The Dell-Vikings, "Whispering Bells" c/w "Don't Be a Fool," Dot 45-15592 (rel. 5/27/1957)

 

The Del-Vikings (or Dell, in this case) were one of the first multicultural pop music stars. This was courageous in 1956, when the group broke through with "Come Go With Me." Their story is one shuddering mess, and too gnarled for me to recap here. I direct you to Marv Goldberg's dense account of this important group whose breakthrough is often forgotten in music history.*
        The group was also where 1960s soul star Chuck Jackson first recorded. He and main vocalist Kripp Johnson made a duet single for Dot Records which I ought to play here sometime soon.

          The Del(l)-Vikings had three pop hits; today's single was their second. Prepare yourself for a shock: "Whispering Bells" was a Top Ten hit in the summer of 1957. I think this balances out the incredible obscurities I share here on a regular basis. Like most of the group's work, it's easy to take for granted, but if you sit down and listen, you hear a lot of passion, raw talent and expression from a sincere and integrated quintet whose love of music was their shared guide.
        "Whispering Bells:" the title suggests a plodding ballad. Nope. Peppy sax, twangy guitar and a boppin' beat reassures us, within seconds, that there's nothing but bright joyous music a-comin'. Kripp Johnson is the front man on both sides, and his fellow vocalists give him warm, busy support in best doo-wop style.
        That guitar! Joe Lopes, the sixth Del-Viking, represented the Latino culture and his deft six-string action is the unsung hero of this ebullient side. Without the jangle and charm of that instrument, this might be yet another solid up-tempo vocal group side. Lopes puts this in another galaxy of goodness; thank you, Joe!

Cash Box, as said before, was most sympathetic to rock 'n' roll in 1957.

"Peppery wax" is a new one, even for this magazine!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p3kmh1cl1ddrn1l8whu0v/2097a.mp3?rlkey=lhm4mewalkgefux3uyapulrc7&st=6ld7sp11&dl=0

"Don't Be a Fool" is a mid-tempo piece of romantic advice with clarinet as lead instrument. Once a popular item in pop music, the poor clarinet has vanished from all but classical and jazz music. Whomever plays this licorice stick gets mucho feeling from it; at times, only its reedy tone distinguishes it from a sax.
        Like much of the group's material, both sides of this single were penned by bass singer Clarence Quick. Their material is excellent in all the group's incarnations. Were they more centralized, their records might be better-remembered today. As a chairman of The Del(l)-Vikings Preservation Society, I do what I can to keep them in the public eye.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lmb74fsrdgzax4b03nwik/2097b.mp3?rlkey=6dih51916rrir0cpujv2ecfcz&st=yfopde5l&dl=0

*: here is Marv Goldberg's definitive account of the group. It's a deep dive.

Tomorrow: Hawaiian rocker Ronnie Diamond with a pair of teen-centric boppers from 1959. Another great voice that never broke into the big-time!