The Dellwoods were a mid-20th century American doo-wop vocal group from New York City. They are most noted for releasing two albums of novelty songs under the aegis of Mad magazine.
The members were Victor Buccellato (lead singer), Mike Ellis (tenor), Andy Ventura (tenor), Amadeo Tese (baritone), and Saul Zeskand (bass). They first recorded as the Sweet Sick Teens (a takeoff on "sweet sixteen"), releasing "The Pretzel" (with a singer named Mike Russo soloing) backed with "Agnes (The Teenage Russian Spy)" on RCA Victor in 1961. The songs were written by Norman Blagman and Sam Bobrick (who had co-written Elvis Presley's #9 1960 hit "The Girl of My Best Friend" and would later go on to become a noted playwright as well as writing other novelty songs such as "Will My New Boobs Go To Heaven").
In 1962, the Dellwoods (as they were now named) released an entire album of novelty songs by Bobrick and Blagman, with Mike Russo and female singer Jeanne Hayes also featured on the album. The album had originally been written and produced for RCA, but was later sold to Mad and released on Bigtop Records as Mad "Twists" Rock 'N' Roll with a strong Mad tie-in – besides the title, a portrait of Alfred E. Neuman was featured prominently on the cover, and "(She Got A) Nose Job" from the album was bound as a flexi disc into an issue of Mad. Other songs included "(Throwing The) High School Basketball Game", "Please Betty Jean (Shave Your Legs)", "Somebody Else's Dandruff (On My Lover-Baby's Shirt)". "Agnes (The Teenage Russian Spy)" and "The Pretzel" (now titled as "Let's Do The Pretzel (And End Up Like One!))" were also included on the album.
Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods – Mad Twists Rock 'N' Roll (1962) LP Bigtop – 12-1305 @ VBR
01. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - Throwing The "High School Basketball Game"
02. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - She Got A "Nose Job"
03. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - "Please Betty Jean" Shave Your Legs
04. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - "Somebody Else's Dandruff" On My Lover-Baby's Shirt
05. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - "Blind Date" Yaaaaaaaahhh!
06. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - "Agnes" The Teenage Russian Spy
07. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - "Let's Do The Pretzel" And End Up Looking Like One
08. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - Even If I Live To Be 22 "I'll Always Remember Being Young"
09. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - He Fell In Love With Me "When My Pimples Turned To Dimples"
10. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - "She's A Serious (Yeah, Yeah) Teenager In Love"
11. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - All I Have Left Is "My Johnny's Hub Cap"
12. Mike Russo, Jeanne Hayes, The Dellwoods - I Found Her Telephone Number "Written On The Boy's Bathroom Wall"
Thank you so much for this rarity.
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ReplyDeleteHaven't seen anything from MAD for many years. Looks interesting, thank you.
ReplyDeleteYabba dabba doo!!!!
ReplyDeleteAny thing produced by Mad is going to be fun Great share
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