The Dubs made one of the mid-'50s' more endearing ballad records, 
"Could This Be Magic," in 1957.
It wasn't a huge hit, but still became a doo wop classic. The group, featuring lead
vocalist Richard Blandon, continued recording for Gone, Musictone, ABC, End, Josie,
Wilshire, Lana, Candlelite, Johnson, and Clifton through the mid-'70s, but never enjoyed
any success or made any headway outside doo wop circles. ~ Ron Wynn, All-Music Guide
One of the final Italian doo wop groups to make a wave in the early '60s,
the Duprees were in some senses not a rock & roll act at all. They relied on updates
of pre-rock pop standards for most of their material, dressed up in classy big-band
arrangements. Their New Jersey street-corner roots were still audible in their doo wop
harmonies, giving their treatments of moldy oldies enough of a contemporary flavor to
compete in the rock and pop marketplace. They were very good at what they did, and in
1962-63, they were very successful: "You Belong to Me" (previously recorded by
Jo Stafford, Patti Page, Dean Martin, and Joni James) made the Top Ten, and "My Own
True Love" (from the soundtrack of Gone with the Wind), "Have You Heard,"
and "Why Don't You Believe Me" were also Top 40 hits. The Duprees were already
retro when they were at their peak, and were washed out by the British Invasion, although
they continued to record throughout the late '60s, sometimes in a Jay & the
Americans/Vogues style. ~ Richie Unterberger, All-Music Guide
This New York doo wop group earned notoriety for their masterpiece
"Little Star" in 1958, which topped both R&B and pop charts. They were a
White ensemble led by Vito Picone, With Arthur Venosa, Frank Tardogno, Carmen Romano, And
James Mochella. All had been in other groups before uniting as The Elgins. They continued
recording for Hull, United Artists, Limelight, Photo, IPG, and Laurie through the '50s,
'60s and into the '70s, but never had another hit, despite cutting a number of solid
ballads. There were two other editions in the mid-'60s, Vito Piccone with the Elegants and
Vito & The Elegants. ~ Ron Wynn, All-Music Guide
The Five Satins are best-known for the doo-wop classic "In the Still of theNight," a
song that was popular enough to make the group one of the most famous doo-wop outfits,
although they never had another hit of the same magnitude.
The origins of the Five Satins lie in the Scarlets, a New Haven, Connecticut doo-wop group
led by Fred Parris. The Scarlets formed in 1953, while Parris was still in high school.
The group had a local hit with "Dear One" the following year. In 1954, Parris
formed the Five Satins with vocalists Al Denby, Ed Martin and Jim Freeman. Within the next
year, Parris had the group record "In the Still of the Night," a song he had
recently written, in the basement of a local church. The first single the group released
was "In the Still of the Night." The single was released on Standard Records in
the spring of 1956. By the end of the year, it had been leased to Ember and it became a
huge hit, peaking at number three on the R&B charts and number 25 on the pop charts.
By the time "In the Still of the Night" scaled the charts, Parris had been
drafted into the army. He was stationed in Japan when the song became a hit and he was
still stationed in Japan when the group recorded the followup single, "To the
Aisle." For that single, Bill Baker handled the lead vocals. "To the Aisle"
became a Top Ten R&B hit (number 25 pop) in the summer of 1957. Parris returned from
the army in 1958. Upon his return, he re-organized the group, adding Richie Freeman,
Sylvester Hopkins, West Forbes, and Lou Peeples. This incarnation of the group had a minor
hit in the fall of 1959 with "Shadows."
In 1960, "In Still of the Night" re-entered the pop charts thanks to its
exposure on Art Laboe's first Oldies But Goodies compilation. The repeated success of the
single sparked a another minor hit for the band in 1960 -- the group's cover of the
standard "I'll Be Seeing You" scraped the bottom of the pop charts in the summer
of that year. Early in 1961, "In the Still of the Night" entered the pop charts
again. During the remainder of the '60s, Parris led various incarnations of the Five
Satins through oldies revues in America and Europe; they also recorded occasionally during
this time. In 1970, the group appeared in the film, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to
Me; three years later, they appeared in Let the Good Times Roll.
In the early '70s, the Five Satins continued to play the oldies circuit under the
direction of Fred Parris. In 1974, the group signed a contract with Kirsner Records and
reelased a single, "Two Different Worlds." Two years later, they briefly changed
their name to Black Satin and released a single called "Everybody Stand Up and Clap
Your Hands (For the Entertainer)," which became a Top 50 R&B hit. Shortly
afterward, the group reverted to the Five Satins name.
In 1982, the Five Satins had their last hit with a doo-wop medley entitled "Memories
of Days Gone By." The single, which was released on Elektra Records, peaked at number
71 on the pop charts. For the remainder of the '80s and the '90s, Fred Parris led various
lineups of the Five Satins and the group performed regularly at oldies shows in America
and Europe. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide
