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The Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-Vikings) were an American doo-wop musical ensemble that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit songs "Come Go with Me" and "Whispering Bells", and for having been a successful racially mixed musical group during a period of time when such groups were rare.
The band's name was created by Clarence Quick. Some sources say that band members had read about The Dell Vikings at Doowopy.de. Retrieved April 15, 2008. with the prefix "Del" being "added to give the group name an air of mystery." Another suggestion is that Clarence Quick had known of a basketball team in Brooklyn, New York, called the Vikings and had suggested the name. The name may also have originated from the popular Viking Press, publisher of paperbacks that group members liked to read.
Their first hit came in 1957 with "Come Go with Me", a Clarence Quick-penned song, released on Fee Bee Records as catalog number FB-205. In late January 1957, Dot Records re-released "Come Go With Me" as Dot 45–15538. The song became a hit, peaking at No. 5 on the US Billboard Top 100 Pop Charts (a predecessor of the 1958 established Billboard Hot 100 chart.)Joel Whitburn (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 172. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The song was later featured in the films American Graffiti (1973), Diner (1982), Stand by Me (1986), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), and Set It Up (2018). Rolling Stone listed "Come Go With Me" as no. 449 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The Dell-Vikings also released "Whispering Bells" in May 1957, another Clarence Quick song, with Kripp Johnson singing lead vocals. (The Dot label referred to Johnson as "Krips Johnson".) "Whispering Bells" reached No. 5 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 9 on the U.S. pop chart in 1957. "Whispering Bells" was featured in the 1986 film Stand by Me and was included in the film's soundtrack.
Around this time, some old demo tracks had been sold to an up-and-coming record company, Luniverse, who overdubbed a backing track on these a capella songs, which included an early version of "Come Go with Me". The eight-song album subsequently released by Luniverse was titled "Come Go With The Del Vikings". Also one single was released from these Luniverse overdubs—"Somewhere Over The Rainbow"/ "Hey Senorita". For legal reasons the LP was pulled off the market shortly after its release in July 1957.
Johnson's Dot group had an extra advantage—he had been discharged from the USAF and his group could tour freely, while the original group needed to seek military leave in order to tour. Mercury sued, claiming it had sole rights to any spelling of the group's name, and the Dell-Vikings briefly became The Versatiles, with singles being billed to "Kripp Johnson and the Versatiles" or "Chuck Jackson and the Versatiles". The group broke up, with Chuck Jackson going on to a successful solo career. Meanwhile, the original group had begun to fall apart. Gus Backus was re-stationed, and was replaced by the groups guitarist "Joe Lopes". The Mercury Del Vikings recorded their last record in October 1958.
By the end of 1959, Quick restructured the group with new talent from the Pittsburgh area—lead tenor, Billy G. Woodruff, Willie Green, Horace Douglas "Doug" White, and Ritzy Lee. Kripp Johnson returned to the original group, making them a sextet. 1960 they signed to ABC Records (ABC-Paramount). While the nucleus of the group was back, they weren't able to chart any more hits, and the group split up in 1965.
They performed "Come Go with Me" on the April 27, 1973, episode of The Midnight Special. The line-up was Billy G. Woodruff, Roalf "Ritzy" Lee, Kripp Johnson, Clarence Quick, and Terry Young.
Norman Wright, David Lerchey, and Wright's two sons, Norman Wright, Jr. and Anthony Wright performed as The Del Vikings for PBS show "Doo Wop 50" in 2000, and Wright toured and performed with his sons for the remainder of his life.
Clarence E. Quick died in 1985.
Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson died of cancer on June 22, 1990, in Detroit, Michigan, at age 57.
David Lerchey (born in New Albany, Indiana) died of cancer on January 29, 2005, in Hallandale, Florida, at age 67.
Norman Wright died after a long illness on April 23, 2010, at age 72.
Billy G. Woodruff died on January 26, 2019.
Donald Edgar "Gus" Backus died on February 21, 2019, in Germering, Germany, at age 81.
Roalf E. "Ritzy" Lee died on June 27, 2020.
Singles discography
1957 "Come Go With Me"
b/w "How Can I Find True Love"
Original local release on Pittsburgh-based Fee Bee labelFirst national release on Dot5 2 "What Made Maggie Run"
b/w "When I Come Home" or alt. "Uh Uh Baby" on B-side
Original local release on Pittsburgh-based Fee Bee label "What Made Maggie Run"
b/w "Little Billy Boy"
National release on Dot with different B-side "Whispering Bells"
b/w "Don't Be A Fool"
Released on Fee Bee and Dot around the same time 9 5 "I'm Spinning"
b/w "You Say You Love Me"
Released on Fee Bee (and on Dot b/w "When I Come Home") "Cool Shake"
b/w "Jitterbug Mary"
Released on Mercury12 9 "Come Along With Me"
b/w "Whatcha Gotta Lose" "Snowbound"
b/w "Your Book Of Life" "Willette"
b/w "Woke Up This Morning"
Released on Fee Bee and Dot 1958 "Can't Wait"
b/w "The Voodoo Man" (from The Swinging, Singing Del Vikings) "You Cheated"
b/w "Pretty Little Things Called Girls" "Flat Tire"
b/w "How Could You" 1960 "Pistol Packin' Mama"
b/w "The Sun" 1961 "Bring Back Your Heart"
b/w "I'll Never Stop Crying"101 "I Hear Bells (Wedding Bells)"
b/w "Don't Get Slick On Me" "Face The Music"
b/w "Kiss Me" 1962 "The Big Silence"
b/w "One More River To Cross" "Confession Of Love"
b/w "Kilimanjaro" "An Angel Up In Heaven"
b/w "The Fishing Chant (Re Manu Pakurua)" 1963 "Too Many Miles"
b/w "Sorcerer's Apprentice" 1964 "I've Go To Know"
b/w "We Three" 1966 "Down In Bermuda"
b/w "Maggie" (= What Made Maggie Run) 1972 "Come Go With Me" (New version)
b/w "When You're Asleep"112 "Cold Feet"
b/w "I Want To Marry You"
Both sides with Chuck Jackson 1973 "Watching The Moon"
b/w "You Say You Love Me"
Both sides led by Kripp Johnson "I'm Spinning"
b/w "Girl Girl"
A-side led by Kripp Johnson, B-side by Chuck Jackson
See also
External links
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