The Mark IV were an American musical ensemble, based in Chicago, consisting of Bob Peterson, Leon McGeary, William (Bill) Thomas, and Michael McCarthy. They were originally named The Rhythm Makers. They later changed their name to Mark V, and then – as members left – to The Mark IV, and eventually ending in the 1980s as The Mark IV Trio. The band appears to have recorded only as The Mark IV, however, and they had their biggest

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization in ...

in 1959 with the

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

, "I Got a Wife" (

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

71403). "I Got a Wife" was set to a lively

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

beat, and reached No. 24 in US ''Billboard'' Hot 100

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

, and No. 14 on Canadian radio station CHUM's "Chum Chart". The song was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Frankie Yankovic Frank John Yankovic (July 28, 1915 – October 14, 1998) was an American accordion player and polka musician. Known as "America's Polka King", Yankovic was considered the premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during his long career. He ...

and other polka bands.

Early success

The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of "I Got a Wife" was "Ah-Ooo-Gah", a straight 1950s rocker, punctuated with an old-time

car horn A horn is a sound-making device that can be equipped to motor vehicles, buses, bicycles, trains, trams (otherwise known as streetcars in North America), and other types of vehicles. The sound made usually resembles a "honk" (older vehicles) or a ...

effect. Prior to "I Got a Wife," the group released at least two

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

on Cosmic Records. One of these was "Goose Bumps" b/w "Booblee Ah Bah Doo Baa" (Cosmic 702; 1957), recorded along with the Dick Marx Orchestra. Though both songs on this record fit the category of

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, Chica ...

, the nonsense title of the B-side suggests the "novelty" direction the group would later take. The other known Cosmic release was "(Make with) The Shake" b/w "45 R.P.M." (Cosmic 704; 1958). The group performed "(Make With) The Shake" on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'', and

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

currently owns the rights to the song. Both songs were also released in Canada on the REO label (REO 8217). "(Make With) The Shake" was in a vein rather similar to

Danny and the Juniors Danny & the Juniors are an American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally consisting of Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most widely recognized for thei ...

' "

At the Hop "At the Hop" is a 1950s pop song written by Artie Singer, John Medora, and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors. The song was released in the fall of 1957 and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, becomi ...

", and it charted No. 22 on the Canadian "Chum Chart".

Later years

After the success of "I Got a Wife," Mercury quickly followed up with several more Mark IV novelty singles. One of these was "Move Over Rover" b/w "Dante's Inferno" (Mercury 71445; 1959). Another was "

Mairzy Doats “Mairzy Doats” is a novelty song written and composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston. It contains lyrics that make no sense as written, but are near homophones of meaningful phrases. The song's title, for example, ...

" b/w "Ring Ring Ring Those Bells" (Mercury 71481; 1959). Songwriting for all of these songs, except "Mairzy Doats," is credited to Edward C. Mascari and Erwin Herbert "Dutch" Wenzlaff. Mascari and Wenzlaff were sheet music salesmen before they started writing and performing together. Wenslaff played drums, and Mascari the piano. At some point, Mascari – it seems – ran his own Chicago-based, Delaware record label, and was also once general manager of Mercury's Near North Music Publishing. Additionally, according to ''Chicago Soul'' by Robert Pruter, Mascari at one point ran (other sources say "owned"), a soul label named Limelight; perhaps a Mercury sub-label. Mascari is also credited by one source as having produced a single titled "Cindy, Oh Cindy" for Ivanhoe Records. Yet another lists him as producer of a

United Artist United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

's record by Danny Lee (aka Dan Penn). He also co-produced an album by singer-songwriter Dick Campbell, on which

Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...

Paul Butterfield Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

, and

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his ...

were all credited. Wenzlaff, too, appears to have had an association with Mercury (as a record producer) at some point. Additionally, he and Mascari wrote and produced songs for other artists, including "Foggy Mountain" for Danielle Blanchard, "Stop, Look and Listen" for

Ralph Marterie Ralph Marterie (24 December 1914 – 10 October 1978) was an Italian big-band leader born in Acerra (near Naples), Italy. Life and career Marterie first played professionally at age 14 in Chicago. In the 1940s, he played trumpet for various ba ...

and his Marlboro Men, and "Bride and Groom" (sheet music for which can often be found on eBay). Additionally, Wenzlaff is credited with having

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...

and conducted "You Wouldn't Listen" for

The Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became ...

on Harlequin Records in 1966.

Discography

*"Goose Bumps" b/w "Booblee Ah Bah Doo Baa" (Cosmic 702; 1957; US) – (as The Mark IV / Dick Marx Orchestra) *"(Make with) The Shake" b/w "45 R.P.M" – (Cosmic 704; 1958; US) (REO 8217; 1958; Canada) *"I Got a Wife" b/w "Ah-Ooo-Gah" – (Mercury 71403; 1959; US) *"Move Over Rover" b/w "Dante's Inferno – (Mercury 71445; 1959; US) *"

" b/w "Ring Ring Ring Those Bells" – (Mercury 71481; 1959; US) NB: In addition to Wenzlaff and Mascari's group, there have been several other groups named The Mark IV (also Mark IV, without the "The"). The one most often confused with Wenzlaff and Mascari's group (due to their also having released records on Mercury) was a soul group out of New York City. Their singles included "Honey I Still Love You" b/w "Since God Made Woman (Nobody Rest)", "My Everything You Are" b/w "I'll Be Right There (To Make Love to You)", "I Fell In Love (With a Married Woman)" b/w "Got to Get Back (To My Baby's Love)", and "Why Do You Want to Hurt Me" b/w "You're Just Like a Dream".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mark IV, The American pop rock music groups