When Music Was Music!

In the summer of 1968, “Stay in my Corner” by the Dells was the song to sing as you were doo-wopping on the front porch with your friends. This song, showcasing lead singers Johnny Carter and Marvin Junior playing off each other as leads, became the Dells first number-one, R&B hit. It also reached number ten on the pop charts. In 1969 the group remade their first hit, “Oh What a Night”, with Marvin Junior as lead vocalist as opposed to the smooth tenor of Johnny Funches on the original recording. Suddenly The Dells were R&B stars.

“Oh What a Night” sold over one million copies for the second time, and became their signature song. In 1971, “The Love We Had Stays on My Mind” became another top ten R&B hit, and reached the pop Top 30.

The Dells were asked to be creative consultants on actor Robert Townsend’s 1991 musical, The Five Heartbeats. The group recorded a composition titled “A Heart Is A House For Love” which was issued on the movie’s soundtrack and reached number thirteen on the R&B singles chart. This gave the group a new jolt and helped to make them only the second group to record hit singles over four consecutive decades.