# The Dells
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{{Short description|American R&B vocal group}}
{{About|R&B group|the Wisconsin geologic feature or vacation destination|Wisconsin Dells (disambiguation)|other uses|Dell (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2008}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Dells
| background = group_or_band
| image = The Dells.png
| image_size = 250px
| caption = The Dells in 1967: (Top row, L-R): Michael McGill, Marvin Junior, Verne Allison. (Bottom row, L-R): Chuck Barksdale, [Johnny Carter](/source/Johnny_Carter_(singer)).
| origin = [Harvey, Illinois](/source/Harvey%2C_Illinois), U.S.
| genre = [R&B](/source/Rhythm_and_blues), [doo-wop](/source/doo-wop), [soul](/source/soul_music)
| alias = The El-Rays, The Mighty Dells
| years_active = 1953–2012
| label = [Cadet/Chess](/source/Chess_Records), [Vee-Jay](/source/Vee-Jay_Records), [Mercury](/source/Mercury_Records), [ABC](/source/ABC_Records), 20th Century Fox, Ichiban, [Virgin](/source/Virgin_Records), [Philadelphia International](/source/Philadelphia_International_Records), Volt
|website = [http://www.themightydells.com Themightydells.com]
| past_members = Marvin Junior
Verne Allison
Michael McGill
Chuck Barksdale
Johnny Funches
Lucius McGill
[Johnny Carter](/source/Johnny_Carter_(singer))
}}
'''The Dells''' were an American [R&B](/source/Rhythm_and_blues) 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.[{{cite web|author=Steve Huey|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-dells-mn0000147200/biography|title=The Dells | Biography|website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=2015-08-24}}] In 2004 the Dells were inducted into both the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](/source/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame)[{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/dells|title=The Dells|work=[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame](/source/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame)|access-date=2019-02-15|quote=The Dells were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, the same year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.}}] and the [Vocal Group Hall of Fame](/source/Vocal_Group_Hall_of_Fame).[{{cite web |url=http://vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-dells/|title=The Dells|work=[The Vocal Group Hall of Fame](/source/Vocal_Group_Hall_of_Fame)|publisher=Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation|access-date=2019-02-15}}] 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](/source/Harvey%2C_Illinois), and began singing together while attending [Thornton Township High School](/source/Thornton_Township_High_School). 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](/source/Checker_Records), releasing their first single, "Darling I Know", which flopped.[{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/references/messages/johnny_funches.htm|title=Johnny Funches (The Dells)|website=Rockabillyeurope.com|access-date=2012-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908032520/http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/references/messages/johnny_funches.htm|archive-date=September 8, 2006}}] which hit the top 5 of the R&B singles chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a [gold disc](/source/music_recording_certification).[{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd
|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/81 81, 258 & 327]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/81}}] The song is ranked No. 260 on the ''[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)'' magazine's list of [The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time](/source/Rolling_Stone's_500_Greatest_Songs_of_All_Time). In November 1958, the Dells suffered a car accident that left McGill in a hospital in Ohio for six months.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} The group temporarily disbanded and Barksdale sang as a member of [Harvey Fuqua](/source/Harvey_Fuqua)'s spinoff [Moonglows](/source/The_Moonglows) act, Harvey and the Moonglows, which included a young [Marvin Gaye](/source/Marvin_Gaye). In 1961, the Dells reunited and auditioned for [Dinah Washington](/source/Dinah_Washington). After Washington agreed to hire them, Johnny Funches left the group to take care of his family. Funches was replaced by [Flamingos](/source/The_Flamingos) founding member [Johnny Carter](/source/Johnny_Carter_(singer)) and sang background for Washington for two years. In 1966, they were hired to open for [Ray Charles](/source/Ray_Charles), only to be fired after a performance resulted in several standing ovations.[{{cite book|last1=Cartwright|first1=Garth|title=More Miles Than Money: Journeys Through American Music|publisher=Profile Books|date=2009|page=337|isbn=978-1-84765-298-0|quote='Then we played Carnegie Hall and got like five standing ovations. So Ray's manager came round to our dressing room and said, "Listen, there's only room for one star in this show and that's Ray Charles. Where you want us to drop you off at?"'}}] The group would also sing background for [Barbara Lewis](/source/Barbara_Lewis), mainly on Lewis' 1963 hit, "[Hello Stranger](/source/Hello_Stranger_(song))", while also working with [Quincy Jones](/source/Quincy_Jones), who helped to fine-tune their vocals for [standards](/source/standard_(song)) 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](/source/Earth%2C_Wind_%26_Fire) arranger [Charles Stepney](/source/Charles_Stepney). 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](/source/I_Can_Sing_a_Rainbow) - [Love is Blue](/source/L'amour_est_bleu) (medley)" ([UK](/source/UK_Singles_Chart) No. 15),[{{cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=150}}] and their first No. 1 R&B hit and first top ten pop hit, 1968's "[Stay in My Corner](/source/Stay_in_My_Corner)",[{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lv-johnson-mn0001419780/biography|title=L.V. Johnson|author=Wynn, Ron|website=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)|access-date=May 27, 2010}}] and produced by [Don Davis](/source/Don_Davis_(producer)).
