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 Miss You
The Dells Lyrics
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Sunlight shinin' in my eyes
Woke up this mornin'
And I cried, Lord I cried all night
Pillow's drippin', soakin' wet
From dreams of you, baby
And tryin' hard to forget
And I miss you, baby
With all my heart and soul
I, I, I miss you, baby and I need you too
Day in and day out
I do nothin' but miss her in my life
Tryin' to find a replacement
For the love you could only provide
What am I gonna do, who's gonna love me?
If you don't love me like you say you'll do
Baby, why couldn't you be true?
Cause I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
You're breakin' my heart
You're tearin' it apart
What am I gonna do?
I need your lovin' and your kisses too
I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
I, I miss you, baby, girl, what am I gonna do?
I ain't got you, you know I miss you, baby
I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
You can see it all in my walk
You can tell by the way I talk
I miss you, baby, no sense denyin'
I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
I'll tell the whole wide world
I can't live without you, I miss you, baby
No matter who you're with tonight
If you come back, I'll treat you right
I said I miss you, baby
I miss you, baby, longin' for you
The Dells's song "I Miss You" is an emotional ballad about a man who is deeply missing his lover. The first verse sets the scene of him waking up with tears in his eyes, drenched in sweat from dreams of his lover. He tries to forget his love, but he is "hooked" on her and cannot help but miss her with all his heart and soul. The chorus repeats this sentiment, that he is missing his lover and needs her back in his life.
The second verse continues this theme, with the man stating that he does nothing but miss his lover day in and day out. He cannot find a replacement for the love she provided and wonders who will love him if she doesn't. The bridge of the song expresses the pain he feels from being without his lover, saying that she is breaking his heart and tearing it apart.
The final verses express just how much he misses his lover, with the repetition of the phrase "I miss you, baby" and detailing how his entire demeanor reflects his feelings. He would do anything to have her back, and even promises to treat her right if she does return to him. Overall, "I Miss You" is a heartfelt and emotional song about the pain of longing for someone who is no longer in your life.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this mornin'
I woke up this morning
Sunlight shinin' in my eyes
The sun was shining in my eyes when I woke up
Woke up this mornin'
I woke up this morning
And I cried, Lord I cried all night
I cried all night long
Pillow's drippin', soakin' wet
My pillow is wet from my tears
From dreams of you, baby
I dreamed about you
And tryin' hard to forget
I'm trying hard to forget about you
But what's the use, I'm hooked on you
I can't help it, I'm still in love with you
And I miss you, baby
I miss you a lot
With all my heart and soul
I miss you with all my being
I, I, I miss you, baby and I need you too
I miss you so much and I need you
Day in and day out
Every day
I do nothin' but miss her in my life
All I do is miss you
Tryin' to find a replacement
I'm trying to find someone to replace you
For the love you could only provide
But no one can love me like you did
What am I gonna do, who's gonna love me?
What am I going to do? Who else will love me?
If you don't love me like you say you'll do
If you won't love me like you promised
Baby, why couldn't you be true?
Why couldn't you be faithful?
Cause I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
Because I miss you a lot
You're breakin' my heart
You're hurting me deeply
You're tearin' it apart
You're tearing my heart into pieces
What am I gonna do?
What can I do?
I need your lovin' and your kisses too
I need your love and affection
I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
I really miss you
I, I miss you, baby, girl, what am I gonna do?
I really miss you, what can I do?
I ain't got you, you know I miss you, baby
I don't have you, and I miss you a lot
I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
I miss you a lot
You can see it all in my walk
You can tell how I feel when I walk
You can tell by the way I talk
You can tell how I feel by how I talk
I miss you, baby, no sense denyin'
I miss you a lot, there's no denying it
I miss you, baby, I miss you, baby
I miss you a lot
I'll tell the whole wide world
I'll tell everyone
I can't live without you, I miss you, baby
I can't live without you, I miss you a lot
No matter who you're with tonight
No matter who you're with
If you come back, I'll treat you right
If you come back, I'll treat you well
I said I miss you, baby
I already said I miss you a lot
I miss you, baby, longin' for you
I miss you a lot, I long for you
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTHONY HESTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind