Features Disc of the day
The Dells
I Touched A Dream
(Chi-Sound, 1980)
RIP Johnny Carter, member of not one but two of the finest ever vocal groups.
We have celebrated the great Dells before in Disc Of The Day, but the death of their co-lead Johnny Carter on August 21 spelled the end of the longest-running unchanged line-up of any vocal group. Carter was, moreover, one of that rare, rare breed having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame not once but twice, first in 2001 as a member of The Flamingos, and three years later as a Dell, which he became in 1961 as a replacement for their original tenor Johnny Funches. Thereafter, Carter remained with Marvin Junior, Chuck Barksdale, Verne Allison and Michael McGill until his death - a span of 48 years. With so many acts from that era existing on one or, indeed, no original members, that is some achievement. Clearly, their career spanned many changes in taste and style, but the power and unique blend of their voices sustained The Dells - the signature harmonies, honed in doo-wop days, the rip-roaring leads, burnished by gospel and distinguished by Marvin Junior's exceptional baritone, and gently persuasive or reflective ballads. This album found the group seeking a niche amid the clatter of disco and they did so by accentuating their supremacy as interpreters of ballads (So You Are Love, Look At Us Now, and producer Eugene Record's title track, which is almost as memorable as their classics Stay In My Corner and Oh What A Night). The album's uptempo highlight, meanwhile, is All About The Paper, which punches its weight against anything Gamble & Huff were up to over in Philly at the time.
Geoff Brown
Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 6:00 AM GMT 27/08/2009
Further Listening
The Flamingos – The Best Of… (Rhino)
Dinah Washington – Tears And Laughter (Mercury, 1961, The Dells sang back-up, virtually their first job with Carter. Not great Dinah, though!)
The Isley Brothers – Go All The Way (T-Neck, what was also happening in 1980)
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