The Delltones
The Delltones were an Australian rock and roll band, which formed in 1958. They started as a doo-wop, harmony quartet with Warren Lucas, Brian Perkins, Noel Widerberg and Ian "Peewee" Wilson. In July 1962 Noel Widerberg died in a car accident in Brighton-le-Sands in Sydney, and three weeks later the group's single, "Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands", reached the top five on the local charts. Widerberg's position was filled by Col Loughnan. The group disbanded in 1973.
Wilson, as the sole founding mainstay, reformed the group with new members in 1978 as a five – piece band. Along with stylistic changes, it led to their resurgence and a top 20 compilation album, Bop Til Ya Drop. The Delltones performed for five decades; although their most successful recording years were in the 1960s. They were consistent live entertainers in Australia before disbanding in 2016.
History
1958-1959: Origins and early years
In 1958, Noel Widerberg and Ian "Peewee" Wilson were lifesavers at the Bronte Surf Club. They were interested in four-part doo wop harmonies, "such as The Diamonds and Elvis Presley's The Jordanaires," and began singing together at club socials. Later that year they were joined by Warren Lucas, a member of a vocal group the Sapphires, and then by Brian Perkins. The four met at a Bronte Club social to form the Delltones. According to music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, the name means "'of tones'." They began harmonising at talent quests and on street corners. The quartet's first "professional engagement" was at a Kings Cross nightclub after they stopped its owner in the street and sang for him. He invited them to perform an impromptu session consisting of four songs – their total repertoire. They were paid with spaghetti bolognese and beer.In early 1959, the Delltones visited Bob Rogers, a radio DJ for 2GB. They auditioned Widerberg's composition "Why" during a commercial break. Rogers phoned Lee Gordon, an American-born, Sydney-based promoter, and persuaded him, "to feature them on one of the early Stadium shows." The Delltones, whose average age was 21, performed in many of Gordon's Big Shows, backing vocalists and with their own feature spot. They provided harmony backing vocals for performances by visiting international and local artists. The Delltones also sang backing vocals on recording sessions for O'Keefe.
In mid-October 1959, the group performed in shows titled Lee Gordon's 1959 Rock'n'Roll Spectacular. The Sydney concerts were edited into a film called Rock 'n' Roll which premiered on 30 October. The film, thought lost but rediscovered in 2020, includes rare footage of a 1950s rock and roll concert in Australia.
1960–1961: Early recordings and television
O'Keefe invited the Delltones to appear as regulars on his ABC Television music show Six O'Clock Rock, and the radio show, Rockville Junction. The band also appeared on the rival show, Bandstand, hosted by Brian Henderson. Their television show appearances helped to promote their act and "was the perfect platform for a successful recording career."Lee Gordon also signed the Delltones to his Leedon Records recording label and, within a week, the group had cut their first single – a remake of the Crows "Gee" and the Widerberg composition "Why". "Gee" was a success, eventually peaking at No. 15, with eight-week duration, on the Sydney charts; though it failed to make headway on the national Australian charts. Their second single, "Tonight", was released in October 1959, and was written by Widerberg. Its b-side was their cover version of Dion and the Belmonts' "Every Little Thing I Do"; it became a minor hit, but failed to generate sales nationally.
At this stage, the group's popularity as live performers began to increase rapidly. They were in demand for recording sessions, including on O'Keefe's "Shout", and Rebb's "Highway of Love". They also recorded harmony backing for country music artists, Slim Dusty, Reg Lindsay, and Lionel Long.
Their next single "Yes Indeed" peaked at number 30 on the local charts. But the follow-up release, a DooWop version of Vera Lynn's classic "White Cliffs of Dover", with Wilson singing a bass vocal lead, failed to make an impression. Disenchanted by Leedon's failure to promote these singles to a larger national audience, the group accepted an offer to switch to the CBS label in June 1960.
Following a performance on The Tommy Sands Show in mid 1960, the group befriended the Sands guitarist Scotty Turnbull who offered to write two songs for The Delltones – "Little Miss Heartbreak" and "Take This Heart". Turnbull also produced and played with Hal Blaine on drums for both singles. Unfortunately they were not a commercial success.
However, the next Coronet release proved to be the breakthrough that the group had been seeking for the past eighteen months. The single "You're The Limit", provided them with their first national hit when it reached the top ten across Australia. This release was even more successful in Sydney, reaching number 4 on the local charts, in January 1961.
After a better financial offer from EMI Records the group changed labels again and their next release "Wonder", was moderately successful at number 30 nationally. But the follow-up single String a Long, released in July, was a dismal failure.
