Roalf Edward “Ritzy” Lee obit

Roalf Edward “Ritzy” Lee Has Died

 

He was not on the list.

He was a member of the Del- Vikings. He was born September 26, 1937.

The Del-Vikings were formed in 1955 by members of the United States Air Force stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson, Don Jackson, Samuel Paterson, Bernard Robertson and guitarist Joe Lopes. Because all of the members were in the armed forces, the group constantly ran the risk of being disrupted by members being stationed in other places. This happened soon after the group's forming when Paterson and Robertson were sent to Germany. They were replaced by baritone David Lerchey, the group's first white member, and tenor Norman Wright. Wright had started a group with Lawrence "Prince" Lloyd called The Valverteens from Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, before joining The Del-Vikings. Shortly after, Don Jackson left the band and was replaced by Gus Backus, the group's second white member.

The band's name was created by Clarence Quick. Some sources say that band members had read about Vikings with the prefix "Del" being "added to give the group name an air of mystery." Another suggestion is that Clarence Quick had known of a basketball team in Brooklyn, New York, called the Vikings and had suggested the name. The name may also have originated from the popular Viking Press, publisher of paperbacks that group members liked to read.

Their first hit came in 1957 with "Come Go with Me", a Clarence Quick-penned song, released on Fee Bee Records as catalog number FB-205. In late January 1957, Dot Records re-released "Come Go With Me" as Dot 45–15538. The song was written by Clarence Quick. The song became a hit, peaking at #5 on the US Billboard Top 100 Pop Charts (a predecessor of the 1958 established Billboard Hot 100 chart.) It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The song was later featured in the films American Graffiti (1973), Diner (1982), Stand by Me (1986), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), and Set It Up (2018). Rolling Stone listed "Come Go With Me" as no. 449 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Dell-Vikings also released "Whispering Bells" in May 1957, another Clarence Quick song, with Kripp Johnson singing lead vocals. (The Dot label referred to Johnson as "Krips Johnson".) "Whispering Bells" reached No. 5 on the U.S. R&B chart and #9 on the U.S. pop chart in 1957. "Whispering Bells" was featured in the 1986 film Stand by Me and was included in the film's soundtrack. Johnson also sang lead vocals on the B-side "Don't Be A Fool".