R.I.P.: Chuck Barksdale, Singer, Co-Founder of The Dells

Bass singer and co-founder of The Dells,  Chuck Barksdale, died on Wednesday after a lengthy illness.  He was 84, according to The Chicago Tribune.

While The Dells emerged during the 1950s doo-wop era, Barksdale disparaged that term and preferred describing his group as close harmony singers. Indeed, Barksdale’s team ignored limitations even within a single song. They sounded equally comfortable singing jazz, reworking popular tunes or recording intricately orchestrated soul.

Barksdale began singing as a child, imitating the bass voices in his grandfather’s Methodist church (later, Barksdale converted to Islam). Then, taking inspiration from pop vocal groups like The Mills Brothers, Barksdale joined with tenors Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches and Lucius McGill along with baritones Michael “Mickey” McGill (Lucius’ brother) and Marvin Junior to form their own ensemble. Originally named The El-Rays, they practiced, performed and struggled around the city and southern suburbs. Shortly after Lucius McGill left, a name change to The Dells and contract with Chicago’s Vee-Jay Records led to their first hit, “Oh What A Nite,” in 1956. (An updated version was released on Chess Records' Cadet label in 1969).



Still, this success did not mean financial rewards for the young men who sang it

“We worked the Apollo Theater in New York 23 times in two years,” Barksdale said. “They weren’t paying us any money. It was like free labor.”

Other tribulations could have brought about the group’s early demise. A serious car accident during a 1958 tour resulted in serious injuries and the members took time off from music to recover. Funches left in 1960, with John Carter replacing him. The resulting five-member lineup of The Dells reconvened and would continue recording and performing together for 50 years.

When The Dells got back on the road, their early 1960s experience touring and recording with jazz star Dinah Washington became advantageous. Along with the discipline that she instilled, Barksdale said that his group learned from her arrangers, including Quincy Jones.

The Dells’ expertise made them key to Chicago’s Chess Records’ move toward expansive R&B concepts during the late 1960s. Producer Bobby Miller and arranger Charles Stepney blended the group’s ecstatic voices with singular orchestrations on the 1968 album, “There Is.”


After Chess’ mid-1970s demise, The Dells soldiered through the disco era and its aftermath. They recorded commercial jingles but received a more substantial break in 1991 when director Robert Townsend adapted their experiences for his fictional film, “The Five Heartbeats.” They also sang the movie’s theme, “A Heart Is A House For Love.” Thirteen years later, The Dells entered the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

The Dells’ performing career ended in 2013.