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)
One Less Bell To Answer
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One less egg to fry
One less woman to pick up after
I should be happy
But all I do is cry
(Cry, cry, no more laughter)
I should be happy
I only know that since he left
My life's so empty
Though I try to forget
It just can't be done
Each time the doorbell rings
I still run
I don't know how in the world
To stop thinking of her
I still love her
I spend each day the way I start out
Crying my heart out
(One less bell to answer)
I should be happy
(One less egg to fry)
One less woman to pick up after
No more laughter, no more love
Since she went away
(One less bell to answer)
(One less egg to fry)
One less man to pick up after
No more laughter, no more love
Since she went away
She went away
One Less Bell To Answer by The Dells is a song about heartbreak and the struggle to move on after a relationship has ended. The lyrics express a sense of confusion and sadness that comes with trying to adjust to life without the person you love. The line "one less bell to answer, one less egg to fry" speaks to the practical changes that come with being alone, but the singer finds no comfort in these small mercies. He is still consumed by thoughts of his lost love, unable to stop thinking about her despite his efforts.
The chorus of the song reveals the depth of the singer's pain. He should be happy, he tells himself, since he is no longer responsible for the things he used to do for his partner. However, he cannot find any joy in his newfound freedom, and instead, he is plagued by the memories of her. The line "crying my heart out" emphasizes just how difficult it is for him to move on, and how much he still loves her.
Line by Line Meaning
One less bell to answer
I am relieved that I no longer have to hear the sound of her voice, but it reminds me of her absence and makes me feel sad.
One less egg to fry
I am glad that I don't have to go through the hassle of cooking for her anymore, but it makes me miss her presence and feel lonely.
One less woman to pick up after
I feel happy that I am free of the responsibility of taking care of her, but it also makes me miss her and feel the emptiness of her absence.
I should be happy
I feel like I should be happy because she is gone and I am free, but it actually makes me feel more sad and lonely than I ever have before.
But all I do is cry
Despite my efforts to be happy, I find myself constantly crying and feeling sad because I miss her so much.
(Cry, cry, no more laughter)
I can't stop crying and there is no more laughter in my life now that she is gone.
Oh, why did he go
I keep asking myself why she had to leave and why she couldn't stay with me.
I only know that since he left
All I know is that ever since she left, my life has been empty and dull.
My life's so empty
Her absence has left a gaping hole in my life and I feel like there is nothing left for me.
Though I try to forget
I try my best to forget about her and move on, but I just can't seem to do it.
It just can't be done
No matter how hard I try, I can't forget about her and move on with my life.
Each time the doorbell rings
Every time I hear the doorbell ring, I think it might be her and my heart starts racing with the hope that she might have returned.
I still run
When the doorbell rings, I still run to answer it because I can't help but hope that it might be her.
I don't know how in the world
I am at a loss as to how I can forget about her and move on with my life.
To stop thinking of her
No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to stop thinking about her and the love that we shared.
I still love her
Despite everything that has happened, I still love her and miss her deeply.
I spend each day the way I start out
Every day is still painful and empty, just like it was in the beginning after she left.
Crying my heart out
I spend each day crying because I miss her so much and can't seem to get over her.
No more love
Now that she is gone, there is no more love in my life and I feel like there never will be again.
Since she went away
Ever since she left, my life has been empty and nothing feels the same anymore.
One less man to pick up after
I am glad that she no longer has to take care of me and that I am free, but it also makes me miss her and feel the emptiness of her absence.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind