Johnny Funches born 18 July 1935

Johnny Funches (Born 18 July 1935 - 23 January 1998) was the original lead singer of The Dells, an R&B vocal group from 1953 to 1961. 

The Dells were formed in 1953 in Harvey, Ilinois, where all the members attended Thornton Township High School. The original line-up featured lead baritone Marvin Junior, lead tenor Johnny Funches, tenors Verne Allison and Lucius McGill , second baritone Mickey McGill , and bass Chuck Barksdale. Initially called the El-Rays, the group recorded their first single, "Darling I Know," for Chess Records subsidiary Checker in 1954 ; it flopped. Lucius McGill departed not long after, and wasn't replaced, cutting the group down to a quintet. 

                             

Newly christened the Dells, they got another shot in 1955 when they signed to Vee Jay. Their third single for the label, "Oh What A Night" (co-written by Funches), peaked at # 4 on the R&B charts in late 1956. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Thus established, the group hit the road and appeared at New York's Apollo. Several Vee-Jay singles followed, including 'Movin On', 'Why Do You Have To Go', A Distant Lover', 'Pain In My Heart' and 'The Springer'. All considered quality singles, but there were no further hits for many years. 

Tragedy nearly struck in November 21, 1958, on their way to perform at Philadelphia's Uptown Theatre, their station wagon blew a rear tyre and overturned on the Ohio Turnpike. Unknown to them, the vehicle had been in an earlier accident and its axle was bent. Johnny Funches was at the wheel when the frame snapped and the car crashed into an embankment before rolling into a ditch. Chuck was thrown through the windshield. Junior lacerated his s larynx (slightly altering his voice thereafter), while Mickey was hospitalised for six months with a femur broken in three places, remaining in traction for 14 weeks. The group was out of action for the best part of two years. 

Verne Allison headed for New York to record for the label owned by DJ Tommy Smalls, better known as Dr. Jive, returning in December 1959 to take an orderly's job at Chicago's Cook County Hospital. Chuck Barksdale became a cab driver before joining Harvey Fuqua’s New Moonglows alongside Marvin Gaye, while Johnny Funches and Marvin Junior went to work in the steel mills until Mickey was back on his feet. 

Once he was well enough, Mickey McGill found a factory job, but soon began to hanker for his old showbiz career, so the five-piece got back together again and started taking occasional weekend work. They were appearing at Chicago’s Regal Theatre when they were introduced to jazz queen Dinah Washington who was starring at the nearby Roberts Show Lounge. Dinah was looking for a new backing group, and The Dells fit the bill perfectly, but Johnny Funches, now married with children, was unwilling to return to the road full-time, (under his wife’s mandate) so he left the group in 1961 to be replaced by Flamingos founding member Johnny Carter. 

The Dells turned out to be one of the most durable acts in vocal group history. They were one of the very few doo wop outfits to successfully update their sound, finding their strongest commercial niche in the late '60s and '70s as a polished smooth soul harmony group. While their chart fortunes have certainly fluctuated over the years, they remained a viable act right up into the '90s, by which time they had long since achieved legendary status in the R&B community. Between 1965 and 1984 they had 42 R&B chart entries (including a # 1 with a remake of "Oh What A Night" in 1969) and 24 hits on the pop charts, 1962-74. 

After leaving the Dells, Johnny Funches returned to work in a steel mill. He died in Illinois on 23 January 1998 of emphysema. 

(Edited from tims.blackcat.nl & Wikipedia & Jasmine Website notes. Thanks to Marv Goldberg for the photos)