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)
Long Lonely Nights
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cry my eyes out over you
Wondering if I did right
And why you left me
With a broken heart
Oh, long, long and lonely nights
Oh, how I miss you, my dear
How I wish you were here
As I go along my lonely way
I visualize your face
When I pass through my doorway
What's left for me to face
Oh, long, long and lonely nights
I guess you're never coming home
Long, long and lonely nights
Ever since you've been gone
As I go along my lonely way
I visualize your face
When I pass through my doorway
What's left for me to face
Oh, long, long and lonely nights
I guess you're never coming home
Long, long and lonely nights
Ever since you've been gone
Please, please, come back to me
You've been gone too long
The Dells' song "Long Lonely Nights" is a ballad of heartache, loneliness, and longing for a lost love. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer expressing their feelings of solitude as they cry and wonder about their decisions regarding the lost love. The singer goes on to express how much they miss their love and wishes for them to return. The repetition of "long, long and lonely nights" emphasizes the duration of the singer's pain and the difficulty of their experience.
The second stanza takes us through the singer's daily life, and how they imagine their love's face when they pass through their doorway. The singer seems to be grappling with a tremendous sense of loss, which has made it difficult for them to move on. In the final stanza, the singer comes to the realization that their love likely isn't coming back, though they still hold out hope. Here, the repeated plea for their love to return takes on added significance as it is a desperate cry for closure and hope for a future with their former love.
One interesting fact about "Long Lonely Nights" is that it was a significant hit for The Dells. The song was released in 1956 and reached #14 on the Billboard R&B chart. Another fact is that the song was written by Charles Singleton and Hy Weiss, who were both successful songwriters in the 1950s and 60s. Additionally, the song has been covered by several prominent artists, including Lee Andrews & The Hearts in 1957 and Bobby Vinton in 1965. The song is also notable for its use in several films, including the 1973 film American Graffiti and the 1989 film Goodfellas.
Line by Line Meaning
Long, long and lonely nights
The singer is very lonely and spends long nights by himself.
I cry my eyes out over you
The singer is deeply upset about their relationship and cannot stop crying.
Wondering if I did right
The singer is questioning whether their behavior led to the end of the relationship.
And why you left me
The singer is unsure of the reason for their partner's departure.
With a broken heart
The singer is emotionally shattered from the breakup.
Oh, how I miss you, my dear
The singer deeply longs for their lost partner.
Please, please, come back to me
The singer is desperate for their partner to return.
How I wish you were here
The singer desires for their partner's presence and love.
I visualize your face
The singer imagines their partner's appearance in their mind.
When I pass through my doorway
The singer feels lonely and empty when entering their home.
What's left for me to face
The singer is wondering what else they will have to endure due to their heartbreak.
I guess you're never coming home
The singer has given up hope on their partner's return.
Ever since you've been gone
The singer has been alone since their partner's departure.
You've been gone too long
The singer feels that their partner's absence has lasted too long and really wants them to return.
Writer(s): LEE ANDREWS, BERNICE DAVIS, DOUGLAS HENDERSON, MIMI UNIMAN
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.