A lighthearted and loving look back at the glory days of the Shady Dell, the historic haven for teenagers in York, PA, and the magnanimous couple that created it, John & Helen Ettline.
CLOSE YOUR EYES. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. OPEN YOUR HEART.
SHADY DEL KNIGHT, ADMINISTRATOR
High School Yearbook Photo
"More than a place, the Shady Dell was and will forever remain a state of mind." Shady Del Knight
HELLO STRANGER ..... IT SEEMS LIKE A MIGHTY LONG TIME!
You know the drill. I'll give you a line or two of lyrics taken from five of the most popular Dell songs of the mid 1960s. Your job is to Name That Tune. Put on your thinking cap. Here are the lyric samples for the next five Dell songs:
you give me the joy this heart of mine has always been longing for.
Pleasant memories are comin' back to me. Can't you remember the way it used to be?
grab the rope, and I'll pull you in
The time to hesitate is through
(#171 is the high energy instrumental B side of "Karate Boogaloo" by the the Emperors, the garage funk band from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.)
Listen to one of New York's finest white vocal groups...
THE IMAGINATIONS
Driven by the sweet falsetto of lead vocalist Frank Mancuso, The Imaginations, a white vocal group from Long Island, NY, produced quintessential Brooklyn-Italian style street corner doo-wop recordings.
The Imaginations formed in 1961 and their first single release that year was double dynamite. The B side of the record was "The Search is Over," a slow drag snuggler every bit as good as "There's a Moon Out Tonight."
"The Search Is Over" - The Imaginations (April 1961, uncharted)
The A side, "Goodnight Baby," was an uptempo, Dion & the Belmonts style recording that featured King Curtis on sax. The Imaginations performed up tempo doo-wop material as well as any of their contemporaries.
"Goodnight Baby" - The Imaginations (1961, uncharted)
The Imaginations second 45 had "Guardian Angel" as the jump tempo A side backed with the ballad B side "Hey You." Both sides attracted attention and radio play was split, preventing the record from reaching the national chart. Nevertheless, "Hey You" is remembered as one of the most popular vocal group recordings in the greater New York area during the early 60s. Listen and you'll understand why.
"Hey You" - The Imaginations (1961, uncharted)
Ron, I cheated and peeked at your play list
in advance.An't no doubt about it, today's
lineup is all killer, no filler! Play away!
THE RAYS
Shady, listening to Herman's Hermits in one of your posts a few months ago made me think of "Silhouettes", and I think that Peter Noone and his English group used a strange/unique arrangement on it, but I still like it. It's the song itself, and the irony of this insecure, jealous guy going for a walk and freaking out, only to realize that with these row houses in the city, every block looks the same and he got on the wrong one. Even though it's a more fun version, the record by Herman's Hermitslacks the "feel" of the Rays' original. "Silhouettes" is probably one of the most definitive songs of the old "American Bandstand" when it was still in Phila- delphia. That, and the Diamonds singing "The Stroll".
"Silhouettes" - The Rays (January 1958, highest chart position #3)
The Rays did a follow-up on a different label which didn't do as well. I think it may have broken into WSBA's Top 40, but it didn't receive a lot of airplay there. Dick Clark treated it well, however. My introduction to Claude Debussy.
"Magic Moon (Clair De Lune)" - The Rays (October 1961, highest chart position #49)
Ron, your doo-wop Rays made me think of our Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. Filed
in my memory under "50s R&B/baseball" is Arthur Lee Maye, a baseball player turned doo-wopper! Isn't that how everybody's brain works?
ARTHUR LEE MAYE
AND THE CROWNS
Former major league baseball player Arthur Lee Maye was also a major league talent in the recording studio. With his group The Crowns, Arthur waxed some excellent slow doo-wop in the mid 1950s. Maye's best recordings were for Dig Records, the label owned by Johnny Otis. My Pick to Click is "This is the Night for Love," featuring Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns accompanied by Johnny Otis and his orchestra.
"This is the Night for Love" - Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns (1956, uncharted)
THE SHELLS
Formed in 1956, the black Brooklyn doo-wop group the Shells had only one hit to their name and it took quite some time to become one. In 1957 the group released the excellent ballad "Baby Oh Baby" on Johnson Records but their single failed to chart. "Baby Oh Baby" was re-released in December of 1960, entered the pop chart on Christmas day, and brushed the top 20 in the winter of 1961.
"Baby Oh Baby" - The Shells (February 1961, highest chart position #21)
In 1958 the Shells released a slow drag teenage malt shop lament entitled "Sippin' Soda."
"Sippin' Soda" - The Shells (1958, uncharted)
Ron, we're doo-woppin'
and there's no stoppin'!
What's next on your list?
THE SEVILLES
Shady, one of my favorite songs from the early days of the Delchords was the Sevilles, "Charlena". This song was popular at the Oaks. "Charlena" - The Sevilles (February 1961, highest chart position #84)
The flip side of "Charlena" is a doo-wop ballad called "Loving You (Is My Desire)" which was also frequently requested on Rock 180.
"Loving You (Is My Desire)" - The Sevilles (February 1961, uncharted)
Ron, please permit me to chime in with an example of a swing era smoothie that got a dandy doo-wop makeover!
THE CHIMES
The Chimes were another great white doo-wop vocal group from Brooklyn. Lenny Cocco and his mates originally picked the name Capris but changed it when they learned it was already being used by another white doo-wop act from the area, the ones who cracked the top 5 with "There's a Moon Out Tonight." Lenny's dad urged the Chimes to wax a cover of the standard "Once in a While" which had been a hit in 1937 for big band leader Tommy Dorsey. The idea paid off with a hit for the Chimes that just missed the top 10. "Once in a While" - The Chimes (February 1961, highest chart position #11)
Ron, in Volume 6 we found out
how great the
Cellos sounded. Looks like the harpwas the
inspiration
behind your final spin of the day.
THE HARPTONES
FEATURING WINNIE WINFIELD
Right you are, Shady. The Harptones were originally known as The Harps but later changed their name to avoid being confused with a gospel group of the same name. The Harptones aka Harp-Tones formed in Harlem in 1953 with Winnie Winfield on lead and Raoul Cita as pianist, arranger and guiding force of the act. The Harptones did one thing very well and stuck with it -- they sang mellow ballads and never dabbled with jump rhythm or rock and roll as did most other groups. Although one of the best loved R&B doo-wop groups of the 50s, the Harptones never had a hit on the pop chart and none of their records ever showed up on the R&B chart. "Since I Fell For You" is the jazz and pop standard that was a top 5 hit for Lenny Welch in 1963. Itwas composed in 1945 by Buddy Johnson and was first made popular that year by Buddy's sister Ella Johnson accompanied by Buddy and his Orchestra. In 1954 the Harptones released their own version of the pretty blues ballad. Excellent though it was the record nevertheless remained uncharted. "Since I Fell For You" - The Harptones (November 1954, uncharted)
Ron, to save you from
getting carpal tunnel let
me bring our super series
to a close with two more
that make old school cool.
THE RIVINGTONS
The Los Angeles R&B quartet the Rivingtons are best known for their early 60s novelty dance numbers "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," "Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "The Bird's the Word."
"Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow (the Bird)," the sequel to the top 50 hit "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" didn't perform nearly as well on the chart, bubbling under for one week at #106. However, the dance ditty carried a superb doo-wop ballad on its back, a killer bee called "Waiting." I'm thinking the Rivingtons might be the best kept secret in the doo-wop category!
"Waiting" - The Rivingtons (January 1963, uncharted B side of "Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow {the Bird}")
The Rivingtons nail it to the wall and just plain destroy with an impassioned ballad called "Cherry," the bombastic B side of "Little Sally Walker."
"Cherry" - The Rivingtons (August 1963, B side of "Little Sally Walker," both sides uncharted)
And so ends our colossal 7 part Dueling Doo-Wops series.
In mid September of 1967 I arrived at the main campus of Penn State University to commence four years of higher learning. Turned out to be four years of high and yearning... yearning to get back home to the Dell! One of the first things I learned was a new word: jammy. A jammy was an open invitation dance on campus and I attended one the very first weekend. The rec hall in which it was held was jammed with collegians dancing to records. A couple of weeks later I was invited to a very different type of happening - a fraternity party. I was eager to find out if Delta house was anything like My Della Ratta.
