INSPIRED BY THE SHADY DELL, YORK, PA, AND DEDICATED TO ITS OWNERS JOHN & HELEN ETTLINE
AND TO MARGARET ELIZABETH BROWN SCHNEIDER, NICKNAMED "THE OLDEST LIVING DELL RAT"


Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Debbie the Dellette Meets The Rat Pack -
Vol. 1: Lookin' For My Baby in the Basement!


(below) "Hey, get up and ask Helen
to make me a cherry coke to go."





"It's time for us to
split the snack bar
and meet up with
Debbie the Dellette
and the Rat Pack
down in the dance hall."





"Little Did I Know" - The Ducanes
{June/July 1961, B side of "I'm So Happy (Tra La La)"} 

Kicking off our jukebox hit parade with the super sound of early 60s doo-wop,
the summer of 1961 to be exact, that was "Little Did I Know" by the one hit
wonder group The Ducanes from Bergenfield, New Jersey. Released on
the B side of "I'm So Happy (Tra La La)," a single that Bubbled Under
the Hot 100 and peaked at #109, the dreamy, romantic vocal group
ballad "Little Did I Know" is exactly the kind of record that the
gang loved to play down in "the Barn" at the Shady Dell in
the late 50s and early 60s when I was a regular face
in the crowd (and queen of the dance floor). 



Hi! I'm Debbie
the Dellette!

As you know, I'm "The Hostess with the
Mostest" and president of the Old York -
Shady Dell chapter of the Top Hit
Club of America. I am here today
to introduce a few friends of mine.
Together we will play more of the
Shady Dell's greatest hits. This isn't
a radio show. We will be taking turns
dropping our coins into the slot and
playing the Dell's jukebox. Now,
I'd like you to meet four of my
pals from The Rat Pack aka
The Rodentia Intelligentsia.



THE RAT PACK

(LEFT to RIGHT)

JULIE

PETE

LINDA

DOUG



Whenever we get together, The Rat Pack will play their Dell faves,
records popular at the Dell in the mid to late 60s. I'll play a song
or two from the years I went to the Dell in the late 50s and
early 60s, like that Ducanes number you just heard.
Rat Packer Julie has taken her position at the
jukebox and is picking her first Dell song.

JULIE: Deb, I wish that you had still
been going to the Dell in the mid 60s
when The Emperors ruled. The funky
R&B band from Harrisburg featured
the late, great Edgar Moore on lead
vocals. In 1966 The Emperors had
a minor hit with "Karate" which was
covered in 1971 by Carlos Santana,
released as "Everybody's Everything,"
and became a top 10 hit on Cash Box.
The Emperors released four singles in
all, but none of the others charted.
It was a different story here at the
Dell where six of their sides were
played often and ranked high on
Shady Del Knight's list of the
200 Greatest Hits of the Dell.
I just pressed H-7 to play the
song I wanna hear. It's #65 on
Shady's survey. The Emperors--
"Lookin' For My Baby!"

DELL SONG #65


"Lookin' For My Baby" - The Emperors
(May/June 1967)




PETE: My turn, Julie. Blue-eyed soul
and white R&B were also very popular
genres at the Dell in the 60s. One of
my favorite songs in that category was
waxed by R&B rocker Mitch Ryder and
his band The Detroit Wheels. They do a
cover of "Little Latin Lupe Lu," a song
written by Bill Medley and first recorded
by The Righteous Brothers, a minor hit
for the duo in 1963. I just pushed G-9
to play the exciting 1966 update by
Mitch and the Wheels. It's the most
successful version of the song and
is ranked #132 on Shady's list of
The Greatest Hits of the Dell!

DELL SONG #132


"Little Latin Lupe Lu" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels
 (Mar./Apr. 1966, highest chart pos. #16 Cash Box/#17 Hot 100)




LINDA: Sunshine pop was also hot
in the Shady during the 60s, and this
cool genre group, The Buckinghams,
infused their recordings with blue-
eyed soul. The Chicago horn band
is on record as one of the top selling
acts of 1967, and I'm selecting P-5
and playing one of their hits from
that year. It's the Bucks' cover of
a jazz song recorded the previous
year by jazz sax great Cannonball
Adderley. I can hear the needle
dropping on the vinyl. Here are
The Buckinghams with the song
ranked #125 on Shady's 200--
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!"

