The Del-Satins

The Del-Satins
Origin	Manhattan, New York City, United States
Genres	Doowop, pop
Years active	1958–1968 1991-1999 2011
Labels	Laurie, Columbia, B. T. Puppy, Diamond
Associated acts	Dion The Brooklyn Bridge The Capris
Past members	Stan Zizka Fred Ferrara Tom Ferrara Leslie Cauchi Keith Koestner Bobby Failla Richie Greene Johnny Maestro Johnny Fielder Mike Gregorio Charlie Aiello Art Loria Edye VanBuren

The Del-Satins were an American vocal group, most active in the early 1960s, who recorded on their own but are best remembered for their harmonies on hit records for Dion and others. They have been described as having "few peers as practitioners of white doo-wop."

The group was formed in 1958 in Manhattan, New York, through a merger of two existing street corner groups, the Yorkville Melodys and the Jokers. The original members were teenagers Stan Zizka (lead), Fred Ferrara (baritone), his brother Tom Ferrara (bass), Leslie Cauchi (first tenor), and Keith Koestner (second tenor). They chose the name Del-Satins as a tribute to The Dells and The Five Satins, and built a solid following with their live performances, coming first in a prestigious New York city-wide "Battle of the Groups". Koestner left before their first recording session, to join the US Army, and was replaced by Bobby Failla, later replaced in turn by Richie Greene.

In 1960 they recorded their debut single, "I'll Pray for You", for George Goldner's small independent End label, before acquiring a new manager, Laurie Gribble, and signing for Laurie Records. There they joined forces with Dion, who wanted to replace his existing backing vocal group, the Belmonts, with a "rockier" sound. The Del-Satins were instantly sent to work on his new song, "Runaround Sue", which then rose to number 1 in the Billboard charts. Although their contribution to the hit was substantial, the Del-Satins received no credit. They also sang on Dion's later solo hits, "The Wanderer", "Lovers Who Wander", "Little Diane", "Love Came to Me", "Ruby Baby", "Donna the Prima Donna", "Drip Drop", and "Sandy", as well as on records by Len Barry and Dean and Jean. They also provided backing vocals on Ernie Maresca's self-penned 1962 hit, "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)".

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