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 recording in 1954 and two years later had their first R&B hit with " Oh What a Night". After disbanding due to a near-fatal car crash in 1958, the band reformed in 1960 with Funches being replaced by Johnny Carter. This lineup remained together until Carter's death in 2009. In 2004, The Dells were inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

. The group performed until illness forced longtime lead singer Marvin Junior and bass vocalist Chuck Barksdale into retirement, ending the group's 60-year run.

History

Early career

The Dells grew up in

Harvey, Illinois Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 census. Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor and Riverdale to the north; Dolton, Phoenix, and South Holland to the east; East Hazel C ...

, and began singing together while attending

Thornton Township High School Thornton Township High School, often simply referred to as Thornton is a public high school founded in 1899, located in Harvey, one of the South Suburbs of the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The school is one of three administered by Thornton ...

. Forming in 1952 under the name the El-Rays, the group initially consisted of Marvin Junior, Michael McGill, Lucius McGill, Verne Allison, Chuck Barksdale, and Johnny Funches. Lucius McGill soon left the group and the remaining quintet signed with Checker Records, releasing their first single, "Darling I Know", which flopped. In 1955, the group renamed themselves the Dells and signed with

Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

. In 1956, they recorded their first hit, " Oh, What a Night" (a song co-written by Johnny Funches, who also sang lead on the recording alongside Marvin Junior), which hit the top 5 of the R&B singles chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. The song is ranked No. 260 on the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine's list of

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

. In November 1958, the Dells suffered a car accident that left McGill in a hospital in Ohio for six months. The group temporarily disbanded and Barksdale sang as a member of

Harvey Fuqua Harvey Fuqua (July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is notable as one of th ...

's spinoff Moonglows act, Harvey and the Moonglows, which included a young Marvin Gaye. In 1961, the Dells reunited and auditioned for

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

. After Washington agreed to hire them, Johnny Funches left the group to take care of his family. Funches was replaced by

Flamingos Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

founding member Johnny Carter and sang background for Washington for two years. In 1966, they were hired to open for

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, only to be fired after a performance resulted in several standing ovations. The group would also sing background for

Barbara Lewis Barbara Ann Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues. Career Lewis was born in Salem, Michigan, United States. She was writing and recording by her teens with record ...

, mainly on Lewis' 1963 hit, "

Hello Stranger "Hello Stranger" is a 1963 hit single by Barbara Lewis, which spent two weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart in '' Billboard'', crossing over to #3 on the pop chart. Original version "Hello Stranger" was written by Barbara Lewis herself ...

", while also working with

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, who helped to fine-tune their vocals for standards and jazz material.

Successful years

In 1966, the Dells returned to Chess under the label's Cadet subsidiary working with Bobby Miller and future

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

arranger

Charles Stepney Charles Stepney (March 26, 1931– May 17, 1976) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. Stepney is noted for his work with artists such as The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire. Career He ...

. In 1967, the Dells issued the album ''There Is'' which included their first R&B chart-topper in years with the title track, which showcased the sharp baritone of Marvin Junior and the harmonies with the four other Dells. The song was also their first top 20 pop hit. Subsequent R&B hits included "Wear It on Our Face", "Always Together" (top 20 pop), "

I Can Sing a Rainbow "I Can Sing a Rainbow," also known simply as "Sing a Rainbow," is a popular song written by Arthur Hamilton. It was featured in the 1955 film '' Pete Kelly's Blues,'' where it was sung by Peggy Lee. Background The song has been used to teach chi ...

- Love is Blue (medley)" ( UK No. 15), and their first No. 1 R&B hit and first top ten pop hit, 1968's " Stay in My Corner", which reached No. 10 on the pop chart and showcased both Carter and Marvin in lead vocals. In the following year, 1969, The Dells' soulful remake of their debut hit, "Oh What a Night" gave the group their second chart-topping R&B single and also reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. For a second time, the song sold over a million copies. Subsequent hits included "Open Up My Heart", "Oh What a Day", and "On the Dock of the Bay". In 1971, the Dells' "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind" became another top ten hit on the R&B chart, also reaching the pop top 30. By this time Charles Stepney had taken over production duties from Bobby Miller. 1973's "Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation" was their third certified gold record. The song was

written Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

L.V. Johnson L.V. Johnson (December 25, 1946 – November 22, 1994) was an American Chicago blues and soul-blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his renditions of "Don't Cha Mess with My Money, My Honey or My Woman" and "Recipe" ...

and produced by Don Davis.

Later years

Leaving Cadet around the end of 1974 with the parent company in financial difficulties, the group would continue recording in order under the Mercury,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, and

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

labels finding some hits, including 1980's "I Touched a Dream", which returned the group to the top 40 on the R&B chart. The Dells were confined mostly to the oldies market afterwards until they were asked to be creative consultants to Robert Townsend's acclaimed 1991 film, ''

The Five Heartbeats ''The Five Heartbeats'' is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robi ...

