Dartells
Formed in 1962 in Oxnard, California, USA, the Dartells were a sextet which scored with one big instrumental hit in the spring of 1963, Hot Pastrami. The group consisted of vocalist/bassist Doug Phillips, guitarist Dick Burns, saxophonists Rich Peil and Corky Wilkie, drummer Gary Peeler and organist Randy Ray. Hot Pastrami, although credited to Phillips, was actually a nearly exact copy of the earlier hit Mashed Potatoes by Nat Kendricks. Originally recorded by the Dartells in 1962 for Arlen Records, the larger Dot Records took on the single after the Pastrami dance took off. The single then climbed to number 11 nationally. Only one other record by the band, Dance, Everybody, Dance, charted and the group disbanded. Phillips continued to record with other bands until the early '70s.