It was at that Greek orgy... a wild-and-woolly toga party
at an off campus fraternity house, that I first listened and danced to Disraeli Gears, the latest album by Cream, the British psychedelic blues band made up of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. "Strange Brew," "Sunshine of Your Love" and three other album tracks burned a hole in my soul that night. The party was an eerie spectacle. Strobe lights flashed, shedding the only available light on a basement dance floor that was flooded at least an inch deep in beer. Dark as it was in that cavern I wasn't about to remove my shades because they looked cool and I felt cool wearing them. (I wear my sunglasses at night.) Incense & pepper-
mints permeated the musky atmosphere. I watched in awe as a couple of toga clad Belushis "swam" across the floor through the suds! Strange brew, indeed! I realized wasn't in Kansas anymore. In that pit of pleasure a band called Cream transported me to a "World of Pain."
"World of Pain" - Cream (album track from Disraeli Gears, November 1967)
"I Feel Free" is the best way to describe the sensation that swept over me at that rowdy Greek frat bash. As I listened to "Tales of Brave Ulysses" I experienced the same sense of freedom and liberation that I had two years earlier the first time I crossed the threshold of the Shady Dell.
"Tales of Brave Ulysses" - Cream (album track from Disraeli Gears, November 1967)
The song "Swlabr" ("She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow") was typical of the mindbending lyrics found on Disraeli Gears. The top 40 umbilical to which I had clung for so many years was severed forever that night. With wall-to-wall bodies gyrating to the psyched out sounds of that Brit blues band and with all manner of mischief and mayhem taking place, the smoky, liquored-up subterranean lair of that frat house resembled
a scene from Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls!
"Swlabr" - Cream (album track from Disraeli Gears, November 1967)
THE CARRIE NATIONS
THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, the 1970 cult classic co-written by Chicago Sun Times movie critic Roger Ebert, centered around a fictional female rock trio called the
Carrie Nations, a name bestowed upon them by the Phil Spectorish young record producer Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell.
The actresses who portrayed the Carrie Nations rocked the look but lacked singing talent. Vocals for the girl group were therefore provided by Lynn Carey and Barbara Robinson and dubbed in on the soundtrack. Throughout the film the Carrie Nations performed songs that captured the essence of the trippy psychedelic scene that was Hollywood in the late 60s.
If there's one motion picture, one soundtrack that instantly flashes me back to that time, makes every cell in my body come alive and makes me feel young, this is the one.
THE WORLD IS FULL OF THEM,
THE SUPER-OCTANE GIRLS
WHO ARE OLD AT TWENTY...
IF THEY GET TO BE TWENTY!
"Find It' - Carrie Nations (June 1970, motion picture soundtrack Beyond the Valley of the Dolls)
COME WITH THE GENTLE PEOPLE
SPREAD LOVE ACROSS THE LAND
COME WITH THE GENTLE PEOPLE
WE'RE THE ONLY ONES
WHO UNDERSTAND
"Come With the Gentle People" - Carrie Nations (June 1970, motion picture soundtrack Beyond the Valley of the Dolls)
BEHOLD THE WORLD OF
THE BIZARRE AND BEAUTIFUL.
IN A SCENE LIKE THIS
YOU GET A CONTACT HIGH.
"Sweet Talkin' Candy Man" - Carrie Nations (June 1970, motion picture soundtrack Beyond the Valley of the Dolls)
YOU'VE GONE DOWN, SO FAR DOWN
NOW WHEN YOU TURN AROUNNND
LOOK ON UP, AT THE BOTTOM
LOOK ON DOWN, AT YOUR LUCK
"Look on Up at the Bottom" - Carrie Nations (June 1970, motion picture soundtrack Beyond the Valley of the Dolls)
“Words and photographs could never do those dancers justice because you had to be there - in a club with great music, like minded people and loads of atmosphere.” David Meikle of Glasgow, Scotland wrote those words in an article remembering the Twisted Wheel, the legendary northern soul club in Manchester, England. Yet, Mr. Meikle could just as easily have been describing the scene at my favorite "in" spot of the 1960s, the Shady Dell in York (Pennsylvania, not England).
THE SHADY DELL
YORK, PENNSYLVANIA
The Shady Dell: Part of York County's Colorful History
What began as a home based restaurant and bakery in 1945 evolved over the next two decades into the hottest teen nightspot in York county complete with indoor and outdoor dance floors. It went beyond that. Shady Dell owner John Ettline and his wife Helen put out the welcome mat offering hospitality, comfort, support, and encouragement to generations of young people. During its impressive 45-year life span the Dell became a home away from home for countless area youth from a variety of backgrounds.
