I don't know whether or not we came to our singing natural, or what it was, but maybe because we were so together, we never really had to do hard drawn-out practice on songs. It just always seemed to fall into place for us. We never had to plan that much for a recording session. What we would do was learn the melody to get the right background, then we would go into the studio and that was the magic.
Marvin Junior
Marvin Junior, the strong baritone lead of the Dells, died at his home in Harvey, Illinois, Wednesday of heart and kidney failure. He was 77. The Dells were one of R&B's most durable vocal groups, having performed together with only one major personnel change for 57 years. They placed 34 songs on the R&B charts between 1956 and 1991. Two of them—the second versions of “Stay in My Corner” (1968) and “Oh, What a Night” (1969)—reached #1. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.
Marvin Junior was born in Harold, Arkansas, on January 31, 1936. His family moved to the Chicago area when he was a boy. The group was formed at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, a Chicago suburb, in 1952. It consisted of Johnny Funches, lead tenor; Marvin Junior, lead baritone; Verne Allison, tenor; Mickey McGill, baritone; and Chuck Barksdale, bass. Funches sang lead on the ballads and Junior on the up tempo songs. Their first record was “Darling, I Know” b/w "Christine" as the El-Rays for Chess Records (on the Checker label) in 1954.
The group credits the Moonglows with teaching them how to harmonize. In 1955, they moved to Vee Jay Records and changed their name to the Dells. Their first Vee Jay release, “Tell the World,” was a local hit. The second, “Dreams of Contentment,” established their classic '50s sound with Funches in the lead.
Then everything changed.
So the next day we were at a rehearsal and started talking about the party. We said, “What a party, what a night!” So Johnny sing-songs, “Oh, what a night.” I said, “Wait, do that again!” He did and I came back with “to love you dear,” and we sat down and wrote the song.
Marvin Junior
The 1956 version of “Oh, What a Night” went to #4 on the R&B charts and established their reputation. They continued to record for Vee Jay through the '50s, releasing classic ballads such as “Why Do You Have to Go?,” “Pain in My Heart” and “Dry Your Eyes.” In 1958, they were involved in a serious automobile accident and stopped performing. They reformed in 1960, but Johnny Funches was not interested in continuing. He was replaced by Johnny Carter, an original member of the Flamingos.
It was around this time that they worked out their soul era style. Marvin Junior's gruff baritone took over the lead vocals, while Johnny Carter's falsetto tenor served either as a second lead or a swooping presence (in the Flamingos' style) in the background. Their initial efforts for Argo (a Chess affiliate) and Vee Jay were not successful, but in 1966 they moved back to Chess's Cadet affiliate and began a long string of hits that lasted until 1974.
They reached the top of their form in 1968 with the album There Is, produced by Bobby Miller and arranged by Charles Stepney, which contained six hit singles, including “Stay in My Corner,” in which Marvin Junior sings the longest note in R&B history.
This was followed by two other great Miller/Stepney collaborations, Love is Blue (1969) and Like It Is, Like It Was (1969). Their best recordings, almost all ballads, combined '50s vocal group harmonies with Junior's soulful lead.
In the '70s and '80s, they recorded for Mercury, ABC and several other labels, occasionally making the charts. They served as consultants to Robert Townsend for his 1991 film The Five Heartbeats, which is based largely on incidents from their career. Their last hit, “A Heart is a House for Love” was on the soundtrack.
They continued to perform until Johnny Carter's death in 2009. Here they are doing their signature tune at one of T. J. Lubinsky's PBS specials recorded in Pittsburgh around 2000. Junior is on the right, and Carter is second from right. The spoken bass is by Barksdale. Jerry Butler makes the introduction.
Marion Brooks filmed a 25-minute documentary about the history of the Dells which I recommend. It's posted in three parts on You Tube. Here's the first part. You can follow the links to the other two.
Marvin Junior is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Ruby, three sons, three daughters, and ten grandchildren. If you think Marvin Junior is an unusual name, consider the plight of his eldest son, Marvin, Jr.
You may also be interested in reading:
No comments:
Post a Comment