Debbie the Dellette Meets The Rat Pack - Vol. 2: Starlight Tonight at the Shady Dell

(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."

"Starlight Tonight" - The Inspirators

{June/July 1958, B side of "Oh What A Feeling (In My Heart)"}

From the summer of 1958, that was B-13 on the Dell Jukebox, "Starlight Tonight,"

a glorious old school sound on Old Town Records by The Inspirators, a group

also known as The Five Stars. The Inspirators were one of many doo-wop

groups to emerge from Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood

in the 1950s. High school friends since 1949, they performed in

 Brooklyn clubs and placed second in the Apollo Theater's

amateur competition. The group released three singles

but failed to make it as a recording act. The ballad

you just heard, "Starlight Tonight," features the kind

of sweet doo-wop harmony teenagers of the 50s and 60s

loved slow dancing to at The Shady Dell in York, Pennsylvania.

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'm a dancing Dell

teenager of the 50s and I'm back with my friends,

four Dell teenagers of the 60s, who'll play more

of the Shady Dell's greatest hits. This is not an

SPMM radio program. We will be taking turns

dropping our coins into the slot and playing

the Dell's jukebox. At this time, I'd like to

reintroduce my friends from The Rat Pack

who are ready to entertain themselves

and you with their favorite Dell

songs of the mid to late 60s.

THE RAT PACK

(LEFT to RIGHT)

JULIE

PETE

LINDA

DOUG

Looks like Rat Packer Julie's taken her position at

the jukebox and is selecting her first Dell song.

JULIE: Deb, I wish that you had

still been going to the Dell in the

mid 60s when The Temptations

came along. They were Shady Dell

heavy hitters, landing eleven songs

on Shady Del Knight's list of The 200

Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell. I just

pressed N-11 for one of the group's

great mid-tempo love ballads, a song

written by two of Motown's Miracles,

Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore.

From the spring of 1965, here now

are The Temps singing their top 3

R&B hit-- "It's Growing!"

"It's Growing" - The Temptations

(Apr./May 1965, highest chart pos.

#3 R&B, #18 Hot 100/#19 Cash Box) 

PETE: My turn, Julie. As you pointed out,

The Temptations placed 11 of their songs

on Shady's list of the Top 200 Dell Songs

of the mid 60. Well, these guys also have

11 songs on that exclusive list. They're

the Four Tops, another great Motown

group, and I just pushed G-17 to play

one of those soulful sides. This Tops

45 made the top 3 winner's circle on

the R&B chart and top 5 on the pop

survey. Here are The Four Tops

with Dell song #175, a giant

of the jukebox in the spring

of 1967-- "Bernadette!"

DELL SONG #175

"Bernadette" - Four Tops

(Apr. 1967, highest chart pos.

#3 R&B/#4 Hot 100/#8 Cash Box) 

LINDA: Scoot over, Petey. I'm gonna

play one of the most popular but

unlikely Shady Dell hits of the

mid 60s. It's an example of the

Dell's "killer bee" phenomenon -

a B side that equaled or surpassed

the popularity of the A side. In fact,

I don't remember the A side of this

45 ever being played at the Dell.

The biggie I'm talking about is J-8,

a song by Sam The Sham And The

Pharaohs, the Tex-Mex band best

known for their 1965 novelty hit

"Wooly Bully," the first American

record to sell a million copies during

the British Invasion.  The song I'm

playing is on the back of their top

30 charting follow-up "Ju Ju Hand."

Way up there at #12 on the list of 

200 Greatest Dell Songs, here's

"Big City Lights!"

DELL SONG #12

"Big City Lights" - Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs

(Aug./Sept. 1965, B side of "Ju Ju Hand")

DOUG: Hey guys, I'm sure we all

agree that The Motown Sound was

hot down here "in the barn."  We've

already played records by two great

Motown boy groups. Now I'd like to

hear a Dell hit by one of the record

label's top girl groups, Martha And

The Vandellas. These ladies placed

five of their songs on the Dell's

Top 200 list. At #48 this is their

highest ranked Dell song and

one of their biggest national

hits, a single that topped the

R&B chart in the early spring

of '67. I just punched L-16

and here's- "Jimmy Mack!"

DELL SONG #48

"Jimmy Mack" - Martha And The Vandellas

(March/April 1967, highest chart pos.

#1 R&B/#6 Cash Box/#10 Hot 100)

JULIE: Step aside, Doug, because I've

got another great Motown song in mind,

this one by Edwin Starr. You know, it's

funny to me that The Nashville born,

Detroit based soul man is best known

for his hit protest song "War." At the

Dell, his biggest and best remembered

record was "Agent Double-O-Soul," a

single released during the secret agent,

spy and detective craze of the mid 60s.

Three years later, this Edwin Starr 45

merely Bubbled Under nationally, but

it was hot in the Shady. I just pressed

O-9, and here's that cool sound from

Shady Dell the College Years - Edwin

Starr in the spring of 1968 boasting--

"I Am The Man For You Baby!" 

"I Am The Man For You Baby" - Edwin Starr

(May 1968, highest chart pos. #45 R&B/#112 Bubbling Under)

PETE: It's almost curfew. Time for

the last record of the night. As we

prepare to walk away from the

Dell dance hall, I'm playing

"Walk Away Renée" by the

New York based baroque

pop band The Left Banke.

This single reached the top 5

on Billboard and continued on

to #2 on Cash Box, held back

from the top of the chart by

The Monkees and their smash 

hit "Last Train To Clarksville."

This hauntingly beautiful sound

was a powerful memory maker

at the Dell during the Halloween

season in 1966. Coming in at #129

on the Greatest Hits of The Dell,

here's H-1 - The Left Banke -

and "Walk Away Renée!"

DELL SONG #129

"Walk Away Renee" - The Left Banke

(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100)

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

I hope you enjoyed our second

meet-up, a bash in the barn...

the Dell dance hall... down here

where all the cool kids hang out.

Stay tuned. We'll be back soon

to feed the jukebox and play

more Dell gold. Now for

The Rat Pack - Julie,

Pete, Linda and Doug,

this is Debbie the Dellette,

"Your Hostess with the

Mostest," Bye bye!

"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

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 A 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!