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 (help·info)).
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 Jay and Hank, 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 Jay and Hank recruited 13-year-old multi-instrumentalist and first tenor Mitch Margo and his baritone brother Phil Margo.
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 famous cover of Solomon Linda's "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" for the Radio Corporation of America. Jay Siegel's characteristic lead vocals helped the song rise to #1 on the Billboard charts, where it remained for three weeks.
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). During this period the group also recorded the song "A Victim of Gravity," which was featured on Schoolhouse Rock!. Beginning in 1963, the Tokens also began serving as producers for other artists, such as the Chiffons, Randy & the Rainbows, and the Happenings. 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".
Today, brothers Mitch and Philip Margo continue to perform with "new" members Jay Leslie, Mike Johnson and Noah Margo (one of Phil'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."
Jay 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.
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. "Lion "remains one of the biggest hit singles ever recorded with all publishing rights still belonging to the original record label.
Album discography
1Cross Country was released by 3 members of The Tokens under the band name Cross Country.
Producing
As well as being performing and recording artists The Tokens became very successful record producers. Here are some of the records they produced:
Awards & 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
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
External links
|
