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)
Does Anybody Know I'm Here?
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A boy stands in a foreign land
Lonely is he and in the dark
He wipes away a tear
As he thinks to himself
He's got a girl
And he wonders
If she loves him anymore
Cold, so cold is the wind
And in the dark
He wipes away a tear
As he thinks to himself
And then a voice says
Don't worry bout it, baby
I'll be right here
Don't worry bout it, baby
I'll be right here
(But he keeps on saying, baby)
Don't worry bout it baby
(Don't let me lose your love)
I'll be right here (oh, oh, baby)
Don't worry bout it, baby
(Don't let me lose your loving)
I'll be right here
Cold, oh, so cold is the wind
And in the dark
He wipes away a tear
Oh, as he thinks to himself
(But he keeps on saying, baby)
Don't worry bout it baby
(Don't let me lose your love)
I'll be right here (oh, oh, baby)
Don't worry bout it, baby
(Don't let me lose your loving)
I'll be right here
The Dells' song "Does Anybody Know I'm Here?" is a ballad that speaks to the feelings of loneliness and isolation. The song describes a young man who is alone and far away from home in a foreign land. He thinks of his girlfriend who is on a distant shore and wonders if she still loves him. The cold wind exacerbates the feeling of despair as he wipes away a tear, acknowledging how lonely he feels.
The turning point of the song is when a voice reassures him, saying, "Don't worry 'bout it, baby, I'll be right here." The voice represents the universal human desire for connection and reassurance. Though the singer is physically alone in a strange land, he is not truly alone because he has the support and love of others. The song ends with the singer repeating the same words, "Don't worry 'bout it, baby, I'll be right here" as if to anchor himself in the comfort and comfort of this reassurance.
The song presents a common theme in soul music - the search for love and connection. It brings to light the honest and raw feelings of isolation and uncertainty that people experience in life. By the end of the song, the singer finds solace in the words of the voice that offers support, reminding him that he is not alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Alone and far away from home
A boy is by himself and in a foreign country
Lonely is he and in the dark
He feels sad and is in the darkness
He wipes away a tear
He's crying and trying to hide it
As he thinks to himself
He's reflecting on his own thoughts
He's got a girl
He has a girlfriend
Far on a distant shore
She is living in a faraway place
And he wonders
He's thinking and questioning
If she loves him anymore
He's unsure if she still loves him
Cold, so cold is the wind
The wind is freezing and frigid
And then a voice says
Someone speaks to him
Don't worry bout it, baby
Don't fret, my dear
I'll be right here
I'll stay close to you
(But he keeps on saying, baby)
(Continuously repeating)
Don't worry bout it baby
Stop worrying, my dear
(Don't let me lose your love)
(Don't allow me to lose your affection)
I'll be right here (oh, oh, baby)
I'll be here for you (oh, oh, my dear)
Don't worry bout it, baby
Don't stress, my dear
(Don't let me lose your loving)
(Don't let me lose your love)
I'll be right here
I'll remain by your side
Contributed by Alexis H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@2talljones863
this song helped me thru the war....much love and respect to the dells...
@ozone8902
This song, when it came out got very little air time and that's a damn shame. even now, when DJ's spin music from back in the day, it still doesn't get any.Much love and respect for those who are serving and who have served. And, much love to The Dells for honoring them with a song!
@silver225c
Agree!!
@ellenpearljackson5219
the Dells made the song for the young men in Vietnam a war that nobody understood why we were there but 60,000 young men gave their lives for us to have freedom throughout the whole world and I thank them and I thank their families and maybe all know that we love we love these young men and these young women and we thank God for the United States of America and what we try to be to the rest of the world thank you God thank you for their sacrifice rest in peace and be with your God
@FVever
POIGNANT!!!
@maceymc.7612
Very well said Ms Jackson, and now we have Trump......Lord help us!
@ellenpearljackson5219
service and we are so proud to be called Americans because of you because what you have done throughout the whole world all these years God bless America and God bless the world
@wahkontah1948
To all that did not come back, and the ones that came back. Bless you all.
@tomkormushoff5241
This song did not get the play it deserve back in the day. 🎶👍🏼
@brisnana1
RIP Chuck Barksdale!!! 5/15/2019. Thank you for being a great musical influence during my years. My heart aches for The Dells, so much music over so many years. #Proudfan