner (February 9, 1918 – April 15, 1970) was an American record label owner, record producer and promoter who played an important role in establishing the popularity of rock and roll in the 1950s, by recording and promoting many ...
's small independent End label, before acquiring a new manager, Laurie Gribble, and signing for
Laurie Records
Laurie Records was a record label established in New York City in 1958 by brothers Robert and Gene Schwartz, and Allan I. Sussel. Among the recording artists on Laurie's roster were Dion and the Belmonts (both together and as separate acts), ...
. There they joined forces with Dion, who had left his previous group Dion and The Belmonts to pursue a solo career. He hooked up with The Del-Satins after making some solo recordings with mixed success. The Del-Satins were instantly sent to work on his new song, "
Runaround Sue
"Runaround Sue" is a rock and roll song (in a modified doo-wop style), originally a US No. 1 Hot 100 hit (No. 4 on the Hot R&B chart) for the singer Dion during 1961, after he split with the Belmonts. It was written by Dion with Ernie Mares ...
", which then rose to number 1 in the ''Billboard'' charts. Although their contribution to the hit was substantial, the Del-Satins received no credit. They also sang on Dion's later solo hits, " The Wanderer", " Lovers Who Wander", " Little Diane", " Love Came to Me", " Ruby Baby", "
Donna the Prima Donna
"Donna the Prima Donna" is a song written by Dion DiMucci and Ernie Maresca and performed by Dion. It reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 9 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100, and No. 17 on ''Billboard''s R&B chart in 1963,Drip Drop", and " Sandy", as well as on records by
Len Barry
Leonard Warren Borisoff (June 12, 1942 – November 5, 2020), known professionally as Len Barry, was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, record producer, author, and poet.
Life and career
Born on June 12, 1942 and raised in Philadelphia, ...
and Dean and Jean. They also provided backing vocals on
Ernie Maresca
Ernest Peter Maresca (August 21, 1938 – July 8, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion's biggest hits, including " Runaround Sue" and " The Wanderer".
Biog ...
's self-penned 1962 hit, " Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)".
They released a number of singles under their own name, but had little success until "Teardrops Follow Me" in 1962, after which they found regular work on television and radio, with
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...
among others. They then moved to Columbia Records as part of Dion's new contract, and Dion produced their first single for the label, "Feelin' No Pain". Still frustrated by their lack of recognition, in 1963 they auditioned for Phil Spector but declined his subsequent invitation to record with him. The group featured regularly on
Clay Cole
Clay Cole (born Albert Franklin Rucker Jr.; January 1, 1938 – December 18, 2010) was an American host and disk jockey, best known for his eponymous television dance program, ''The Clay Cole Show'', which aired in New York City on WNTA-TV and ...
's weekly TV shows from 1963 to 1965, and worked as backing vocalists for other singers. As Dion's solo career ran into the commercial doldrums in the mid-1960s, the group moved on to Mala Records and then B.T. Puppy Records, where they released an album, ''Out to Lunch''.
Zizka left the Del-Satins in the mid-1960s (later using the name Steve Sommers), and Cauchi and Tom Ferrara were drafted. The remaining original member of the Del-Satins, Fred Ferrara, continued to play live with the addition of Johnny Maestro (former lead singer of
The Crests
The Crests were an American doo-wop group, formed by bass vocalist J.T. Carter in the mid 1950s. The group had several Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s on Coed Records. Their most popular song, " 16 Candles", rose to #2 on the ' ...
), Johnny Fielder, Richard Greene, and Mike Gregorio, and continued to make occasional recordings. One of their unsuccessful singles, "Love-Hate-Revenge" (issued on the Diamond label), was covered by
Episode Six
Episode Six were an English rock band formed in Harrow, London in 1965. The band did not have commercial success in the UK, releasing nine singles that all failed to chart, but they did find minor success in Beirut at the time. Group members I ...
. When Cauchi returned, the Del-Satins merged with The Rhythm Method from Long Island in 1968 to form
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossi ...
. Richard Greene died in the early 1970s.
By the early 1990s, Fred Ferrara and Les Cauchi remained with the Brooklyn Bridge, while Tom Ferrara was a member of The Capris. In 1991, Stan Zizka formed a new version of the Del-Satins for nostalgia shows, and recorded an album, ''Still Wandering''. Zizka then formed his own band, Tangerine, before re-forming the Del-Satins with Charlie Aiello, Art Loria and Edye VanBuren in 1993. The group appeared regularly on the oldies circuit, and the album was sold at performances. The group also recorded four new Christmas tracks in 1997. After 1999, Zizka continued to perform occasionally with new line-ups of the Del-Satins, as well as with Tangerine and The Magnificent Men.
In May 2011, Stan Zizka, Les Cauchi, Fred Ferrara and Tom Ferrara reunited for two concerts, one in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, and the second one on Long Island. They also performed occasionally with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Capris, the three groups having overlapping personnel. Fred Ferrara died, aged 71, on October 21, 2011, putting an end to reunions of the original group. Leslie Cauchi died, aged 77, on March 3, 2020.