DELL SONG #125


"Mercy Mercy Mercy" - The Buckinghams
(July/Aug. 1967, highest chart pos. #5 Hot 100 & Cash Box)




DOUG: Hey guys, don't forget about me.
I'd like to play a record, too. At the Dell
in the mid 60s, The Motown Sound was
huge, and these guys, the Four Tops,
were heavy hitters down here in
"the barn," with no fewer than 11
of their songs making Shady's
Top 200 list. I'm pressing R-17
because I can't wait to get out
on the floor and dance to the
highest ranked Tops song
on Shady's list. Landing
at position #60, here is--
"Shake Me, Wake Me
(When It's Over)!"

DELL SONG #60


"Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" - Four Tops
(Mar./Apr. '66, highest cht. pos. #5 R&B/#15 Cash Box/#18 Hot 100)


JULIE: Step aside, Dougy, because I've
got another great song in mind, one that
represents another major music category
at the Shady Dell - The British Invasion.
"A Groovy Kind Of Love" was penned
by American songwriters Toni Wine and
Carole Bayer Sager. The song was given
to The Mindbenders, the English group
that originally backed Wayne Fontana.
When Fontana left the act, guitarist
Eric Stewart took over on lead vocals.
The Mindbenders' version of "Groovy
Kind Of Love" reached #2 on both
sides of the pond, denied the top spot
on the U.S. Hot 100 by Percy Sledge's
hit "When Man Loves a Woman."
"Groovy" did manage to reach #1
on Cash Box. I just punched in J-13
to play one of the most popular slow
dance records of the mid 60s at the
Dell. At #57 on the Shady survey,
"A Groovy Kind Of Love!"

DELL SONG #57


"A Groovy Kind Of Love" - The Mindbenders
(May/June 1966, highest chart pos. #1 Cash Box/#2 Hot 100)








PETE: Earlier, Doug played an exciting
dance number by the Motown boy group
the Four Tops. Now here's a mellow soul
sound from a great Motown girl group,
Martha And The Vandellas. I'm hitting
K-1 to play their top 3 charting R&B
single "My Baby Loves Me," the song
ranked #146 on Shady's list of the
200 Greatest Hits of the Dell!

DELL SONG #146


"My Baby Loves Me" - Martha And The Vandellas
(Feb./Mar. 1966, highest chart pos.
#3 R&B/#22 Hot 100/#23 Cash Box)






CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

I hope you enjoyed our first meet-up,
a bash in the barn... the Shady Dell
dance hall... down here where all the
cool kids hang out and party hearty.
Stay tuned because we'll be back
soon to feed the jukebox and
spin more Dell gold. Now for
The Rat Pack - Julie, Pete,
Linda and Doug - I'm Debbie
the Dellette, "Your Hostess
with the Mostest,"
saying so long!


"In The Basement - Pt. 1" - Etta James And Sugar Pie DeSanto
(Aug./Sept. 1966, highest chart pos. #37 R&B)

Debbie the Dellette 5 years later

MERRY
CHRISTMAS!

20 comments:

  1. Wait! Stop the music! Me #1 today? All right! I like the picks from the Dellettes and I even knew a few. Thankfully I'm home alone so I could sing along with the Mindbenders! Of course the Buckinghams are a home town favorite. I can see why some of the songs would make a hit at the Dell..slow dance with your honey or guy but I'm not sure how you'd dance to "Lookin for my baby"..that would require some fast moves! Thanks Debbie for a good morning wake up. Hi Shady! I hope this first day of Winter finds you comfy and warm down south and I also hope all is well with your family and you can celebrate the holidays together. Merry almost Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, YaYa!

      I'm thrilled to see you, dear friend! Thanks for being the Early Bird this week!

      Yessum, the blog world is slowing down a bit for the holidays, at least in terms of visits to Shady's Place. :) I'm not saying that Shady's Place is becoming a ghost town, but I've been noticing tumbleweed racing across my page. :) This means you can arrive four or five days after a given post is published and still have a good chance of being the Early Bird! :)

      I'm delighted to know that you sang along to The Mindbenders on their hit "A Groovy Kind Of Love." The romantic ballad was a genuine biggie at the Dell, a slow dance opportunity that all Dell rats welcomed. Yessum, I included another Chicago act for your listening pleasure, The Buckinghams.

