{{Short description|American doo-wop group}} {{Redirect|Edsels|other uses|Edsel (disambiguation)}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2013}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = The Edsels | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = Campbell, Ohio, United States | genre = Doo-wop | years_active = 1957–1968, 1988–present | label = Dub Records, Twin Records, Roulette Records, Tammy Records, Capitol Records | current_members = James Reynolds<br />Chris Reynolds <br />Maurice Jones <br />Danny Friendly | past_members = George 'Wydell' Jones<br />Marshall Sewell<br />Larry Green<br />Harry Green<br />Emmett T Perkins }}
'''The Edsels''' were an American doo-wop group from Campbell, Ohio who were active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The name of the group was originally '''The Essos''', after the oil company, but was changed to match the new Ford automobile, the Edsel.<ref name="Larkin60">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=First |isbn=0-7535-0149-X|page=175}}</ref> They recorded over 25 songs and had multiple performances on Dick Clark's ''American Bandstand''. The Edsels were one of the few doo-wop groups to sign with a major record label, as most groups of that era found success with small independent labels; before their national hit "Rama Lama Ding Dong", songs like "What Brought Us Together", "Bone Shaker Joe" and "Do You Love Me" helped the group land a major recording contract with Capitol Records in 1961.
Today the group is known almost exclusively for "Rama Lama Ding Dong", written by lead singer George "Wydell" Jones Jr.<ref name="Larkin60" /> The song was recorded in 1957 and released, under the erroneous title "Lama Rama Ding Dong", in 1958. It did not become popular until 1961, after a disc jockey in New York City began to play it as a segue from the Marcels' doo-wop version of "Blue Moon".<ref name="Larkin60" /> The song eventually became popular throughout the US, peaking at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It is the official goal song of German soccer club VfL Wolfsburg.
The group continues to perform today. In addition, James Reynolds performs with his five sons Jeff, Baron, Patrick, Chris and Carlisle (as the Reynolds Brothers).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdbaby.com/cd/reynoldsbrothers |title=The Reynolds Brothers | The Reynolds Brothers | CD Baby Music Store |publisher=Cdbaby.com |date= |accessdate=2013-06-15 |archive-date=October 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001060340/http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/reynoldsbrothers |url-status=dead }}</ref> That group released an album, ''The Reynolds Brothers'', featuring songs written by James and fellow Edsels member George Jones.
Songwriter George Jones died of cancer on September 5, 2008, at age 71.<ref name=cleveland.com /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dead Rock Stars Club – 2008 July to December |url=https://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2008b.html |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=thedeadrockstarsclub.com}}</ref>
Marshall Sewell died of esophageal cancer on June 5, 2013, at the age of 75.<ref name=cleveland.com>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2013/06/marshall_sewell_sang_bass_for.html|author=Grant Segall|title=Marshall Sewell sang bass for the Edsels and patrolled Cleveland streets: news obituary|date=June 7, 2013|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|accessdate=April 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 2013 January to June |url=https://www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2013.html |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com}}</ref>
Emmett T. Perkins II died on February 11, 2014, at the age of 75.<ref name=vindy.com>{{cite news|url=http://www.vindy.com/news/tributes/2014/feb/14/emmett-t-perkins-II|title=Tributes|newspaper=The Vindicator}}</ref>
Pastor James C. Reynolds died on April 11, 2025, at the age of 86.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-24 |title=Youngstown mourns Pastor James C. Reynolds: Founding member of The Edsels |url=https://www.wfmj.com/story/52718945/youngstown-mourns-pastor-james-c-reynolds-founding-member-of-the-edsels |access-date=2026-01-16 |publisher=WFMJ-TV |language=en}}</ref>
==Personnel== *George "Wydell" Jones Jr. – lead vocals<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/sep/30/youngstown-singer-songwriter-george-jones-of-the/ |title=Youngstown News, Youngstown singer-songwriter George Jones of The Edsels dies |publisher=Vindy.com |date= |accessdate=2013-06-15 |archive-date=February 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212234559/http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/sep/30/youngstown-singer-songwriter-george-jones-of-the/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Larry J. Greene – first tenor *James Reynolds – second tenor *Harry Greene – baritone *Marshall Sewell – bass<ref name=cleveland.com/><ref name=vindy.com2>{{cite news|url=http://www.vindy.com/news/tributes/2013/jun/10/marshall-sewel/|title=Marshall Sewell|newspaper=The Vindicator|accessdate=April 7, 2015|archive-date=October 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020011625/http://www.vindy.com/news/tributes/2013/jun/10/marshall-sewel/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Influence of the song "Rama Lama Ding Dong"== {{Unreferenced section|date=June 2013}} *A cover version of the song was performed on ''The Muppet Show'' once: in Episode 89 (or season 4, episode 17), the episode that also had Mark Hamill, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca from ''Star Wars'' as guests, a shepherd, his sheep and his girl perform the song. *Rocky Sharpe and the Replays covered the song in 1979.<ref name="Larkin60"/> *The song also was featured in the films ''Stand by Me'' and ''Grease 2'' *Serbian and Yugoslav doo wop/rockabilly band Vampiri recorded a Serbo-Croatian language cover as the title track of their 1991 debut album.<ref name="janjatović309">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=309}}</ref> *Barry Mann co-wrote a song called "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" in 1961, in which he sings about his girl falling in love with him after listening to some doo-wop style songs with their recognizable nonsense lyrics. In the song he asks the question, who put the ram in the 'Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong'. *The vocable “rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong”, derived from the title of The Edsels biggest hit ‘Rama Lama Ding Dong’, is heard in the ''Grease'' song, "We Go Together"[https://genius.com/Grease-live-cast-we-go-together-lyrics]. *"Rama Lama Ding Dong" is heard in the film ''Children of a Lesser God'', and is used by the character James Leeds (William Hurt) to teach his class of hearing-impaired teenagers. *"Rama Lama Ding Dong" is played in many German ice rinks when the local team scores, as well as by Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg. *Le Tigre's song "Deceptacon" featured the lyrics ''"Who took the ram from the ramalamadingdong?"'' * The song featured in the title sequence of an episode of ''Love/Hate'' *"Rama Lama Ding Dong" is parodied as "La canción de la vieja l'visillo" by Spanish comedian José Mota in one episode of his TV show.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * ''Allmusic'': [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4168/biography|pure_url=yes}} The Edsels biography] * [http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/george_jones_jr.htm Biography of George Jones, Jr.] * [http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/edsels.html The Edsels by J.C. Marion] * [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30291056/george-wydell-jones George Wydell Jones Jr. Find A Grave.com]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Edsels, The}} Category:Doo-wop groups Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:Musicians from Youngstown, Ohio Category:Apex Records artists Category:Musical groups established in 1957 Category:1957 establishments in Ohio