The Dells grew up in Harvey, Illinois and began singing together while attending Thornton Township High School. Forming in 1952 under the name the El-Rays, the group initially consisted of Marvin Junior, Mickey McGill, Lucius McGill, Verne Allison, Chuck Barksdale, and Johnny Funches. Lucius soon left the group and the remaining quintet signed with Checker Records, releasing their first single, "Darling I Know," which flopped.
In 1955, the group renamed themselves the Dells and signed with Vee-Jay Records. In 1956, they recorded their first hit, "Oh, What a Nite" (a song co-written by Johnny Funches, who also sang lead on the recording alongside Marvin Junior), which hit the Top 5 of the R&B singles chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The song is ranked #260 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 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. The group temporarily disbanded and Barksdale sang as a member of Harvey Fuqua's spinoff Moonglows act, Harvey and the Moonglows, which included a young Marvin Gaye. In 1961, the Dells reunited and auditioned for Dinah Washington. After Washington agreed to hire them, Johnny Funches left the group to take care of his family. Funches was replaced by Flamingos founding member Johnny Carter and sang background for Washington for two years. In 1966, they were hired to open for Ray Charles, only to be fired after a performance resulted in several standing ovations. The group would also sing background for Barbara Lewis, mainly on Lewis' 1963 hit, "Hello Stranger", while also working with Quincy Jones, who helped to fine-tune their vocals for standards and jazz material.
In 1966, the Dells returned to Chess under the label's Cadet subsidiary working with Bobby Miller and future Earth, Wind & Fire arranger 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 - Love is Blue (medley)" (UK #15), and their first #1 R&B hit and first Top Ten pop hit, 1968's "Stay in My Corner," which reached #10 on the pop chart and showcased both Carter and Marvin in lead vocals. In the following year, 1969, The Dells' soulful remake of their debut hit, "Oh What a Night" gave the group their second chart-topping R&B single and also reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. For a second time, the song sold over a million copies. Subsequent hits included "Open Up My Heart," "Oh What A Day," and "On the Dock of the Bay." In 1971, the Dells' "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind" became another Top Ten hit on the R&B charts, also reaching the pop Top 30. By this time Charles Stepney had taken over production duties from Bobby Miller. 1973's "Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation" was their third certified gold record. The song was written by L.V. Johnson and produced by Don Davis.
Leaving Cadet around the end of 1974 with the parent company in financial difficulties, the group would continue recording in order under the Mercury, ABC, and Virgin labels finding some hits, including 1980's "I Touched a Dream", which returned the group to the top 40 on the R&B charts. The Dells were confined mostly to the oldies market afterwards until they were asked to be creative consultants to Robert Townsend's acclaimed 1991 film, The Five Heartbeats, which was loosely based on the lives of The Dells and other groups of its era. The group recorded a composition titled "A Heart Is a House for Love". The song reached number 13 on the Billboard R&B chart, making them only one of two groups to have hit singles in five decades. The following year, signing with PIR, 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 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group continued performing until 2012.
Original Dells vocalist Johnny Funches died of pneumonia on January 23, 1998, at the age of 62.
Johnny Carter died of cancer on August 21, 2009, at the age of 75. Carter is one of the few artists to be a double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted with 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, succumbing to complications of kidney failure and a weak heart at the age of 77.
Chuck Barksdale died on 15 May 2019, at the age of 83.
Members
Marvin Junior (born Marvin Curtis Junior, January 31, 1936, Harrell, Arkansas – May 29, 2013) - lead baritone, lead vocals (1952-1958, 1960–2012)
Verne Allison (b. June 22, 1936, Chicago) - second tenor, background vocals (1952-1958, 1960-2012)
Mickey McGill (b. February 17, 1937, Chicago) - baritone, background vocals (1952–1958, 1960-2012)
Chuck Barksdale (January 11, 1935 - May 15, 2019) - bass, background vocals (1952–1958, 1960-2012)
Johnny Funches (July 18, 1935, Chicago – January 23, 1998) - first tenor, lead vocals (1952–58, 1960-1961)
Lucius McGill (b. 1935, Chicago) - second tenor, background vocals (1952–54)
Johnny Carter (June 2, 1934, Chicago – August 21, 2009) - first tenor/falsetto, lead vocals (1961–2009)
Dance Dance Dance
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu é louca mami mama e o olho baixin
Faixa rosa de oclin quer sentar né não?
