The Marcels [Cornelius "Nini" Harp (Lead and Guitar), Ronald "Bingo" Mundy (First Tenor), Gene Bricker (Second Tenor) & after Walt Maddox (Second Tenor), Richard Knauss (Baritone) & after  Allen Johnson (Baritone) & Fred Johnson (Bass)] was an American doo-wop group known for turning popular music songs into rock and roll. The group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and signed to Colpix Records with lead Cornelius Harp, bass Fred Johnson, Gene Bricker, Ron Mundy, and Richard Knauss. The group was named after a popular hair style of the day, the marcel wave, by Fred Johnson's younger sister Priscilla.

Career

In 1961, the Marcels released a new version of the ballad "Blue Moon" that began with the bass singer singing, "bomp-baba-bomp-ba-bomp-ba-bomp-bomp... vedanga-dang-dang-vadinga-dong-ding...". The record sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. It is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. … Read the full text here >>> The Marcels (2)