Doo-wop vocal group The Dovells was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1957. The group’s line-up changed several times but they are best known for featuring a lead vocalist by the name of Len Borisoff, who would change his stage name to Len Barry and achieve success as a solo artist. Other members of The Dovells included Jerry Gross (born Summers), Arnie Silver, Mike Freda and Jim Mealy (AKA Danny Brooks). Originally called The Booktones, Gross left the the band to form a new group called The Gems. The remaining members signed with Parkway Records label in 1960 and changed their name to The Dovells. Their second single, “Bristol Stomp” (1961) rose all the way to Number 2 on Billboard’s Top 100 Singles chart. Further hit singles included three Top 40 hits in 1962: “(Do the New) Continental” (Number 37), “Bristol Twistin’ Annie” (Number 27), and “Hully Gully Baby” (Number 25). In 1963, they hit the Number 3 chart position with “You Can’t Sit Down”. While the band’s career seemed to be moving forward, by the end of 1963, Borisoff left the group to pursue a solo career as Len Barry, who scored a hit with “1-2-3” in 1965. Historically, the band’s performance at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium on November 22, 1963 was cancelled due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the early afternoon that very day. The vocal group continued recording for another decade, although they never achieved the same level of success as they did during the Len Borisoff/Barry era. After Arnie Silver left in 1975, Jerry Gross and Mark Stevens continued as a duo. In the 1990s, they opened up twice for President Bill Clinton's ball, who performed with them on the saxophone. Len Barry, who joined his former group in 1991, died on November 5, 2020 at the age of 78.