      Good point about that Emperors side. They are the funky garage band from nearby Harrisburg that had a minor national hit with "Karate." This song, "Lookin' For My Baby," has pretty much the same speedy tempo, giving the rats a good workout on the floor. There was no touch dancing involved when that one played, only freestyle, and perhaps a karate chop or two for old time's sake.

      Well, yessum, I am comfy and warm indoors, but outside it has been dark and rainy all morning and there's noticeable nip in the air compared to the last week or so. I'm hoping it snows so that I can skip school tomorrow! :)

      Happy first day of winter 2021, dear friend YaYa, and thank you again for coming early and for your usual cheery comments. They are much appreciated! Enjoy your week and merry Christmas to you, Jack, Midge, your brothers, sons and grandkiddos!

      Delete
  2. Although I recognize the majority of these artists, I don't think I know most of the songs. (If I ever heard them before today, I don't remember them) The one exception is A Groovy Kind of Love by the Mindbenders. I LOVE that song and will gladly keep it as an ear worm for the remainder of the day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Kelly!

      Thanks for doing double duty, dear friend!

      Yessum, there are five substantial hits of the 60s represented in this volume of Debbie the Dellette Meets the Rat Pack. I'm surprised you only know one of them, the song by the UK band The Mindbenders. However, as I always say, it's "mission accomplished" as far as I'm concerned, because my goal is to introduce friends like you to great music they might have missed the first time around, music that was a very big part of my youth. I hope you enjoyed learning some new songs today.

      Thanks again for dropping in and have fun with that ear worm lodged in your noggin the rest of the day. Enjoy your week and have a safe and happy Christmas, dear friend Kelly!

      Delete
  3. While I didn't recognize some of the song selections today, I have heard "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" by the Four Tops. As well as A Groovy Kind Of Love, I recognized too. I'm sure my mom played those songs on the radio or record player at some point.

    I hope you have a nice Christmas as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Mary!

      Thanks for dropping in, dear friend! Debbie the Dellette welcomes you to the official launch of her new Shady's Place series in which she and original 1960s rat packers Julie, Pete, Linda and Doug meet in "the Barn" dance hall and play the hottest jukebox records.

      I can tell that you learned a decent number of 60s songs through your mother. I'm glad the single by The Tops and the one by The Mindbenders were familiar to you, and I hope you enjoyed the introduction to the other songs.

      Thanks again for being here, dear friend Mary. Enjoy the rest of your week. I wish you, your daughter and my buddy Falcor a wonderful (and quiet) Christmas!

      Delete
  4. Hey there friend - I love Groovy Kind of Love. I used to sing it to my son when he was a baby. Phil Collins released a version in 1988, the year he was born. Interestingly, he has a love of Phil Collins music now.

    Of course when I saw your post title I was expecting songs from Dean Martin, et. al.

    Once again, hope you and your family have a marvelous holiday. I'm rescuing my 98-year-old mother from my sister's house for a few days and am looking forward to that. Better go take the turkey out of the freezer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Janet!

      Thanks for coming by for my last post before Christmas, dear friend! Debbie the Dellette and the Rodentia Intelligentsia welcome you to a sampling of the songs that were hot in the Shady in the 50s and 60s.

      You are the third person to remember and like "A Groovy Kind Of Love." I'm sure you remember how popular the word "groovy" was at the time. Thanks for sharing that you sang this song to your son when he was a baby and how he developed into a fan of Phil Collins.

      My goodness, I didn't know your mother is age 98. That's a wonderful, long life, and you are blessed to have her with you again this holiday season. I hope she has a splendid time visiting you. If you take the turkey out to thaw, be careful that my buddy Benny doesn't jump up on the counter and gobble it all up before Christmas. :)

      Thanks again for joining the fun and once again have a safe and happy holiday, dear friend Janet. See you back here for my annual exclusive New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady!