Fuego joga e olha pra trás o seu preto
De onde que tu vem com todo esse movimento
Porte de envolvido te molha por muito tempo
Exemplo puxa na quebrada qual é meu erro
Odeio tá larico e não colo com perrequero
Sério eu não nego que eu quero dinheiro
Eu falo que eu tô triste ela manda foto do peito yeh
Tu me fez gamar nesse jeito de andar
Ela só que jogar nem ligar pra me ganhar
Ah concorrência chora, nós bafora um chara
Num para gata já sei onde nois vai parar
Fumaça comendo no centro, mo vibe o momento, só em tu to atento
O massa é que ela faz do um jeitinho
Pede forte os carin , mas é claro eu atendo
Juro as vezes eu nem me entendo ,
Eu nem gosto de olhar essa gata mexendo
Pra eu parar de secar eu vou bolar um coentro
Se sua bunda fosse um hit era o do momento
Sorriso de misse bunda marcando o jeans , pole dance na sala e ela dançando
Tu é louca mamy mana e o olho baixin
Faixa rosa de oclin, quer sentir né não
The lyrics of The Dells's song Dance Dance Dance are about a girl's captivating dance moves that caught the attention of the singer. The girl's dance moves are described with words like "sorriso de miss," which means a beauty pageant smile, "bunda marca no jeans," which means a mark of her buttocks on her jeans, and "poledance na sala," which means she's doing a pole dance in the room. The singer is so mesmerized by her that he loses his "postura de bandido," which means his gangster attitude, and becomes enveloped in her moves. He is even willing to give in to her demand of wanting to sit down next to him.
The lyrics showcase the singer's infatuation with the girl, as he describes the movement of her body with admiration. He is so intrigued by her that he wants to know more about her, and asks her where she comes from. The singer admits to wanting to make money, but the girl's beauty and seductive moves make him forget his need for wealth. The lyrics suggest that the girl's beauty and charm are too compelling for him to resist, and he can't help but be captivated by her.
Line by Line Meaning
Sorriso de miss, bunda marca no jeans poledance na sala ela dançando
She's dancing pole dance in the room, with a smile like a beauty queen and her curves accentuated in tight jeans
Tu é louca mami mama e o olho baixin
She's wild and free-spirited, with that mischievous look in her eye
Faixa rosa de oclin quer sentar né não?
She's confident and teasing, with her pink glasses and suggestive posture
Fuego joga e olha pra trás o seu preto
She's got fire in her movements and she knows it, as she glances back at her admirer
De onde que tu vem com todo esse movimento
He wonders where she learned to move like that, with so much passion and grace
Perco toda minha postura de bandido
Even he, a tough guy, can't keep his cool around her and feels himself losing his composure
Porte de envolvido te molha por muito tempo
Her seductive allure is so strong he can't resist getting involved with her
Exemplo puxa na quebrada qual é meu erro
He reflects on what he's done wrong to end up so infatuated with her
Odeio tá larico e não colo com perrequero
He hates feeling needy and clingy, but can't help himself around her
Sério eu não nego que eu quero dinheiro
He admits that he's motivated by money, but she sends him a picture of her cleavage anyway
Tu me fez gamar nesse jeito de andar
He's fallen for her way of walking and moving
Ela só que jogar nem ligar pra me ganhar
She's just playing around and not really interested in him, but he can't help himself
Ah concorrência chora, nós bafora um chara
He feels like he's won the competition for her attention, as they smoke together
Num para gata já sei onde nois vai parar
He knows where they're headed, as they continue to dance and enjoy the moment
Fumaça comendo no centro, mo vibe o momento, só em tu to atento
He's fully present in the moment, enjoying the smoke and the vibe with her
O massa é que ela faz do um jeitinho
He admires how she has a unique way of doing things that draws him in
Pede forte os carin, mas é claro eu atendo
He's willing to do whatever she asks of him, because he's so smitten
Juro as vezes eu nem me entendo
He doesn't even know why he's so spellbound by her sometimes
Eu nem gosto de olhar essa gata mexendo
He pretends not to enjoy watching her dance, but he can't help himself
Pra eu parar de secar eu vou bolar um coentro
He tries to distract himself from her charms by rolling a joint
Se sua bunda fosse um hit era o do momento
He thinks to himself that if her curves were a song, it would be the biggest hit of the moment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind