The Tokens
Encyclopedia
The Tokens are an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 male doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...

-style vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...

 group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

 1961 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...

" .

Career

The group was formed in 1955 at Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, and was known first as the Linc-Tones. Originally featuring members Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...

, Hank Medress
Hank Medress
-Biography:Medress was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, where in 1955 he joined a doo-wop group called the Linc-Tones, which also included Neil Sedaka. After Sedaka's departure, the group reformed with additional singers as The Tokens...

, Eddie Rabkin, and Cynthia Zolotin, Rabkin was replaced by Jay Siegel in 1956, and the band recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...

 its first single, "While I Dream" that same year. In 1957 Sedaka and Zolotin left the band, leaving only Siegel and Medress, who would recruit two additional band members and record the single "Picture in My Wallet" as Darrell & the Oxfords. Finally establishing its most famous name and crew, the band became known as The Tokens in 1960 after they recruited the 13-year-old multi-instrumentalist and first tenor Mitch Margo
Mitch Margo
Mitch Margo is an American singer and songwriter who was a professional recording artist by the age of 14. He was, and still is a member of The Tokens, best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 3 weeks in 1961...

 and his baritone brother Phil Margo, plus guitarist Joe Venneri.

In early 1961, the Tokens released a single for Warwick Records
Warwick Records
Warwick Records is a British record label from the 1970s and early 1980s, which specialised in producing and compiling songs for compilations that have sometimes been given away as 'promos' with other products, such as magazines etc....

 company entitled "Tonight I Fell In Love," which scored #15 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

 and earned them an opportunity to perform on the television program American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...

. The popularity that the band garnered as a result of this performance brought them new recording opportunities, culminating in their cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Solomon Linda
Solomon Linda
Solomon Popoli Linda , also known as Solomon Ntsele , was a South African Zulu musician, singer and composer who wrote the song "Mbube" which later became the popular music success "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and gave its name to the Mbube style of isicathamiya a cappella popularized later by...

's "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...

" for RCA Victor company. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained for three weeks. The same track peaked at #11 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. Both "Tonight I Fell in Love" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" sold more than one million copies, and were awarded gold discs
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

.

From 1962 to 1970, the group released nine more songs that scored the Top 100, including "I Hear Trumpets Blow" (1966) and "Portrait of My Love" (1967). Beginning in 1963, the Tokens also began serving as record producers
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 for other artists, such as The Chiffons
The Chiffons
The Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...

, Randy & the Rainbows
Randy & the Rainbows
Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo wop group from Maspeth, New York.-Career:The group was formed in 1962 in a neighborhood of Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers had previously sung in the group The Dialtones. They recorded with the...

, and The Happenings
The Happenings
The Happenings were a pop music group that originated in the 1960s. The group's major hits were "See You In September" , which was originally recorded by the Tempos in 1959; a cover version of the George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin song, "I Got Rhythm" , updated for the nascent pop/rock era; and "Hare...

. Their company was called Bright Tunes Productions and they also have their own record company, B. T. Puppy Records. In 1972, Jay Siegel did background vocals for a re-recording of Lion Sleeps Tonight with Robert John
Robert John
Robert John is an American singer-songwriter.- Biography :He is best remembered for the 1979 hit, "Sad Eyes". This song, which features John's falsetto vocals, reached Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier, in 1963 he recorded as the lead singer with Bobby & the Consoles...

 as the lead vocalist.

In 1973, Medress ended his relationship with the group and Siegel teamed with the Margo Brothers to form the group Cross Country
Cross Country (band)
Cross Country is a band formed in 1973 by three fourths of the musical group The Tokens- Jay Siegel, Mitch Margo and Phil Margo.The group released one self-titled album.-Track listing:# Today - 2:52# Just A Thought - 3:22# Cross Country - 3:49...

, which would have some success with its cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of "In the Midnight Hour." The Tokens reunited during 1975 for occasional weeks as singing regulars on the Adam Wade hosted game show Musical Chairs and in 1978 recorded a song for ABC's Schoolhouse Rock named "A Victim of Gravity".

Nowadays, brothers Mitch
Mitch Margo
Mitch Margo is an American singer and songwriter who was a professional recording artist by the age of 14. He was, and still is a member of The Tokens, best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 3 weeks in 1961...

 and Philip Margo
Philip Margo
Philip "Phil" Margo is an American musician and author who, along with his brother Mitch Margo is a member of The Tokens. They are best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in 1961...

 continue to perform with new members Jay Leslie, Mike Johnson and Noah Margo (one of Margo's sons) playing drums. Mitch Margo
Mitch Margo
Mitch Margo is an American singer and songwriter who was a professional recording artist by the age of 14. He was, and still is a member of The Tokens, best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 3 weeks in 1961...

's sons, Damien and Ari Margo
Ari Margo
Ari Margo is Mitch Margo's younger son, who performs with his Father in the oldies band, "The Tokens" who were made famous by their 1961 recording of The Lion Sleeps Tonight...

 also make occasional guest performances with the band, exemplifying Phil Margo's
Philip Margo
Philip "Phil" Margo is an American musician and author who, along with his brother Mitch Margo is a member of The Tokens. They are best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in 1961...

 saying that "If you hang around long enough you can grow your own band."

Siegel continues to perform with his own version of the Tokens as well, featuring bass singer Bill Reid and, more recently, John "Jay" Traynor, the original lead singer (before Jay Black) of Jay & the Americans and The Mystics
The Mystics
The Mystics is an American rock and roll group that began in Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1950s. The group was known as The Overons, a quintet that, when signed to Laurie Records, consisted of Phil Cracolici , Albee Cracolici , George Galfo , Bob Ferrante , and Al Contrera...

. Siegel's son is also part of the group as keyboardist and occasional vocalist.

Jay Siegel's Tokens and the Margo brothers reunited in 2000 to perform on the PBS special, Doo Wop 51. At the time, Siegel's Tokens were Siegel, Reid, and Eddy Rezzonico; Rezzonico had replaced Richie Grasso during the 1990s.

Legal controversy

Decades after not receiving any publishing credit for their specific original musical composition part of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the band began a lawsuit in order to regain some of these publishing rights. The case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...

. To this day the Tokens claim that some of the original musical composition of the 1961 song was created by them, even though they have not been awarded this status by their record company.

On October 19, 2009, Phil and Mitch Margo filed suit in Manhattan for the rights to the Tokens name. They claim in their filing that Henry Medress suggested the name. In a competing suit filed in California by Siegel, he claims Siegel, Medress, and Sedaka released an album named Neil Sedaka and The Tokens previously. On Sedaka's own website, there is a listing in his discography catalog for a 1958 release of Neil Sedaka and The Tokens as well as a second album, also during 1958, named, Neil Sedaka and The Tokens and Coins.

Album discography

  • (1962) We, the Tokens, Sing Folk
  • (1964) Wheels
  • (1966) I Hear Trumpets Blow
  • (1966) The Tokens Again
  • (1967) Back to Back
  • (1967) It's A Happening World
  • (1970) Greatest Moments [In a Girl's Life]
  • (1971) Both Sides Now
  • (1971) December 5
  • (1971) Intercourse
  • (1973) Cross Country
    Cross Country (band)
    Cross Country is a band formed in 1973 by three fourths of the musical group The Tokens- Jay Siegel, Mitch Margo and Phil Margo.The group released one self-titled album.-Track listing:# Today - 2:52# Just A Thought - 3:22# Cross Country - 3:49...

    1
  • (1988) Re-Doo-Wopp
    Re-Doo-Wopp
    -Track listing:# Re-Doo-Wopp - 6:42# Three Bass Hits - 3:00# I'm Through With You - 2:34# I'll Remember - 3:28# Choice Ladies - 6:14# I'm So Happy - 3:04# Slow Dance - 3:32# Doo Wopp Doo Wah - 5:12# Doo You Doo Wopp - 6:43...

  • (1993) Oldies Are Now
    Oldies Are Now
    Oldies Are Now is an album by The Tokens, originally released in 1993 and now available on audio CD from BT Puppy Records.-Track listing:# The Lion Sleeps Tonight - 2:36# Oldies Are Now - 3:00# Tonight I Fell In Love - 1:47# I'm So Happy - 2:42...

  • (1995) Merry Merry
  • (1996) Tonight The Lion Dances
    Tonight The Lion Dances
    Tonight The Lion Dances is an album by The Tokens, originally released in 1996. This album in now available on audio CD from BT Puppy Records.-Track listing:# Swing - 2:23# The Speak Up Mambo - 3:06# La Bamba - 2:24# Suave - 3:50# Coco Seco - 2:48...

  • (1999) Unscrewed
    Unscrewed (album)
    Unscrewed is an album by The Tokens, originally released in 1999. This album in now available on audio CD from BT Puppy Records. This is largely a compilation album, as only 4 tracks were previously unreleased.-Track listing:...



1Cross Country was released by three members of The Tokens, using the band name Cross Country
Cross Country (band)
Cross Country is a band formed in 1973 by three fourths of the musical group The Tokens- Jay Siegel, Mitch Margo and Phil Margo.The group released one self-titled album.-Track listing:# Today - 2:52# Just A Thought - 3:22# Cross Country - 3:49...

.

Production work

As well as being performing and recording artists The Tokens were also record producers. Here are some of the records they produced:
  • "He's So Fine
    He's So Fine
    "He's So Fine" is a recording by The Chiffons which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable Golden Oldies with its doo-lang doo-lang doo-lang background vocal, "He's So Fine" is also renowned as the plaintiff song in the now-infamous...

    " by The Chiffons
    The Chiffons
    The Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...

  • "One Fine Day
    One Fine Day (song)
    "One Fine Day" has been recorded by a diverse array of artists including Susie Allanson, the Carpenters as part of the oldies medley on their album Now and Then, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, Even in Blackouts, Kids Incorporated, David Lasley, Natalie Merchant , the Mountain Goats, Aaron Neville,...

    " by The Chiffons
  • "Denise" by Randy & The Rainbows
    Randy & the Rainbows
    Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo wop group from Maspeth, New York.-Career:The group was formed in 1962 in a neighborhood of Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers had previously sung in the group The Dialtones. They recorded with the...

  • "See You In September
    See You In September
    "See You in September" is a song written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards. The song was first recorded by the Pittsburgh vocal group, The Tempos. This first version peaked at #23 in the summer of 1959...

    " by The Happenings
    The Happenings
    The Happenings were a pop music group that originated in the 1960s. The group's major hits were "See You In September" , which was originally recorded by the Tempos in 1959; a cover version of the George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin song, "I Got Rhythm" , updated for the nascent pop/rock era; and "Hare...

  • "I Got Rhythm
    I Got Rhythm
    "I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop...

    " by The Happenings
  • "Go Away Little Girl
    Go Away Little Girl
    "Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The lyrics consist of a young man asking an attractive young woman to stay away from him, so he won't be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her...

    " by The Happenings
  • "Candida
    Candida (album)
    -2005 CD edition:In 2005, a 25th anniversary compilation was released featuring the original track listing plus nine bonus tracks.-Production:*Arranged by Norman Bergen*Produced by Hank Medress, Phil & Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel*Engineered by Billy Radice...

    " by Tony Orlando and Dawn
    Tony Orlando and Dawn
    Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "He Don't Love You ".-History:...

  • "Knock Three Times
    Knock Three Times
    "Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited to Tony Orlando and Dawn. The actual singers were Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, and Linda November, prior to the creation of "Dawn" with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. The song was released as a single in November 1970, paired with Orlando's other...

    " by Tony Orlando and Dawn
  • "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
    Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
    "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....

    " by Tony Orlando and Dawn

Awards and recognition

The Tokens were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....

 in 2004.

In 1998, The Tokens were mentioned by the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

, for performing "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...

" at all 30 Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 stadiums in the United States and Canada.

Classic lineup

Original Tokens
  • Jay Siegel - Lead singer
  • Mitch Margo
    Mitch Margo
    Mitch Margo is an American singer and songwriter who was a professional recording artist by the age of 14. He was, and still is a member of The Tokens, best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 3 weeks in 1961...

  • Neil Sedaka
    Neil Sedaka
    Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...

  • Phil Margo
    Philip Margo
    Philip "Phil" Margo is an American musician and author who, along with his brother Mitch Margo is a member of The Tokens. They are best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in 1961...

  • Hank Medress
    Hank Medress
    -Biography:Medress was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, where in 1955 he joined a doo-wop group called the Linc-Tones, which also included Neil Sedaka. After Sedaka's departure, the group reformed with additional singers as The Tokens...

  • Joe Venneri - Guitar

Current groups

Jay Siegel's Tokens
  • Jay Siegel (original lead vocalist)
  • Bill Reid
  • Jay Traynor


The Margo Brothers' Tokens
  • Mitch Margo
    Mitch Margo
    Mitch Margo is an American singer and songwriter who was a professional recording artist by the age of 14. He was, and still is a member of The Tokens, best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 3 weeks in 1961...

     - Lead Singer, Guitar
  • Phil Margo
    Philip Margo
    Philip "Phil" Margo is an American musician and author who, along with his brother Mitch Margo is a member of The Tokens. They are best known for their hit recording of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in 1961...

     - Vocals, Percussion
  • Jay Leslie - Vocals, Horns
  • Mike Johnson - Vocals, Keyboard
  • Noah Margo - Drums
  • Ari Margo
    Ari Margo
    Ari Margo is Mitch Margo's younger son, who performs with his Father in the oldies band, "The Tokens" who were made famous by their 1961 recording of The Lion Sleeps Tonight...

    - Guest Performer, Vocals
  • Damien Margo - Guest Performer, Vocals, Drums

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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