The Del-Vikings
The original group bearing this name was formed in 1955 at the Air Force Serviceman's Club in Pittsburg, Ohio, USA. This racially integrated group, consisting of Corinthian Kripp Johnson (d. 22 June 1990), Donald Gus Backus, Norman Wright, David Lerchey and Clarence Quick, scored a gold disc in 1957 with the Quick-penned Come Go With Me, but the promise of this buoyant performance was undermined by internal conflict. Backus left to found a rival act—dubbed the Del Vikings—which scored a pop and US R&B Top 20 hit with Cool Shake. Johnson meanwhile established another line-up, which included Chuck Jackson, and as the Dell-Vikings, recorded a haunting version of Whispering Bells, a Top 10 entry in both US listings. Although Backus's version later took the ascendancy, the confusion hampered both groups' progress. Jackson meanwhile enjoyed considerable success as a solo artist during the '60s.