The Dells

Induction Year: 2004

Induction Category: Performer

Verne Allison (vocals; born June 22, 1936), Chuck Barksdale (vocals; born January 11, 1935), Johnnie Carter (vocals; born June 2, 1934, died August 21, 2009), Johnny Funches (vocals; born July 18, 1935, died January 23, 1998), Marvin Junior (vocals; born January 31, 1936), Michael “Mickey” McGill (vocals; born February 17, 1937).

One of the longest-running vocal groups in rock and roll history, the Dells date back to 1952. The group’s original lineup - lead tenor Johnny Funches, second tenor Verne Allison, lead baritone Marvin Junior, baritone Michael “Mickey” McGill and bass singer Chuck Barksdale - changed only when Johnnie Carter replaced Funches in 1960. Between 1956 and 1992, the Dells racked up an astonishing 46 R&B hits. Eight of these made the pop Top Forty, including their best-known songs, “Stay in My Corner” and “Oh, What a Night.” The Dells are part of a great lineage of black harmony groups - including the Stylistics, the Delfonics and the Dramatics - and the phenomenal success of younger acts like New Edition, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and N’Sync would be hard to imagine without them.

The Dells’ greatest successes came on Cadet (one of Chess’s subsidiary labels) between 1968 and 1973. However, the Dells also had a successful first chapter as a doo-wop group on Vee-Jay in the Fifties and early Sixties. With McGill’s brother Lucius as a short-lived sixth member, they formed in high school in their native Harvey, Illinois (a Chicago suburb), and they’d gather on a streetcorner or in a subway station to perfect their craft. They cut their first sides for Checker (also a Chess subsidiary) as the El-Rays in 1953. A year later, pared to a quintet and renamed the Dells, they signed to Vee-Jay, the Chicago-based R&B label. The group scored a major R&B hit in 1956 with their first Vee-Jay single, “Oh What a Nite” (#4), a vocal-group classic that they remade a decade later as “Oh, What a Night.” The later version topped the R&B charts and became a Top Ten pop hit, too. The Dells also scored twice with “Stay in My Corner,” on Vee-Jay in 1965 (#23 R&B) and Cadet in 1968 (#1 R&B, #10 pop).

The only change in members occurred after a 1958 car wreck seriously injured McGill and sidelined the band. When they regrouped in 1960, Johnny Funches opted not to return and Johnnie Carter - late of the Flamingos, and also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with that vocal group - replaced him. The Dells were holding down regular jobs and performing on weekends, but after winning an audition as Dinah Washington’s backup group, they returned to music full-time. They toured with Washington from 1961 to1962. “She put us on our feet,” said Barksdale, “and we began to understand how this business is supposed to go.” The Dells then moved in a mellower jazz and pop-harmony direction, a la the Four Freshmen and the Hi-Lo’s.

When Vee-Jay shut down in 1966, the Dells moved to Chess. With producer Bobby Miller and arranger Charles Stepney, the group began cutting hits in a solid R&B vein again. There Is, released in 1968, was a unique combination of Fifties doo-wop harmonies and orchestrated Sixties soul. The highly successful album yielded six hits, including remakes of “Oh, What a Night” and “Stay in My Corner,” which ran for six minutes.

The Dells recorded prolifically for Cadet through the mid-Seventies, and their more noteworthy releases included 1971’s Freedom Means, 1974’s The Mighty Mighty Dells and 1975’s We’ve Got to Get Our Thing Together. In 1974 they teamed with the Dramatics to cut The Dells Vs. the Dramatics. The late Nineties saw the release of two Dells compilations: Oh, What a Night!: The Great Ballads (MCA) and Anthology (Polygram). In 2000, they released a new album, Reminiscing, on the revived Volt label. Two years later the Dells celebrated their 50th anniversary - an amazing feat of talent and perseverance.

TIMELINE

June 2, 1934: Johnnie Carter, vocalist with the Flamingos and the Dells, is born.

January 11, 1935: Chuck Barksdale, vocalist with the Dells, is born.

July 18, 1935: Johnny Funches, vocalist with the Dells, is born.

January 31, 1936: Marvin Junior, vocalist with the Dells, is born.

June 22, 1936: Verne Allison, vocalist with the Dells, is born.

February 17, 1937: Michael “Mickey” McGill, vocalist with the Dells, is born.

1952: The El-Rays form in Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. Two years later, they change their name to the Dells.

November 10, 1956: The Dells’ first hit, “Oh What a Nite,” enters the charts, where it will peak at #4.

May 25, 1968: There Is, by the Dells, is released on Cadet Records. The album will yield half a dozen hits and keep the group high on the charts for the next year.

June 22, 1968: “Stay in My Corner,” by the Dells, is released. It will top the R&B chart for three weeks and reach #10 on the pop chart.

August 16, 1969: The Dells’ “Oh, What a Night” - a remake of their 1956 hit “Oh What a Nite” - enters the charts. It will become a Top Ten pop hit and #1 R&B smash.

April 14, 1973: “Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation,” by the Dells, is released. Peaking at #3, it will be the group’s biggest hit of the Seventies.

August 9, 1980: The Dells’ “I Touched a Dream” enters the charts, where it will rise to #17. It mark four consecutive decades of hits for the veteran Chicago vocal group.

January 23, 1998: Johnny Funches passes away.

June 6, 2000: The Dells release Reminiscing, their first new album in eight years. Two years later the Dells will celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band.

March 15, 2004: The Dells are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the nineteenth annual induction dinner. Robert Townsend is their presenter.

August 21, 2009: Johnnie Carter passes away.

Essential Songs

Oh, What a Night
Stay in My Corner
Open Up My Heart
Always Together
There Is
O-O I Love You
The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)
I Can Sing a Rainbow/Love Is Blue
My Pretending Days Are Over
Oh What a Day

Hank Williams' White Wool Felt Cowboy Hat

Photo by Design Photography
Collection of Marty Stuart