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The Dell Vikings were one of the first rhythm and blues groups to completely
grasp the style of rock and roll. In doing so, they incorporated and homogenized
both musical forms without diluting either.
The original group had served together in the US Air Force. In 1955, they
were stationed in at the Air Force installation at the Pittsburgh airport
in nearby Carapolis. Singing together in their spare time brought a desire
to hear for themselves what they sounded like.
In October 1956, the group consisted of Norman Wright, lead tenor, Corinthian
"Kripp" Johnson, first tenor, Don Jackson, second tenor, Clarence Quick, second
bass; and Dave Larchey, baritone. During a rehearsal they recorded nine a
capella songs in the basement of a local deejay and music entrepreneur, Barry
Kaye. Listening to the tape they all agreed the sound was close, the style
was coming around and all that was needed was a little more work.
Three months later the group was in a downtown Pittsburgh's Sheraton Hotel
in a makeshift studio set up by Fee-Bee records, a small local label owned
by Joe Auerbach. They were backed by a pickup band of Air Force buddies. At
the session they recorded "Baby, Let Me Know," "Come Go With Me," "True Love,"
"When I Come Home," "Don't Be a Fool," and "Watching the Moon." Their first
release, "True Love" b\w "Baby, Let Me Know"came in the fall of 1956. "True
Love" was a typical rhythm and blues ballad.
"True Love" began receiving local airplay in early December prompting Auerbach
to re-release it with a stronger B-side. During the second week of January
1957, the re-titled "How Can I Find True" was released with "Come Go With
Me" on the flip side. In almost no time deejays flipped the record and discovered
"Come Go With Me." The popularity of "Come Go With Me" began to spread from
Pittsburgh to Youngstown and then Cleveland.
With orders he couldn't fill Auerbach went looking for a distributor. Within
three weeks a deal was made with Dot Records that allowed Auerbach to release
small quantities on the Fee-Bee label locally with. the national sales for
the Dell-Vikings being on the Dot label. Dot released "Come Go With Me" in
the first week of February. Strong demand for the record saw it appear on
the national charts within a week.
In March, Fee-Bee had the group record about a dozen songs in a full sized
studio in Ohio. Fee-Bee released "Maggie" b\w "Down In Bermuda."
In Mid-April, Alan Freed invited the group to appear at his annual Easter-week
Revue at the Brooklyn Paramount. A week later a re-titled "What Made Maggie
Run" was issued as the group's second single on Dot. It attracted little airplay
and few sales.
Mercury records attempted to sign the group after it discovered that when
the group had signed their exclusive recording contract with Fee-Bee only
Kripp Johnson was over twenty one. This meant the younger members weren't
bound to either Fee-Bee or Dot. With a chance for more money they signed with
Mercury in May. In October Mercury and Dot settled their legal disputes with
Fee-Bee. Under the final agreement Fee-Bee retained management rights to the
group through December1, 1957, after which Mercury gained all legal rights
to the group's name.
Mercury didn't wait until December renaming the group the "Del Vikings." The
result was that the the Mercury's Del Vikings and Dot's "Dell-Vikings" had
singles released the same week in June. Mercury's "Cool Shake" sold moderately
well. "Whispering Bell" was their third release on Dot. Like "Come Go With
Me" it was wildly exciting.
Fee-Bee recorded "I'm Spinning" with Johnson backed by a studio vocal. That
came out in October on Dot with Kripp Johnson and the Dell-Vikings as the
artist. . Mercury sued and won exclusive rights to the name no matter how
it was spelled.
In July 1957, it was reported that El Dorado Records was set to release an
album of nine songs that was outside the Fee-Bee/Dot agreement. The basement
tapes had surfaced. It isn't known what became of the El Dorado album, but
the material was eventually overdubbed with instruments and released by Buchanan
and Goodman on their Luniverse label using profits from "The Flying Saucer."
Luniverse was sued by Dot and all the records were pulled off the market.
With records being issued by four labels by three groups of Dell-Vikings they
had three hit singles on the chart in August, 1957. No singer before Elvis
had done that and no artist would do that again until the Beatles in 1964.
However, there would be no more hits. The group appeared with Alan Freed's
week long Labor Day revue at the Brooklyn Paramount. Shortly, thereafter they
appeared in a cameo in the movie "The Big Beat," which was released in February,
1958.
The ensuing years saw a constant change of personnel, moving labels , recording
unsuccessful songs, and various groups calling themselves the Dell-Vikings.