Name The Band...

Hey, did you ever wonder how some of the local groups picked up their names? In the course of researching the blog and some other projects, Google has given us some answers:

The Del Vikings: There are several stories behind their name. One claims that the group members were fans of the tales of the old-time marauding Vikings; another says that they were fond of the paperback books published by the Viking press that so many servicemen read to pass the off-duty time, and another believes the name was taken from a Brooklyn club/basketball team called the Vikings that Clarence Quick belonged to, and that’s the more likely tale of the three.

The Mellows - Four Dots - Four Troys: The late Fletcher Williams & The Four Dots started out as the Mellows in 1950, about as generic a group name as one could imagine. They were eventually represented by Don DeCarlo, who suggested that they change their name to the Four Dots, piggybacking on the hot-selling and eminently bookable Ink Spots.The Four Dots played the area hops & club circuit while releasing a couple of singles on the Bullseye label

In 1959, just about at the end of their career, the group inked a deal with Freedom Records, who already had a California-based Four Dots as part of their roster. Because of that, the Four Dots released their last wax as the Four Troys (no one remembers how that name was chosen). Did that end the confusion? Nah. The West Coast Four Dots released “Pleading For Your Love,” a ‘Burgh favorite. The local Four Dots hit the oldies circuit, and guess what their top request was? “Pleading” became part of their play list.

The Houserockers: Many remember Joe Grushecky’s Brick Alley Band, named after a McKeesport red light district, taking off as the Iron City Houserockers, a name given to them by Pittsburgh native and Cleveland International Records head Steve Popovich. Cleveland International was of course based in Ohio and Popovich had the band tour the midwest to support their records. But the Pittsburgh-Cleveland rivalry extended beyond football. Their name caused some problems when touring outside their hometown, and when they played Cleveland their van tires were slashed. So they switched in the early eighties to the region-neutral Houserockers brand.

Lugee Becomes Lou: Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco, the stage name of Lou Christie wasn’t Sacco’s choice; it was more or less foisted on him. When “The Gypsy Cried” was released in 1962 on the local Co&Ce label, the record was credited to “Lou Christie” without Sacco's knowledge or permission. Sacco had been working on his own list of stage names, and said "I was pissed off about it for 20 years. I wanted to keep my name and be a one-named performer, just 'Lugee'." We’re glad he’s finally over it.

The Marcels: When the Oliver High gang first formed and was rehearsing, the group was coined "The Marcels" by Fred Johnson's little sister Priscilla. She was inspired by a popular hair style of the day, the marcel wave, sported by lead singer Cornelius Harp.  

The Skyliners: They collectively came up with their name after the 1958 Capitol Studios "Since I Don't Have You" recording session when the master came back without an artist credit. The singers were a mixture of the South Hills Crescents and El Rios groups, and manager Joe Rock, with their input, christened them “The Skyliners” after the 1945 Charlie Barnet hit song according to their official history, although we're told by Ed Salamon that they were named for the car per Jackie Taylor.


The Vogues: Originally known as The Val-Aires (a combination, we’ve been told, of the names of the two high school groups the members had first sang with), the Vogues got their name from manager Elmer Willett’s nightspot and studio, East McKeesport’s Vogue Terrace. The group didn't have a vote; when "You're The One" was released, it was credited to the Vogues by the Co&Ce label. At least one member, Hugh Geyer, didn't find out about the name until he heard the song on the radio.

Mellows 4 Dots 4 Troys...

The Four Dots from Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebook

The 4 Dots can be traced back to the Hill and Homewood where the Mellows formed around 1950. The original group members, all of whom were 15 and 16, were Fletcher Williams (lead tenor), Edgar Lee (first tenor), Melvin Peters (second tenor), and Kenny Miller (baritone).

Later that year, they heard 13-year-old bass Marvin Brown singing at the Musicians' Club in East Liberty, and they enlisted him as the newest Mellow.

The group changed its name to the 5 Mellows, and started practicing at William's house. They sang both standards and the R&B/doo wop songs that were popular back in the day.

