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)
Oh What A Day
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything's going my way
What a day
Everything's going my way, yeah
What a day
(La la la...oh, what a day)
Everything's going my way
I got me a lovely girl
And she's okay, oh
(Oh, what a day)
What a day
Let me tell you
(La la la...oh, what a day)
It was out of sight
(La la la...oh, what a day)
It's gonna be a wonderful day
I had a wonderful night, oh, yeah
(Oh, what a day)
Ain't no use
Sitting around with the blues
You better enjoy yourself
And one thing else
Don't let life get the best of you
What a day, what a day
What a day, what a day
(Oh, what a day)
I wanna sing my song
(Oh, what a day)
If you wanna get in the groove
You gotta sing along
(Oh, what a day)
Oh, yeah, sing a song
(La la la la....)
One more time now
(La la la la....)
Say it again
(La la la la....)
(Oh, what a day)
(Oh, what a day)
(Oh, what a day)....
What a day
What a day, what a day
(Oh, what a day)
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Let me tell you it's outta sight
(Oh, what a day)
It's gonna be a wonderful day
I had a wonderful night
Oh, yeah (oh, what a day)
What a day....
The Dells's song "Oh What A Day" is a joyful, upbeat song about a good day. The singer begins by announcing that everything is going his way and repeats this sentiment throughout the song. He mentions having a lovely girlfriend, and how everything was just "out of sight" the night before. The chorus emphasizes the message of the song with the repetition of "What a day, what a day!".
The lyrics of the song urge listeners to enjoy life, despite any setbacks or blues, and to sing along with the singer. The cheerful melody, finger snaps, and backup vocals make for a song that you cannot resist singing and dancing along to. The singer suggests that we should not let life get the best of us and that we must learn to appreciate the good days when we have them.
The song is straightforward and optimistic in its message, intended to uplift listeners with its lively music and positivity.
Line by Line Meaning
What a day
Today is an amazing day
Everything's going my way
Everything seems to be working out for me today
(La la la...oh, what a day)
I am so happy today, I can't help singing
I got me a lovely girl
I have a beautiful girlfriend who is with me today
And she's okay, oh
She is feeling good just like I am
Let me tell you
Listen to what I have to say about my day
It was out of sight
It was unbelievable how good my day was
It's gonna be a wonderful day
I can tell that the rest of the day will continue to be amazing
Ain't no use
There is no point
Sitting around with the blues
Feeling sorry for myself won't help anything
You better enjoy yourself
It's important to have fun and be happy
And one thing else
One more thing to remember
Don't let life get the best of you
Don't let life's challenges bring you down
I wanna sing my song
I want to express myself
If you wanna get in the groove
If you want to feel good like I do
You gotta sing along
You have to join me in celebrating
(Oh, what a day)
Just like I've been saying, today is amazing
One more time now
Let's do it again
Say it again
Let's keep celebrating this great day
Lyrics © LAS-GO-ROUND PUBLISHING CO.
Written by: MICHAEL MCGILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Checkmate Checkmate
This is too cool - how they incorporated Oh what a Night in the harmony while keeping the entire song fresh and new.
D Schoenewald
That sweet piano!
themightydells
"Oh What A Day"
Written by: Michael McGill
Las Go Round Music / The Dells Publishing Company
Trudy Wesley
Oh my my