Marvin Junior | Dells singer, 77
Marvin Junior, 77, who brought a baritone grit to the Dells, an R&B group he cofounded 60 years ago, died May 29 at his home in Harvey, Ill.
Marvin Junior, 77, who brought a baritone grit to the Dells, an R&B group he cofounded 60 years ago, died May 29 at his home in Harvey, Ill.
Mr. Junior was born in Arkansas and moved with his family to the Chicago area as a boy.
He met Charles Barksdale, Michael McGill, Verne Allison, and Johnny Funches while they were attending high school in the early 1950s and the five would become the Dells. Funches was replaced by Johnny Carter in 1960.
The Dells scored eight top 40 hits, including "Stay in My Corner" (1968) and "Oh, What a Night" (1969). They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and served as the inspiration and consultants for Robert Townsend's 1991 movie, The Five Heartbeats.
The Dells performed what would be their final show in 2009.
"We were just five guys who happened to go to the same high school," Barksdale said in 1991. "Five total strangers who became friends and then something more." - Chicago Tribune