      Delete
  5. Tom,

    The 60s cranked out some Jim Dandy tunes. Most of these are introductions. The only ones I knew in this set are The Buckinghams "Mercy Me" and The Mindbenders "A Groovy Kind of Love" both of which released mid to the later part of the decade making me old enough to remember these and what really helped is that they charted. I always enjoyed The Four Tops and it's possible "Shake Me, Wake Me" sounds remotely familiar but I can't say for sure. I like the song, regardless if it's the first time ever or the first time in a long time to hear. The Dellettes did a fab job with their picks today. May you and yours have a blessed Christmas, dear friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Cathy!

      I'm delighted to see you, dear friend! Thanks for stopping in to check out the stack of Dell wax played by Debbie the Dellette and the Rat Pack.

      Good for you for recognizing the brassy blue-eyed soul hit by The Buckinghams - "Mercy X3," along with the song everybody else says they remember - "A Groovy Kind Of Love."

      I was just thinking (realizing) earlier today that the Four Tops were more popular at the Shady Dell than the mighty Motown boy group The Temptations in terms of the number of songs that made my list of the Dell's Top 200. As Dell Rat Doug pointed out in his intro, the Tops placed 11 of their sides on that list. I'm pretty sure that's more than any other artist. Likewise, the Motown girl group Martha And The Vandellas were more popular at the Dell than The Supremes for the same reason. More of their songs showed up on my survey. I'm glad you enjoyed "Shake Me, Wake Me," the highest ranked Tops tune on Shady's survey.

      Thanks again for joining the Dell fun, dear friend Cathy. I wish you and yours the merriest Christmas ever!

      Delete
    2. Dear Tom,

      This has been a busy week for me, my friend. I'm sorry for not visiting more than I did but I definitely wanted to swing by today to wish you and Mrs. Shady a very Merry Christmas. May God's goodness follow you both throughout the coming new year!

      Delete
    3. Lovely sentiments, dear Cathy! Thank you very much, my friend.

      We had a very nice day and a good feast. I hope you and DH did as well. Blessings to LA and all of you as we prepare to start a new year, one that will surely pass by as quickly as this one did.

      Thanks again for dropping in on Christmas, dear friend Cathy!

      Delete
  6. I only recognize "A Groovy Kind of Love" but know most of the artists for other songs they've done. Of the tunes I'm hearing for the very first time (unless I've heard them before but forgotten them) the final selection by Etta and Sugar Pie is my favorite. Runner-ups include Martha and the Vandellas, The Four Tops, and the Ducanes.

    5 years later? Debbie the Dillette looks like she turned into Marilyn Monroe!

    Finally, in case you didn't notice it, I left a comment on a post with Rat Pack in its title without cracking a single Frank, Dean, and Sammy joke. Consider it my Christmas present to you.

    Happy Holidays, Shady.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Kirk!

      It's great to see you, good buddy! Thanks for coming down to find out what Debbie and the Rat Pack are doing "In The Basement" as well as in "the Barn."

      Songs #2 through #7 were all a big part of my Shady Dell experience, major hits on the jukebox, making it hard for me to comprehend that so many people don't know them. These would include people who didn't go to the Dell, people who lived in a different part of the country in the 60s, people who are considerably older than Shady, and people who are considerably younger than Shady. Hosting this blog, I often feel like the guy in the 2019 film Yesterday (highly recommended) who awakes one day (yes, I'm WOKE!) to discover that he is the only person in the world who ever heard of The Beatles. Truth be told, Kirk, I started my blogging career in 2008 operating a Shady Dell themed site expecting to have the active participation of dozens if not hundreds of original Dell rats who know these songs like the backs of their hands and can easily relate to the material I was presenting week by week. That level of support from the York community never materialized, never even came close. To your credit, you always make a big effort, even though you are not familiar with the content, and I thank you for that.

      I'm glad you like Etta and Sugar Pie singing "In The Basement." I got that song decades ago on a various artists Northern Soul compilation. I like it so much, and it reminds me so much of the Dellions gathering down in "the Barn" at the Dell, that I have decided to make it the showender for every volume of Debbie meets the Rat Pack, even though it was NOT actually a "Dell song." I don't remember ever hearing it played at the Dell. Likewise, The Ducanes' "Little Did I Know" might not have been a Dell song. I don't know for sure because I wasn't going to the Dell in 1961, but The Ducanes were a New Jersey doo-wop group that had the right sound for the Dell, and I think Dellions would have slow danced to their record if indeed it was offered on the jukebox.

