The Gaylords (American vocal group)

The Gaylords were an American singing trio, consisting of Ronald L. Fredianelli, Bonaldo "Burt" Bonaldi, and Don Rea. Fredianelli joined the U.S. Army in the 1950s, and was replaced by Bill Christ.

Formation

Fredianelli, Bonaldi and Rea were all born in Detroit, Michigan. Together they formed the Gaylords in Detroit in 1949. The group's name was decided upon after a chance encounter with Marcus Wren.

Career

In the 1950s the group had a number of Italian-flavored hits on the Mercury Records label, often consisting of a song partly sung in Italian and partly in English. Their most successful release was "Tell Me You're Mine", which had sold over one million copies by 1958. "Tell Me You're Mine" reached #3 on the US chart. They also recorded comedy-novelty material, like "Love I You."
Fredianelli rejoined Mercury in 1954 after his military service, and, as Ronnie Gaylord, recorded as a solo artist. Bonaldi, Rea, and Christ continued recording as The Gaylords for Mercury until 1964. After their recording contract lapsed, Rea and Christ left the group. Fredianelli and Bonaldi continued to perform as "Gaylord and Holiday"; Bonaldi used the professional name of Burt Holiday, and adopted it legally in 1976. The team stayed together until 2003, when Fredianelli's failing health curtailed further work.

Deaths

Fredianelli died on January 25, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 73.
Bonaldi still performed with Ron Gaylord, Jr., Ronnie Gaylord's oldest son until his death on May 10, 2017, in Carson City, Nevada, at age 90.
Donald "Don" Rea, keyboardist for The Gaylords, died in Reno, Nevada, on June 30, 2017, after a short battle with cancer, at age 88. Bill Christ, the last surviving member of the group, died on October 30, 2017, at the age of 87.