The Dells left Vee-Jay, following their road accident and came back to Chess Records in 1962, where they had begun their career as the El-Rays with a single “Darling I Know”, released by Checker in the early fifties. Checker had been renamed Argo and it was on that label that the group released four singles up to 1963, none of which made much impression.
However, they had auditioned successfully for Dinah Washington and went on the road, opening for and backing Washington. This enabled them to refine their sound and to also work with Washington on her recordings. In 1962, they provided backing vocals to five of the tracks on side two of Washington’s album “Tears and Laughter”, which she made with Quincy Jones and his orchestra. A sixth track is sung by the Dells without Washington. This brought them to the attention of Ray Charles, who also asked them to join him on the road.
In 1966, the Dells returned to Chess to start recording an album with producer Bobby Miller and arranger Charles Stepney. The album was completed for release in 1967, entitled “There Is”, and put out on the Cadet label, as Argo had been phased out.
Sales were good; the album reached number four on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and number twenty-nine on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Over half the tracks on the album were released as singles between 1966 and 1968, with four chart entries on both the Pop and R&B Singles charts. The best of them was “Stay In My Corner”, which Vee-Jay had released in 1965 and was now re-recorded at Chess with a new arrangement by Charles Stepney and production in the hands of Bobby Miller. The Vee-Jay version had reached number twenty-three on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart. The Chess version took the Dells to the top of that chart and to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
This was the start of a fantastic career for the group. Eleven more albums emerged from the Chess studio between 1969 and 1975. All eleven entered the Billboard R&B Albums Chart, with 1969’s “Love Is Blue” reaching number three.
Eight of the albums charted on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Chess also released two Greatest Hits albums, volume 1 in 1969 and volume 2 in 1975, which also sold well.
Several singles were drawn from the “Love Is Blue” album, including a re-recording of another Vee-Jay hit, “Oh What A Nite”. The plan worked just as well the second time.
The new version, now called “Oh, What A Night”, arranged and produced once again by Stepney and Miller, went quickly to the top of the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and to number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, exactly as “Stay In My Corner” had done. Remarkably, both versions sold over a million copies!
In 1971, Charles Stepney took over from Bobby Miller as producer for the Dells, but there was no change in the pattern of success. The smooth, sophisticated harmonies of the five group members continued to benefit from the dramatic arrangements of Charles Stepney and the musical prowess of the Chess session men. An excellent example of the quality of the Chicago signature sound can be heard on the track “Free And Easy” on the 1971 album “Freedom Means”, with powerful horns and spot-on guitar fills. It all sounds so easy!
A third gold disc came in 1973 with the release of “Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation” from the album of the same name. Chess was now owned by GRT, and Don Davis was in charge of production. Three more albums were recorded between 1973 and 1974, the last of which, “We Got To Get Our Thing Together”, was issued in 1975, just before financial difficulties caused Chess to collapse. The Dells had already moved on to Mercury Records, taking their last recordings with them. It was a sad end to a wonderful run.
