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Decades after receiving no publishing credit for their specific original musical composition within "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the band went to court in order to regain some of these publishing rights. However, the case was thrown out due to the [[statute of limitations]]. To this day The Tokens claim that some of the original musical composition in the 1961 hit was created by them, even though they have not been awarded this status through their record label.
Decades after receiving no publishing credit for their specific original musical composition within "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the band went to court in order to regain some of these publishing rights. However, the case was thrown out due to the [[statute of limitations]]. To this day The Tokens claim that some of the original musical composition in the 1961 hit was created by them, even though they have not been awarded this status through their record label.


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 Madress suggested the name. But in a competing suit filed in California by Siegel, he claims Siegel, Madress, and Sedaka released an album named, ''Neil Sedaka and The Tokens'' before Sedaka moved on.<ref>[http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/the_lion_sues_tonight_XN39F01kqi46xYp6qPO0yK Nypost.com]</ref> 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 in 1958, named, ''Neil Sedaka and The Tokens and Coins''.<ref>[http://www.neilsedaka.com/discography.php Neilsedaka.com]</ref>
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 Madress suggested the name. But in a competing suit filed in California by Siegel, he claims Siegel, Madress, and Sedaka released an album named ''Neil Sedaka and The Tokens'' before Sedaka moved on.<ref>[http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/the_lion_sues_tonight_XN39F01kqi46xYp6qPO0yK Nypost.com]</ref> 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 in 1958, named, ''Neil Sedaka and The Tokens and Coins''.<ref>[http://www.neilsedaka.com/discography.php Neilsedaka.com]</ref>


==Album discography==
==Album discography==

Revision as of 16:26, 22 April 2010

The Tokens are an American male doo-wop vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are best-known for their chart-topping 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (sampleⓘ).

Career

The group was formed in 1955 at Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, and was known as the Linc-Tones. Originally featuring members Neil Sedaka, Hank Medress, Eddie Rabkin, and Cynthia Zolotin, Rabkin was replaced by Jay Siegel in 1956, and the band recorded 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 lineup, the band become known as The Tokens in 1960 after they recruited the 13-year-old multi-instrumentalist and first tenor Mitch Margo and his baritone brother Phil Margo, plus guitarist Joe Venneri.

In early 1961, The Tokens released a single for Warwick Records entitled "Tonight I Fell In Love," which went to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned them an opportunity to appear on American Bandstand. The popularity that the band garnered as a result of this performance brought them new recording opportunities, culminating in their cover of Solomon Linda's "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" for the RCA Victor. It rose to #1 on the Billboard chart, where it remained for three weeks. Both "Tonight I Fell in Love" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.[1]

From 1962 to 1970, the group released nine more songs that made it into the Top 100, including "I Hear Trumpets Blow" (1964) and "Portrait of My Love" (1967). Beginning in 1963, the Tokens also began serving as producers for other artists, such as The Chiffons, Randy & the Rainbows, and The Happenings. Their company was called Bright Tunes Productions and they also have their own record label, B. T. Puppy Records. In 1973, Medress left the group and Siegel teamed with the Margo Brothers to form the group Cross Country, which would encounter some success with its cover of "In the Midnight Hour." The Tokens would reunite in 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 called "A Victim of Gravity".[2]

Today, brothers Mitch and Philip Margo continue to perform with new members Jay Leslie, Mike Johnson and Noah Margo (one of Margo's sons) on drums. Mitch's sons, Damien and Ari Margo also make occasional guest performances with the band, exemplifying Phil Margo's saying that "If you hang around long enough you can grow your own band."[3]

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. Siegel's son is also in 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;[4] Rezzonico had replaced Richie Grasso[5] in the 1990s.

Legal controversy

Decades after receiving no publishing credit for their specific original musical composition within "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the band went to court in order to regain some of these publishing rights. However, the case was thrown out due to the statute of limitations. To this day The Tokens claim that some of the original musical composition in the 1961 hit was created by them, even though they have not been awarded this status through their record label.

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 Madress suggested the name. But in a competing suit filed in California by Siegel, he claims Siegel, Madress, and Sedaka released an album named Neil Sedaka and The Tokens before Sedaka moved on.[6] 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 in 1958, named, Neil Sedaka and The Tokens and Coins.[7]

Album discography

1Cross Country was released by three members of The Tokens under the band name Cross Country.

Production work

As well as being performing and recording artists The Tokens were also record producers. Here are some of the records they produced:

Awards and recognition

The Tokens were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

In 1998, The Tokens made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, for performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in the United States and Canada.

Band members

Classic lineup

Original Tokens

Current groups

Jay Siegel's Tokens
  • Jay Siegel (original lead vocalist)
  • Bill Reid
  • Jay Traynor
The Margo Brothers' Tokens
  • Mitch Margo - Lead Singer, Guitar
  • Phil Margo - Vocals, Percussion
  • Jay Leslie - Vocals, Horns
  • Mike Johnson - Vocals, Keyboard
  • Noah Margo - Drums
  • Ari Margo - Guest Performer, Vocals
  • Damien Margo - Guest Performer, Vocals, Drums

References

  1. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  2. ^ DVD credits, Schoolhouse Rock!: Special 30th Anniversary Edition, 2002.
  3. ^ "Who Are The Tokens?". Retrieved April 14 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Books.google.com
  5. ^ Myspace.com
  6. ^ Nypost.com
  7. ^ Neilsedaka.com
  8. ^ Joe Venneri website

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Tokens&oldid=357646337"