The Demensions (Bronx, New York)   
(With Hans-Joachim)

Personnel :

Lenny Del Giudice (Lenny Dell) (Lead)

Howard Margolin 

Uncle Phil Del Giudice 

Marisa Martelli

Discography : 

Singles : 

1960 - Over The Rainbow / Nursery Rhyme Rock (Mohawk 116)
1960 - Don't Take Your Love From Me / Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (Mohawk 120)
1960 - Ave Maria / God's Christmas (Mohawk 121)
1960 - A Tear Fell / Theresa (Mohawk 123)
1961 - Count Your Blessings / Again (Coral 62277)
1961 - As Time Goes By / Seven Days A Week (Coral 62293/65611)
1962 - Young At Heart / Your Cheatin' Heart (Coral 62323)
1963 - My Foolish Heart / Just One More Chance (Coral 62344)
1963 - Fly Me To The Moon / You'll Never Know (Coral 62359)
1963 - Just A Shoulder To Cry On / Don't Worry About Bobby (Coral 62382)
1963 - Don't Cry, Pretty Baby / A Little White Gardenia (Coral 62392)
1964 - This Time Next Year / My Old Girl Friend (Coral 62432)
1966 - Over The Rainbow / Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (Coral 65559)
1966 - As Time Goes By / My Foolish Heart (Coral 65611) 

 Unreleased :
n/a - Sweet Georgia Brown

Lps : 

1963 - Again / Your Cheatin' Heart / My Foolish Heart / Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart / Take My Love / Just One More Chance / As Time Goes By / Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep / Over The Rainbow / Seven Days A Week / Young At Heart / Nursery Rhyme Rock (Coral LP 757430) 

1987 - 7 Days A Week / Theresa / China Girl (original version, previously unreleased) / God's Christmas / Ava Maria / Searching (previously unreleased) / Nursery Rhyme Rock / Over The Rainbow / I've Been Searching-(Take 6) / Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart / Don't Take Your Love From Me / Teardrops Fell From My Eyes / Take My Love-(Take 11) / Come With Me (previously unreleased, demo version, piano only) (Crystal Ball LP 108)

Eps :
Lenny Del's Demensions
1993 - Over The Rainbow / The Boy From New York City / Unchained Melody / My Foolish Heart (Landford EP 1001)

Biography :

The ultra-talented quartet started at Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx as members of the Melody Singers, ... As the group wanted a name that suggested the depth of their talent, Howie came up with the Demensions, but to be unique he spelled it with an e. They started practicing songs like "In the Still of the Night" (THE FIVE SATINS), and Over the Rainbow". Though they strived for a sound of their own, their sophisticated harmonies and structure showed the influence of THE SKYLINERS and THE PLATTERS.

Often rehearsing at Howie or Lenny's house in the Pelham Parkway-Laconia Avenue sections of the Bronx, The new quartet began getting some help from Lou Dell, a professional trumpet player and father of Lenny. Lou helped to rehearse the group, and when he felt they were ready he brought word of them to his friend Irv Spice, owner of Mohawk Records (distributed by Laurie).

They auditioned right in Lenny's house for Irv, singing "Over the Rainbow," and the mesmerized Spice set a date to record in April at Dick Charles Studios. One week before the session Charlie Peterson decided to drop out to more seriously pursue his education. A desperate Lenny asked his parents what to do and they calmly responded, "Call Uncle Phil."

 Lenny at first thought his parents were crazy. After all, Uncle Phil was twice his age (though he looked very young) Besides, he wouldn't want to sing rock and roll! He finally called, and to his shock his uncle was flattered and eager to join. Thus the recording Demensions became Lenny (17, lead and second tenor), Marisa ( 18, soprano), Howie (18, baritone/bass), and Uncle Phil Del Giudice (34, first tenor). In May 1960 the unique block-harmony, Garland's 1939 number five hit "Over the Rainbow" came out and immediately started getting airplay in the East. By July 4, 1960, the Demensions had become the first act in 21 years to hit the national charts with it .

After the fourth single, Mohawk made the unusual move of selling the group's contract to Coral Records. On June 9, 1961, the Demensions began recording their first session of three songs with producer/arranger Henry Jerome.  Coral envisioned a return to standards, so the first single was a shuffling, "Rainbow"-styled ballad version of the Doris Day 1949 (#2) hit "Again" with Irving Berlin's "Count your blessing Instead of Sheep" on the flip. "Again" the harmonies were impeccable and the off-the-melody arrangement unique to the Demensions' style, but Coral couldn't sell it to the kids.

The same held true for their November 1961 release of the Rudy Vallee 1931 number 15 (and 1943 #1) hit "As Time Goes By" and the July 1962 single of Frank Sinatra's 1954 number two hit "Young at Heart."
Coral might have done better promoting the flip, a rock harmony effort that revitalized the Hank Williams country hit "Your Cheatin' Heart" and gave the first indication after seven singles that the Demensions could do something other than a ballad. In January 1963 Henry Jerome finally came up with a standard that could mix the old and new workably.

With a "shoo do and shooby do" background right out of the Five Satins' "In the Still of the Night," a brilliant Lenny Dell lead, Marisa's dominating soprano riding the top, and the best overall harmonies since THE SKYLINERS,  "My Foolish Heart" filled East Coast radios and managed to muster  enough action to finally chart on March 2nd, reaching number 95. Two more excellent outings followed in May, a remake of Joe Harnell's 1963 hit ( #14) "Fly Me to the Moon," complete with "ra ta tas" from the Elegants "Little Star", and a rockin version of the Mack Gordon/Harry Warren-scribed Sinatra song (#2, 1943) "You'll Never Know.

 From this point through 1965 the group recorded mostly originals like "A Little White Gardenia" and their last single, "Ting Aling Ting Toy (China Girl)." Conspicuous was the absence of Marisa's top notes; she had left the group to get married toward the end of 1963.  The threesome of Lenny Dell, Phil Del Giudice, and Howie Margolin continued performing mostly at hotels and resorts throughout New York state and in the Catskill Mountains.
Jay Warner (American singing groups)   

Songs :  

   
A tear Fell                                     Theresa  

   
My Foolish Heart                           Seven Days A Week  

   
Just A Shoulder To Cry On                    Again    

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