THE DELLS / “Stay In My Corner”

The summer of 1968. I just got back, like I knew I would. Wasn’t home a week and went out to a party somewhere. No, not a party. To a joint, somewhere in the 8th ward. Winston was driving. Right away, I bumped into the girl from down the street who I used to date in high school. The first thing I’d ever won was a 45RPM single of “I’m So Proud” by Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions. I had given it to this young lady. That night at the party, we talked. I asked her, “You with somebody?” (Or something like that.) I don’t remember what she said, but the four of us (Winston and his date, and me and this young lady) left the bar together. It’s not what you think. On that particular night, all four of us ended up going home to our respective abodes, alone. What was memorable to me was the surprise of seeing her there. The pleasure we took in seeing each other for the first time in over three years, in reminiscing as we danced with each other. The double surprise of learning we each had been in the military during the intervening years. It was just a sweet moment of surprises. Nothing came of it. We never saw each other again until years later. Years. Both us married. “Hey, how you doing?” “Three kids, huh?” Like that. So it was just the moment and a song that is somehow mated to that moment in my mind. The song had just come out (in June of ’68—it’s funny how music and memory mix); that song was “Stay In My Corner” by the Dells. It quickly became the ultimate slow drag song—six minutes of bliss. Plus, every dude I knew swore he could hold that note as long as the record. That night. That song. I’ll never forget it. The Dells. the dells.jpg They had many other hits in their time, and their time was a long, long time. Their flame starting burning bright in 1956 with their hit version of “Oh, What A Night.” And then an early Sixties semi-hit with the first version of “Stay In My Corner.” At that time, their doo-wop roots were in full bloom, and that’s what they sounded like. The Chi-town smooth soul sound was popular in the late Sixties and the Seventies. They crooned. Had taken the church quartet format with double leads: a megaphone-voice baritone and a soaring, thrilling tenor. Fitted it out with hip threads and conks. Dips, flips, twirls and knee-bend dance routines. And, yes, unerring harmony. Thus, Saturday night claimed these Sunday-voiced men. It may be hard to believe, but the group has lasted virtually unchanged for over 50 years (only one member was replaced)—you read correctly: 50 years. The Dells are: Marvin Junior (lead baritone), Johnnie Carter (lead tenor), Charles Barksdale (basso), Michael McGill (baritone) and Verne Allison (second tenor). According to their bio, “They began their illustrious career while attending Thornton Township High School located in Harvey, Illinois in 1953 after being coached by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Harvey Fuqua and The Moonglows.” “In 1967 The Dells teamed up with writer/producer Bobby Miller, who co-wrote and produced most of The Dells greatest hits, and arranger Charles Stepney (co-producer Earth Wind & Fire).” This was their hey day. A bunch of gold records and three number one R&B hits. Now pay attention, because this is where it gets interesting—In 1969 they made a repeat hit out “Oh What A Night,” this time with the Chi-town soul sound rather than a straight doo-wop. By then their classic double-lead was instantly identifiable. In this period also came the re-recording of “Stay In My Corner”—the song for which they will always be known. Additionally, they also hit pay dirt with “Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation.” The Dells were riding high: seven gold singles, three gold albums, 25 Top 40 hits. Fast forward to 1991. Robert Townsend produces a hit movie, The Five Heartbeats, based mainly on the experiences of The Dells. The Dells perform one of the major songs from the movie soundtrack: “A Heart Is A House For Love” and are instantly catapulted into the stratosphere as their career takes off for the third time. The Dells have done what no other group I know of has done. They have covered their own hits. Not once, but twice. “Oh What A Night” is a textbook doo-wop turned R&B jam. You have ears, you can easily hear the progression. But it is “Stay In My Corner” that is the ultimate. Here are three versions, each one better than the preceding, including a held note on the third version that is unbelievable. Everybody has heard of The Temptations, but for me, The Dells’ “Stay In My Corner” is the song, and I bet my old flame from high school remembers this one too, wherever she be and with whomever she be there with. —Kalamu ya Salaam           It’s all cool          By the time I was in high school (that would be 1984 to 1988) the art of the slow jam was largely dead. At black house parties, it was all hip-hop all the time. Actually, that’s not true. I remember dancing to some house music (like JM Silk’s “Move Your Body” or 2 Puerto Ricans, A Black Man & A Dominican’s “Do It Properly”) and some off-the-wall club shit (like “The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight”) and even a little Latin freestyle (like Noel’s “Silent Morning” or Nocera’s “Summertime”). But mostly, it was hip-hop. We had our slow jam artists—Prince, Ready For The World, Teena Marie, etc.—but that was a one-on-one type thing. Or maybe a ‘driving home from the party’ thing. I don’t remember hearing too many slow records at parties. At the white parties I went to, it was mostly about getting drunk, getting high or having sex. It wasn't even what my black friends would recognize as a party. Just a bunch of hormonally imbalanced kids standing around in someone’s backyard or on their front lawn, getting as drunk as possible. Not much dancing, if any. No food. Just talking and making out and getting stoned. How we all got home safely every weekend, I’ll never know. (And I’m sure some of us didn’t.) So anyhow, it’s funny whenever Kalamu takes us down memory lane to a time when the baddest brothers were the ones who could sing and dance and dress clean and romance a lady and all that. When I was coming up, it was all attitude and noise and bass. Not much romance or sweet talking. Ice T used to call R&B songs ‘begging for pussy.’ As in, those were the kinds of records he would never make. That’s one of the unfortunate things about hip-hop: when it comes to love songs, there’s a huge gap in the canon. The songs exist, but they’re few and far in between. As for The Dells, I used to hear both songs on the radio all the time (though I’m having a hard time knowing for sure which versions I used to hear). I’m talking about back when radio was actually good and they played more than ten songs at a time. I’m not a big fan personally, but for me, groups like The Dells represent that sweet, old-time R&B that makes me feel like I’m a little kid again, trying to stay up late, fighting back sleep so I can see what the adults do after all the children have been put to bed. It’s all cool…. —Mtume ya Salaam