Soon they were performing at record hops, in clubs like McKeesport's White Elephant, the Diamond Skating Rink on Market Street, the Blue Ridge, the Cobe Hotel and at their manager Cutty Albert's place, the Bonange Club on Route 51.

You needed a scorecard to keep up with the personnel changes around then. Edgar Lee left and was replaced by Edward Johnson. Then Johnson went, and his place was taken by Chuck Jackson for about 6 months. (Jackson would go on to sing with the Del Vikings, and then have a sweet solo career.)

When Jackson's get up and go got up and left in 1955, they gave in to the inevitable and decided to just go with four singers. They changed the name back to the Mellows.

They found a booking agent named Don DeCarlo. He suggested that they change their name to the 4 Dots. His theory was that appearing at the hops didn't bring home the bacon. The real money was in playing supper clubs and night spots.

Their playlist was tilted towards standards, the staples of the club circuit, so he chose a name that sounded like the 800 pound gorilla of the day, the Ink Spots. That way, he could get them better bookings and a bigger payday. So the 4 Dots were born.

Porky Chedwick, who helped many local careers along, called Woody Hinderling, who owned Bullseye Records in New York, and talked him into setting up a session with the 4 Dots in February, 1956. The guys drove from Pittsburgh to Manhattan for their demo taping. They found Manhattan, but not Hinderling. They spent their Saturday night sleeping in their car.

The next day, they located Hinderling, and he gave them four songs he wanted them to do. They spent the night practicing - in a hotel, not their jalopy - and then went off to the studio to sing. (They didn't bring any original material along to tape because all they did at the time were covers.)

The first record they cut was "Rita/He Man Looking For A She Girl," (#B-103) and it was released in March, 1956. Back in Pittsburgh, the platter aired on Homestead's WHOD, played by Porky and Bill Powell, and on Wilkinsburg's WCAE, where it was spun by Jay Michael. It was a local hit, but went nowhere nationally.

But life was good. They had a record and still played hops and clubs. They even did a brief southern tour with Stanley and Tommy Turentine.

Bullseye released the 4 Dots' second disk ("Peace Of Mind/Kiss Me Sugar Plum", #B-104) in June, 1956. Once again the record sold well locally, but had no love outside of the region. And that was the end of their association with Bullseye Records.

The group went through some changes in 1957. Miller left, replaced by Manning Rosemond. The newly married Williams also hit the road. He tried to start a solo career, releasing "Mary Lou/Stop, Look And Love Me" on Bullseye in September. It didn't chart, either. William's place was taken by Kenny Jackson. And then the 4 Dot story gets kinda weird.

In September, 1958, Liberty Records formed a subsidiary label, Freedom. One of the first performers that Freedom signed was the 4 Dots. However, it wasn't Pittsburgh's 4 Dots, but a California group led by Jewel Akens.

Here's where it gets weird. The Steel City's 4 Dots were also signed by Freedom. So the 4 Dots became the 4 Troys, as the label couldn't push two acts with the same name. They only released one 45 for Freedom, but it's enough to make for a quite confusing discography to the casual fan.

As the 4 Troys, they recorded at least three songs for Freedom. They were “In The Moonlight/Suddenly You Want To Dance,” and “Weeping Willow,” (which never got to see the light of day). "Moonlight" was released in April, 1959, and flopped. The group fell apart.

The 4 Dots eventually re-formed, with former members Williams and Brown, first tenor Aubry Kirkland and baritone Nate Benson.

A final bit of weirdness - they often sang “Pleading For Your Love,” one of their more popular requests. Except the song was done by the Jewel Aken 4 Dots, not them. They've learned to roll with it. Hey, whatever brings 'em in.

(Fletcher Williams passed away in 2005, and we haven't found anything that makes us think the Four Dots are still performing. If you know, give us a yell. And thanks greatly to Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebook for keeping their tale alive.)


Four Dots - "Peace of Mind" (1956)