'', which was loosely based on the lives of The Dells and other groups of its era. The group recorded a composition titled " A Heart Is a House for Love". The song reached number 13 on the Billboard R&B chart, making them only one of two groups to have hit singles in five decades. The following year, signing with PIR, they released the album, ''I Salute You''. The Dells continued performing and recording sporadically in the early years of the new millennium. In 2004, the group were inducted to both the

and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group continued performing until 2012.

Losses

Original Dells vocalist Johnny Funches died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on January 23, 1998, at the age of 62. Johnny Carter died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on August 21, 2009, at the age of 75. Carter is one of the few artists to be a double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted with

The Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as one of the finest and ...

in 2001, and the Dells in 2004. On May 29, 2013, founding member Marvin Junior died in his sleep at his home in

, succumbing to complications of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

and a weak heart at the age of 77. Chuck Barksdale died on May 15, 2019, at the age of 84. The Dells were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Members

*Marvin Junior (born Marvin Curtis Junior, January 31, 1936, Harrell,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

– May 29, 2013) - lead baritone, lead vocals (1952-1958, 1960–2012) *Verne Allison (b. June 22, 1936,

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) - second tenor, background vocals (1952-1958, 1960-2012) *Michael McGill (b. February 17, 1937, Chicago) - baritone, background vocals (1952–1958, 1960-2012) *Chuck Barksdale (born Charles Barksdale, January 11, 1935 – May 15, 2019) - bass, background vocals (1952–1958, 1960-2012) *Johnny Funches (July 18, 1935, Chicago – January 23, 1998) - first tenor, lead vocals (1952–58, 1960-1961) *Lucius McGill (b. 1935, Chicago) - second tenor, background vocals (1952–54) * Johnny Carter (June 2, 1934, Chicago – August 21, 2009) - first tenor/falsetto, lead vocals (1961–2009)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:80 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1952 till:01/01/2012 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1952 Colors = id:Lead value:red legend:Lead_Vocals id:Tenor value:green legend:Tenor_Vocals id:Barry value:purple legend:Baritone_Vocals id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass_Vocals id:lines value:black legend:Studio_albums BarData = bar:Marvin text:"Marvin Junior" bar:Verne text:"Verne Allison" bar:Michael text:"Michael McGill" bar:Chuck text:"Chuck Barksdale" bar:Johnny text:"Johnny Funches" bar:Lucius text:"Lucius McGill" bar:Johnny2 text:"Johnny Carter" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Marvin from:start till:01/01/1958 color:barry width:3 bar:Marvin from:01/01/1960 till:end color:barry width:3 bar:Marvin from:start till:01/01/1958 color:lead bar:Marvin from:01/01/1960 till:end color:lead bar:Verne from:start till:01/01/1958 color:tenor bar:Verne from:01/01/1960 till:end color:tenor bar:Michael from:start till:01/01/1958 color:barry bar:Michael from:01/01/1960 till:end color:barry bar:Chuck from:start till:01/01/1958 color:bass bar:Chuck from:01/01/1960 till:end color:bass bar:Johnny from:start till:01/01/1958 color:tenor width:3 bar:Johnny from:01/01/1960 till:01/01/1961 color:tenor width:3 bar:Johnny from:start till:01/01/1958 color:lead bar:Johnny from:01/01/1960 till:01/01/1961 color:lead bar:Lucius from:start till:01/01/1954 color:tenor bar:Johnny2 from:01/01/1961 till:01/01/2009 color:lead bar:Johnny2 from:01/01/1961 till:01/01/2009 color:tenor width:3 LineData = at:01/06/1959 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1965 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1968 color:black layer:back at:01/03/1969 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1969 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1970 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1971 color:black layer:back at:01/03/1972 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1972 color:black layer:back at:01/03/1973 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1973 color:black layer:back at:01/03/1974 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1974 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1975 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1976 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1977 color:black layer:back at:01/03/1978 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1978 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1979 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1980 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1981 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1984 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1988 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1992 color:black layer:back at:01/06/2000 color:black layer:back at:01/06/2002 color:black layer:back

Discography

Awards

* Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Inducted 2004) *

(Inducted 2004) *Rhythm & Blues Foundation "Pioneer Award" (Awarded 1992) *NAACP Image Award - Hall of Fame Award (Awarded 1992)

References

External links

The Dells
official website
The Dells
Marvin Junior Lead Singer of The Dells Official Obituary Website *

at

An interview with Michael McGill in June 2012 at Soul Express
* ttp://www.soulexpress.net/chuckbarksdale_tribute.htm A tribute to Chuck Barksdale in Soul Express {{DEFAULTSORT:Dells, The Vocal quintets Doo-wop groups Musical groups from Chicago Musical groups established in 1953 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 African-American musical groups American soul musical groups Argo Records artists Vee-Jay Records artists Mercury Records artists Cadet Records artists