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)
Now I Pray
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think to come up to standard
A hole without just they were building at all
Sat on my heart his preaches I screamed for you
If you would just grant me I write on my bed
If you would just give me a prayer
You got me walkin' around in circle
When you leave the world on fire
You know that I'm a man
A man without you see prayed
Like my lovin' girl to keep
If I wait before my love
Let me find her in my arms
You got me walkin' around in circle
Don't even remember my name
When you leave the world on fire
You know that I'm a man
A man without you see prayed
Like my lovin' girl to keep
If I wait before my love
Let me find her in my arms.
The lyrics to The Dell's song "Now I Pray" convey a sense of desperation and longing for a lost love. The singer is lamenting the fact that they tried so hard to be a good partner, to come up to their standards, but ultimately failed. They feel like a hole was being dug in their heart and they were left with nothing. The singer is pleading with their partner to grant them their wish to be together again. They want to be able to pray for their love, but they cannot do so without their partner's presence.
The lines "You got me walkin' around in circle/Don't even remember my name" express how lost and confused the singer is without their partner. They are wandering aimlessly, unable to function properly without their love. The line "When you leave the world on fire/You know that I'm a man" suggests that the singer views their ability to handle chaos and crisis as a measure of their masculinity. However, they feel incomplete without their partner by their side. The singer prays that they can find their love again and keep them close.
Overall, "Now I Pray" is a heartfelt plea for a lost love to return. The singer is lost without their partner and feels incomplete without them. The lyrics express the singer's desperation to be reunited with their love and their willingness to pray for that to happen.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord knows I tried so hard to be a companion
I have put in considerable effort to be a good partner in this relationship.
I think to come up to standard
I aspire to meet your expectations and measure up to your standards.
A hole without just they were building at all
I am incomplete without you, and my attempts to fill that hole have been insufficient.
Sat on my heart his preaches I screamed for you
Your words of wisdom have weighed heavily on my heart, and I have cried out to you for support.
If you would just grant me I write on my bed
If only you could give me the strength to express my emotions and write down my thoughts.
If you would just give me a prayer
If you could only offer me a prayer, it would bring me comfort and solace.
You got me walkin' around in circle
I am lost and confused without you, wandering aimlessly in circles.
Don't even remember my name
Without you, my sense of self and identity has been lost.
When you leave the world on fire
In times of chaos and crisis, I look to you for guidance and stability.
You know that I'm a man
I am a strong and capable person, but I still need your love and support.
A man without you see prayed
Without your presence in my life, I turn to prayer for guidance and comfort.
Like my lovin' girl to keep
I want to hold onto the love and affection of my partner.
If I wait before my love
If I am patient and wait for my true love to come along.
Let me find her in my arms
I hope to one day find my true love and hold her close, feeling complete and whole once again.
Writer(s): Seltzer
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.