===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](/source/Mercury_Records), [ABC](/source/ABC_Records), and [Virgin](/source/Virgin_Records) 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](/source/Robert_Townsend_(actor))'s acclaimed 1991 film, ''[The Five Heartbeats](/source/The_Five_Heartbeats)'', which was loosely based on the lives of The Dells and other groups of its era.[{{cite web|url=http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie/the-five-heartbeats/|title=The Five Heartbeats : Overview|quote=Loosely based on the life and times of several R&B; artists (The Dells, The Temptations, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke and others) The Five Heartbeats traces the rise and fall of a popular African-American 1950s singing aggregation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730100819/http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie/the-five-heartbeats/|access-date=September 3, 2019|archive-date=2014-07-30}}] The group recorded a composition titled "[A Heart Is a House for Love](/source/A_Heart_Is_a_House_for_Love)", which reached number 13, making them the first group to chart a top 40 R&B hit in five consecutive decades. It was the group's 33rd and final top 40 R&B entry. The following year, signing with [PIR](/source/Philadelphia_International_Records), 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 [Vocal Group Hall of Fame](/source/Vocal_Group_Hall_of_Fame) and the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](/source/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame) and in 2022 into [National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame](/source/National_Rhythm_%26_Blues_Hall_of_Fame). The group continued performing until 2012, where they gave their farewell concert at the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](/source/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame) museum in [Cleveland](/source/Cleveland) that June.
===Losses===
Original Dells vocalist Johnny Funches died of [pneumonia](/source/pneumonia) on January 23, 1998, at the age of 62.
Johnny Carter died of [cancer](/source/cancer) on August 21, 2009, at the age of 75.[{{cite web|author=Doc Rock|url=http://www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2009b.html|title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 2009 July to December|website=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com|access-date=2015-08-24}}] Carter is one of the few artists to be a double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted with [The Flamingos](/source/The_Flamingos) in 2001, and the Dells in 2004.
On May 29, 2013, founding member Marvin Junior died in his sleep at his home in [Harvey, Illinois](/source/Harvey%2C_Illinois), succumbing to complications of [kidney failure](/source/kidney_failure) and a weak heart at the age of 77.[{{cite web|url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/9120515/|title='Oh What a Night' singer Marvin Junior dies at 77|website=Abclocal.go.com|date=May 29, 2013|access-date=May 29, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214110004/http://abc7chicago.com/archive/9120515/|archive-date=December 14, 2014}}]
Chuck Barksdale died on May 15, 2019, at the age of 84.[{{cite news|last=O'Donnell|first=Maureen|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/charles-barksdale-bass-singer-for-the-dells-dies-at-84/|title=Charles "Chuck" Barksdale, bass singer for The Dells, dies at 84|newspaper=[Chicago Sun-Times](/source/Chicago_Sun-Times)|date=2019-05-15|access-date=2019-05-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515233105/https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/charles-barksdale-bass-singer-for-the-dells-dies-at-84/|archive-date=May 15, 2019}}]
==Personnel==
'''Members'''
*Marvin Junior (born Marvin Curtis Junior, January 31, 1936, [Harrell](/source/Harrell%2C_Arkansas), [Arkansas](/source/Arkansas)[{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/marvin-junior-founding-member-of-doo-wop-group-dells-dies-at-77/2013/06/04/f2914730-cc80-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html|author=Terence McArdle|title=Marvin Junior, founding member of doo-wop group Dells, dies at 77|date=June 4, 2013|newspaper=[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)|access-date=April 8, 2015}}] – May 29, 2013) - lead baritone, lead vocals (1952-1958, 1960–2012)
*Verne Allison (b. June 22, 1936, [Chicago](/source/Chicago))[{{cite book|title=[The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music)|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[Virgin Books](/source/Virgin_Books)|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=361}}] - second tenor, background vocals (1952-1958, 1960-2012)
*Michael McGill (b. February 17, 1937, Chicago)[{{cite web|title=HR0020 90th General Assembly|url=https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet90/hrgroups/hr/900HR0020LV.html|access-date=2021-12-19|website=Ilga.gov}}]
*[National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame](/source/National_Rhythm_and_Blues_Hall_of_Fame) (Inducted 2022) [{{Cite web|url=https://rbhalloffamemarksms.com/inductees/|title=Inductees – National R&B Hall of Fame|website=Rbhalloffamemarksms.com|access-date=May 26, 2025}}]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.themightydells.com/ The Dells] official website
*[http://www.themightydellsmarvinjunior.com The Dells] Marvin Junior Lead Singer of The Dells Official Obituary Website
*{{Rockhall}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100710074014/http://www.vocalhalloffame.com/inductees/the_dells.html The Dells] at [Vocal Group Hall of Fame](/source/Vocal_Group_Hall_of_Fame)
*[http://www.soulexpress.net/deep2_2012.htm#thedells An interview with Michael McGill in June 2012 at Soul Express]
*[http://www.soulexpress.net/marvinjunior_tribute.htm Many comments from Marvin Junior along his career at Soul Express]
*[http://www.soulexpress.net/chuckbarksdale_tribute.htm A tribute to Chuck Barksdale in Soul Express]
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for The Dells
|list =
{{NAACP Image Award – Hall of Fame Award}}
{{2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dells, The}}
Category:Vocal quintets
Category:Doo-wop groups
Category:Musical groups from Chicago
Category:Musical groups established in 1953
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2012
Category:African-American musical groups
Category:American soul musical groups
Category:Argo Records artists
Category:Vee-Jay Records artists
Category:Mercury Records artists
Category:Cadet Records artists
Category:1953 establishments in Illinois
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Dells](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dells) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dells?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.