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 27th, 2005 at 12:55 am and is filed under Classic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


7 Responses to “THE DELLS / “Stay In My Corner””

Big E Says:
November 27th, 2005 at 10:45 pm

Another song that got a career resurgence is Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” which went to Number One in the mid to late 1980’s which was featured in a movie of the same title from director Rob Reiner “Meathead” from “All In the Family” fame.


Ms. Berry Says:
November 29th, 2005 at 1:15 am

yeah, this is my mama and dem’s music. Every Sunday this was blaring out after the gospels went off the air.


youngblood Says:
November 29th, 2005 at 12:53 pm

it was like this: when you was at one -a- dem ‘cold as hell outside/hot as hell inside” house parties, you had to stay inside the joint. no going outside to get some air. you had to scan the room and know who to dance with, who came to party. you had to dance some of them fast numbers just to keep it legit but most important of all – you had to be tight with dude who was playing the records. he would let you know when that six minute joint was up so that you could position yourself by the girl of your choice. you couldn’t be too obvious, you had to sorta mark time (timing is everything) like you was heading to the punch bowl or something and when the needle dropped you gently took the wrist of the girl of your desires(as if to say, “hey, wanna dance?” and hoped and prayed that she didn’t pull back too much. then you look for a spot in the middle of the dance floor or, preferrably a secluded corner. (good luck on that one) and the rest is up to you and, and…well, let’s just say it’s nice to be young, a’hem “gifted”, and Black. by the way, i stand accused by black moses, issac hayes – eleven minutes of blissfull brush burn. check you shirttail, kid.


michael Says:
December 12th, 2005 at 5:23 pm

I remember this well from1968 and occasionally since. But was it really six minutes 14 seconds long? How did they squeeze that on to one side of a 45? And did radio stations really play it all the way through? Maybe there was an edited-for-radio version

 

          naw, this was when radio was radio         

 

back in the late sixties/early seventies  they played the whole thing on the radio, six minutes and so many seconds. it wasn’t like it is now. hell, they played long isaac hayes cuts, you know like ten, twelve, fifteen-minute cuts. yeah, it was that long, and yeah they played the whole thing.

—Kalamu 


michael Says:
December 23rd, 2005 at 8:06 pm

Sorry for being a bit pedantic but I’ve just found a three minute version. So I think some AM stations were playing that (it fades before the amazing sustained note) and some stations played the full-length album track. No contest when it comes to slow dancing.
I was searching through 1968 before getting back to you. In a great year for music, there’s another beautiful song I had quite forgotten and highly recommend: Fool For You by The Impressions.


Gregory Townes Says:
December 29th, 2005 at 2:27 pm

The main thing I remember about this song is the radio started playing it again during the fall of 1981. That was the time my wife and I finally got together (I kept chasing her until she caught me). I have always wondered if that sustained note was real or looped somehow. I can’t imagine anyone with that much lung power!!!


sharon minter Says:
July 1st, 2006 at 11:12 pm

3mintues and 14 seconds long/pure history and undisputed love


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