Dells lead singer John Carter dies
Oh What a Night legend loses battle with cancer
Last Updated: Saturday, August 22, 2009

Actor-director Robert Townsend stands in the foreground with the Dells (from left, Verne Allison, Charles Barkside, John Carter, Marvin Curtis Junior and Michael McGill) after the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. (Ed Betz/Associated Press)


John E. Carter, the lead tenor for the R&B group the Dells and a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died of lung cancer on Friday in Harvey, Ill. He was 75.

Famous for his soulful voice and his work with the Dells and the Flamingos, Carter sang on more than 50 songs that made the Top 40 list, including a 1969 remake of the Dells' 1954 hit Oh What a Night that featured Carter as the falsetto lead.

He was also famous for the Dells' 1968 blockbuster Stay in My Corner, the group's first No. 1 R&B hit and first Top 10 pop hit.

Carter also was the last surviving member of the Flamingos, a 1950s doo-wop group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. The group was best known for the hits Golden Teardrops (1953) and a soulful rendition of the standard I Only Have Eyes for You (1959).

Carter left the Flamingos in 1960 for the Dells who had formed in 1952 as a doo-wop group at Thornton Township High School in Carter's hometown of Harvey. He replaced lead tenor Johnny Funches and led the R&B group for the next 49 years.

The Dells toured extensively with Dinah Washington and later with Ray Charles. They also came to the attention of Quincy Jones, who coached them to develop a more eclectic vocal style that incorporated jazz, soul and Broadway sounds.

The group's baritone lead Marvin Junior, backup singers Charles Barksdale, Michael McGill and Verne Allison, and Carter served as technical advisers on the set of Robert Townsend's 1991 movie, The Five Heartbeats, which was loosely based on their careers.

The Dells gave one of their last public performances in 2004 when they did an outdoor concert in Chicago to celebrate their induction into the hall of fame.

Carter is survived by five daughters and several grandchildren.

With files from The Associated Press