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)
I Can Sing A Rainbow/Love Is Blue
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Purple and orange and blue
I can sing a rainbow (I can sing a rainbow)
I can sing a rainbow too
Blue, blue, my world is blue
Blue is my world now I'm without you
Cold is my heart since you went away
Red, red, my eyes are red
Crying for you alone in my bed
Green, green, my jealous heart
I doubted you and now we're apart
When we met how the bright sun shone
Then love died, now the rainbow is gone
Black, black, the nights I've known
Longing for you so lost and alone
The first two lines of the song, "Red and yellow and pink and green, Purple and orange and blue," is a classic children's song that has been reinvented into the melody of "I Can Sing a Rainbow/Love Is Blue" by The Dells. The lyrics serve to draw up a vivid image of a rainbow, which is used as a symbol for happiness, love, and joy. The next lines of the song, "I can sing a rainbow (I can sing a rainbow), I can sing a rainbow too," are a response to the opening lines. The music is then heightened, and the vocals become more intense. The repetition of the words suggests that the singer is confident in their ability to sing a rainbow and bring joy to the listeners' lives.
The remainder of the song changes tack as the verses discuss a breakup and how the singer feels now they are not in a relationship. The color imagery used throughout the song is now used to convey a sense of sadness, loneliness, and despair. The lyrics "Blue, blue, my world is blue, Blue is my world now I'm without you," are a direct reflection of the singer's feelings. The blues are known to represent loneliness and depression, and these emotions are expertly conveyed through the lyrics. The song then goes on to explore other colors, including gray, green, and red, which are used to convey emotions such as jealousy and heartbreak. The entire song is a beautiful exploration of how nature can be used to express human feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Red and yellow and pink and green
The Dells is listing various colors commonly observed from a rainbow
Purple and orange and blue
The Dells adds other colors to the list of commonly observed colors from a rainbow
I can sing a rainbow (I can sing a rainbow)
The Dells can metaphorically sing a rainbow, meaning they can bring brightness and color to someone's life
I can sing a rainbow too
The Dells can also bring brightness and color to their own life
Blue, blue, my world is blue
The Dells are feeling sad and lonely, and is using the color blue to describe their emotions
Blue is my world now I'm without you
The Dells associates the color blue with their sadness over losing someone they cared about
Gray, gray, my life is gray
The Dells continues to describe their emotions using colors, and is now associating gray with their overall life
Cold is my heart since you went away
The Dells is conveying a sense of emptiness and loneliness since losing someone they cared about
Red, red, my eyes are red
The Dells is using the color red to describe their eyes, most likely due to crying
Crying for you alone in my bed
The Dells is expressing their sadness and how they've been struggling to cope since losing someone they cared about
Green, green, my jealous heart
The Dells is associating the color green with jealousy, most likely due to their partner betraying their trust
I doubted you and now we're apart
The Dells acknowledges that their doubts and jealousy could have contributed to them losing someone they cared about
When we met how the bright sun shone
The Dells is recalling a time in the past when they met someone who brought brightness and happiness to their life
Then love died, now the rainbow is gone
The Dells reveals that the person they met in the past is no longer in their life, and the happiness they brought is now gone
Black, black, the nights I've known
The Dells is using the color black to describe their nights, which could mean that they are feeling sad and alone
Longing for you so lost and alone
The Dells is expressing their longing for the person they lost, and how they feel lost and alone without them in their life
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., AUSTINTATIOUS TUNES
Written by: ANDRE CHARLES JEAN POPP, BRYAN ANDRE BLACKBURN, PIERRE COUR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
s w
I love this song. Marvin Junior's raspy voice on lead...soulful. Love the strings and the drums. Great song!
Toli Kram
Sung with passion, produced to perfection & remembered with affection.....
Apollo Solo
I've said it before and it's worthy of repeating. This is an often forgotten, unsung group even in R&B history. Pound for pound they could hang with any standup vocal group, Temptations and everyone else as well. It's about producing, writing and promotions, nevertheless. I'm thankful to have heard them all enough to make this assessment. Thanks for the posting.
george porteous
Who are?🤣
Sheena Levy
Apollo Solo I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m longing for this music to come back.
Jordan Rios
So good it’ll send chills down your spine
Gwendolyn Smith
They sung with charisma and passion!!!🥰💯❤
Beverly Ledbetter
I LOVE this song! They never played it on the radio, which drove me nuts. One of the best they ever did!
Robert Mcgill
This group has the perfect pitch of harmony and vocal range 💯💯👍🏾
Lillie White
I love this song. It takes me back to a time in my life as a child when I had my mom and dad, and so many others.