      "Debbie the Dillette" was York's "Pickle Queen." She is not to be confused with Debbie the Dellette. :) I think I saw Debbie the Dellette on an episode of Mad Men shacking up with a cheating Don Draper.

      No, good buddy. Peter Lawford was not one of the Rodentia Intelligentsia.

      Thanks again for coming and for your excellent comment, good buddy Kirk. Happy holidays to you as well, my friend!

      Delete
  7. Hi Shady and Debbie,

    Merry Christmas to you both! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

    I'm only familiar with three songs on this post: the 4 Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, and Etta James. They're some of my favourite artists. I'm not familiar with the other songs, but I enjoyed grooving all the same. Tomorrow I should have some down time before family comes over, I'll stop by again and have a Christmas Eve dance. I'm going to Tom's on Christmas and maybe I can play this at his house on Christmas Day.

    Have a great Thankful Thursday, dear friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Jessica Marie!

      Welcome back, dear friend! Thanks for checking out the stax-o-wax played by Debbie the Dellette and the Rat Pack on the dance hall jukebox at the Shady Dell.

      Hey, if you are familiar with three of the songs in this post, that's pretty good, especially given your age. Etta James is one boomer era singer that gets covered often by younger artists on YouTube. I'm glad you like her duet ditty with Sugar Pie. I do too, and plan to use it as the showender for every post of this series.

      Yessum, replay these Dell classics tamale as you await Tommy, and show the post to him. Maybe he knows some of these tunes as well.

      Thanks again for stopping by and happy Thankful Thursday to you, dear friend JM!

      Delete
    2. Hi Shady,

      Well plans changed and I didn't go over as planned. Ah, well. Maybe once the holidays are over and we meet again, I'll show him this blog post and we can have fun listening to these classics.

      When I was a teenager, I used to LOVE listening to Boomer favourites and even Greatest Generation hits. That's how I heard about Etta James. She's one of my favourites, same with Ella Fitzgerald. Maybe in the new year I may have a few music segments.

      I hope that you and Mrs. Shady had a wonderful Christmas! I can't believe a new year will be upon us soon.

      Delete
    3. Hi, Jessica Marie!

      Sorry for the long delay replying, dear friend. We had a house filled with guests again today and another big feast. Just now getting freed up.

      You actually have me beat if you listened to a lot of WWII era music. I admit that I never gave it much of a chance, even though my folks swore by it. It's nice to know you got acquainted with boomer songs at an early age, primarily thru your dad and Nan I'm guessing.

      Yessum, we had a nice Christmas but, after two days of hosting parties, I'm tired. The clean-up is the worst part of it.

      Stay tuned for New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady. My live blogcast begins first thing tamale. Hope you can make it over.

      Have a safe and happy week, dear friend JM!

      Delete
  8. I was not one for that last song which was a bit too repetitive. I enjoyed listening to all the others and could boogie down even though it is Christmas. I love the Groovy song and, it is spelled like I know it. In my post, today, you will see for "34th St." they spelled groovy with an ey at the end. Anyway, I enjoyed the listen and danced. Merry Christmas!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Birgit!

      Welcome back to your home away from home - Shady's Place Music & Memories - dear friend! I've been missing you something terrible.

      I'm sorry you don't fancy the Northern Soul ditty by Etta & Sugar Pie. However, I'm happy to know that you enjoyed the other offerings. Six of them are bonafide Dell hits ripped from the old jukebox. The first 45 by The Ducanes is a question mark because I hadn't yet started going to the Dell at age 11. The unofficial minimum age to get through the gate at the Dell was 15.

      Yessum, it was "groovy" to hear the word spoken in that trailer for 34th today. Thanks for getting back in the groove and visiting Shady's Place today, dear friend BB. I wish you, your hubby, your knowledgeable brother and all your other loved ones a wonderful Christmas!

      Delete

I wanna know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I wanna know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind