Chuck Barksdale obit

Charles “Chuck” Barksdale, bass singer for The Dells, dies at 84

 

He was not on the list.

Charles Barksdale, the bass singer for The Dells, a 1950s doo-wop group that was able to transition to smooth, stirring soul stylings that dominated later musical eras, died Wednesday morning, according to Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites.

Mr. Barksdale, who’d been in failing health, died early Wednesday in a south suburb, Thompson said. He was 84.

“All the 1970s bass singers learned a lot from Charles Barksdale,” Thompson said. “We learned how to sing under them.”

The Dells sang together for more than half a century. After the release of their 1956 song “Oh What a Night,” it went to No. 3 on the charts, “behind Elvis’ ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ at No. 2 and Fats Domino’s ‘Blueberry Hill’ on top,” according to The Dells’ website.

When they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, actor-director Robert Townsend, who’d grown up loving their music, said, “The Dells were my inspiration for the film ‘The Five Heartbeats.’ “

“We lost a giant today,” Townsend said Wednesday on Facebook, calling Mr. Barksdale “the velvet bass voice of The Dells.”

“The Dells were my technical advisers on ‘The Five Heartbeats.’ The real stuff in the film about the music industry came from them and Chuck shared with me so honestly, the good, the bad and the ugly of the music business,” Townsend said. “He will be missed but. . . .I will celebrate his memory by listening to nothing but their hits today!”

The five-member group formed as the El-Rays in 1952 when its members were students at Harvey’s Thornton Township High School. Their big hits included “Oh, What a Night,”  “The Love We Had Stays on My Mind,” “I Touched a Dream,” “Stay in My Corner,” and “Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation.” They also recorded “A House is a Heart for Love,” which was featured in Townsend’s 1991 film.

Sometimes known as The Mighty Dells, the members were also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, which called them “The Grandfathers of R&B Harmony.”

“They paved the road for such groups as the Temptations, the Miracles, the Stylistics, and more recently, Boyz II Men, Jagged Edge and 112,” according to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

For a brief time, Mr. Barksdale also sang with The Moonglows, a group that according to the History Makers. As their popularity grew, The Dells toured with Dinah Washington. “She taught them modern harmonies,” Thompson said.

The Dells performed at the Regal in Chicago, the Apollo in New York, the Royal in Baltimore and many other storied theaters that booked legendary African-American entertainers, Thompson said.

Arrangements are pending.