The Marcels

by Ron Wynn   This Pittsburgh ensemble deserved a much better fate than being known primarily for a novelty-tinged cover of Blue Moon. Baritone vocalist Richard F. Knauss teamed with Fred Johnson, Gene J. Bricker, Ron Mundy, and lead vocalist Cornelius Harp, an integrated ensemble. They named themselves after Harps hairstyle, the marcel. The group did a string of covers as demo tapes that were sent to Colpix. The labels A&R director had them cut several oldies at RCAs New York studios in 1961, one of them being Blue Moon. They used the bass intro arrangement from the Cadillacs Zoom and the results were a huge hit. It eventually topped both the pop and R&B charts, and also was an international smash. The group eventually appeared in the film Twist Around the Clock with Dion and Chubby Checker. They eventually recorded an 18-cut LP for Colpix. Alan Johnson and Walt Maddox later replaced Knauss and Gene Bricker, making them an all-black unit. The group did score another Top Ten pop single with Heartaches, another cover of a pre-rock single. This peaked at number seven pop and number 19 R&B in 1961. They continued recording on Kyra, Queen Bee, St. Clair, Rocky, and Monogram with varying lineups, but never again equaled their past success.