An anecdote of The Delltones auditioning for Denis Wong, the colourful owner of the famous Sydney nightclub Chequers, has now entered into folklore. After their audition, Wong expressed his approval and asked "how much for you boys"? A fee was quoted and the ever frugal Wong replied "I take two" pointing at Widerberg and Wilson.
After the expiry of the EMI deal, they re-signed to the Leedon label, now owned by Festival Records, and immediately recorded "Get A Little Dirt on Your Hands" written by Bill Anderson. The record quickly picked up generous airplay right across Australia.
1962: Tragedy
In early July 1962, two weeks after "Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands" entered the charts, Noel Widerberg was killed in a car accident in the Sydney beachside suburb of Brighton-Le-Sands. Widerberg lost control of the vehicle he was driving, which rolled four or five times, throwing the occupants from the vehicle, and Widerberg "head first into the gutter". The remaining group members were understandably devastated and all engagements were cancelled. After a period of inactivity, friends and business associates of the group persuaded the band to seek out a replacement and continue with their careers. The current single "Get A Little Dirt on Your Hands" proved to be the most successful to date, reaching No. 3 on the national charts. The song was also used on the soundtrack of the multi-award-winning movie The Year My Voice Broke.According to Graham Jackson in his book, Pioneers of Australian rock 'n' roll, "As Warren Lucas was a good friend of Colin Loughnan, Warren persuaded the others that Colin was the natural replacement for Noel". The Delltones didn't audition any other singers, and in fact no auditions were held at all. Jackson quotes Loughnan as saying: "it was short and sweet. It was just: 'Are you interested?' 'Yes' 'Okay, you're in'". Loughnan's style was distinctively different from Widerberg's.
After several weeks of rehearsal The Delltones entered the recording studio in November 1962 to record "Come A Little Bit Closer", written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Around this time, Leedon released the band's first self-titled album which included all previously released material with Widerberg. He had been the guiding musical force and leader of the group. After his death, Wilson became the group's spokesperson. When "Come A Little Bit Closer" was released in 1963, it was an immediate hit and eventually became their all-time best seller. The single reached number 3 in Sydney's 2UE top 40, number 1 on 2GB top 30 and number 2 on 3UZ top 40. An album, entitled Come A Little Bit Closer, was also released to capitalise on the hit single. One track was Cotton Fields.
The follow-up single "Sitting in the Moonlight", was arranged in a similar style as its predecessor, with a harmonica introduction. It became the group's eighth Sydney chart entry.
At this time The Delltones participated in a modern pantomime for children, titled Mother Goose and The Three Stooges, which opened at the Palais Theatre in Sydney. The production also featured other pop stars and celebrities of the time including: Robie Porter aka "Rob E.G.", Brian Davies, Lucky Starr, Dig Richards, Jay Justin, and actor Jacki Weaver. Peewee played Mother Goose, with the other band members as the Stooges. The matinee show had a six-week run playing to full houses. They also performed an evening show, Once Upon A Surfie – a musical farce, which showcased the cast members' musical hits.
1963-1968: Gone surfing
By the latter part of 1963 surf music dominated the Australian Charts, particularly in Sydney and Brisbane. The Delltones were quick to release the tongue in cheek composition, "Hangin' Five", written by Ben Acton who was a police officer and also a lifesaver with Manly Surf Club and a member of the police band. This release was almost as successful as "Come A Little Bit Closer" – reaching number 3. "Hangin' Five" became a cult classic in California along with The Atlantics instrumental "Bombora". "Hangin' Five" also featured in Mel Gibson's first movie, a 1977 release called Summer City. In 1963, The Delltones picked up four radio awards including "Gold and Silver Baton Award," "Golden Microphone Award", and "The Best Australian Record Award".Once again an album was quickly issued and consisted mainly of current surf hit covers. Since the surf craze showed little signs of waning, the next single "Out the Back" was also written by Ben Acton, but it failed to capture the light hearted spirit of "Hangin' Five".
In 1964, they released a reworking of The Tams' "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me", and the cover "Surfer Girl" by The Beach Boys which became a top 30 hit in most Australian states. Their next three singles failed to chart.
The first of the final two Leedon singles was a version of Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy." The final release on Leedon "Tonight We Love", was heavily produced in the style of Phil Spector, and was adapted from Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in B-flat minor. A period of recording inactivity followed. At this point the group concentrated on live performances, including shows for the troops in Vietnam. They later received "The Vietnam Logistic & Support Medal".