At the height of its popularity in the early and mid 60s the Dell, located on the southern outskirts of the White Rose city, was as widely known as North York’s White Oak Park ("the Oaks"), Harrisburg's Raven club, or any other youth-oriented venue in central Pennsylvania. The Dell attracted crowds from all over the region. It brought together under one roof kids from middle class families and kids from working class families - city kids, suburban kids, small town kids and farm kids.
The diverse cast of characters that constituted the Shady Dell family was a potentially volatile mix. Each of us had to find a way to fit in and get along (or risk being voted off the island). In the end, in spite of our differences, most of us learned to dance together without stepping on each other’s toes.
'Dell rats' as we were called had at least two things in common: a love of the music that played on the Dell’s jukebox and a genuine respect for John and Helen Ettline who graciously made their home our home.
GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
The Dell was a unique, magical coming of age experience - a proving ground - a secluded hideaway where adolescents could develop social skills, learn to handle responsibility, and test the waters of adulthood free from the hassles of ubiquitous adult micromanagement.
SHOCKING TRUE CONFESSION: I WAS A TEENAGE DELL RAT! by Shady Del Knight
I became a Dell rat in 1965 at the age of fifteen. Disparaging rumors about the place had been circulating for years. If you were to believe the gossip, the Dell was a snake pit where bad boys and bad girls went to do bad things. Some people, including my mother, referred to the Dell as a “den of iniquity.” Intrigued by the horror stories, I was determined to get there and see for myself what all the fuss was about.
In preparation for my grand entrance, I subjected myself to weeks of rigorous training at a Shady Dell boot camp of my own devise. I grew my hair longer and took up the smoking habit. I practiced in front of a mirror until I was convinced that my stance, walk, and dancing style were all cool.
To complete my extreme makeover, I went shopping for my 'uniform' which consisted of a tapered shirt from the Hub, slacks by H.I.S., and two wardrobe essentials: a pair of blue Jack Purcell sneakers and the all-important Baracuta jacket "Made in England." Wearing my 'Cuta' made me feel so terribly, terribly British, you know. Spot on for us bird watchin' blokes, right gov'na?
'JACKS'
AN ABSOLUTE MUST...FOR DANCIN' ON DELL DUST!
THE CLASSIC TAN BARACUTA
STRICTLY CONTINENTAL, MATE!
Moment of Truth: Boy Meets Dell
Too young to drive, I made my first Dell visit happen by bumming a ride one night with my college-age cousin and two of his buddies. Clearly, none of the above was thrilled to be babysitting.
As we drove past York Hospital on South George and headed toward Violet Hill, what began as giddy anticipation was turning to apprehension. Fear of the unknown started creeping into my brain. What if the rumors turned out to be true? Would I soon be sharing a needle with a gang of rowdy bikers?
At Violet Hill, we made a dogleg turn to the right and began climbing the narrow, winding and bumpy Starcross Road. By now, my breathing had become labored and I felt queasy. It was as if, on a foolish dare, I had agreed to spend the night with Vincent Price in his House on Haunted Hill. Was it too late to leap from the car and bolt?
"I See the Lights... I See the Party Lights..."
We rounded a bend and I caught my first glimpse of her a short distance up the road. Perched on the hillside was a three-story brick house and, down to the left, a barn. The festive glow of colored lights rose skyward from an area behind the house. The atmospheric illumination, as I would soon learn, originated from strings of lanterns hanging above a patio rigged with remote speakers for outdoor dancing.
We banked to make our final approach, and I detected the percussive beat of uptempo music that was emanating from the barn and terrace and projecting outward across the surrounding countryside. We turned left into a gravel parking lot that was overflowing with vehicles. Here, in all of her rustic splendor, stood the infamous Shady Dell, my destination for the evening and my obsession for years to come!
I Found My Thrill on Violet Hill
My heart was thumping as we climbed the steps that led to the entrance and approached the admission booth. Following my cousin’s lead, I slid a quarter through the window and looked up to see a balding, bespectacled old man grinning back at me. Old? John Ettline would have been 59 at the time. I'm older than that now. Yikes!
“Good evening, gentlemen!” John delivered his cheerful salutation in a booming baritone. Immediately, my anxiety vanished. John’s warm welcome made me feel right at home. It made me feel like I belonged. Although I didn’t get it at the time, John’s presupposition that we were "gentlemen" was a clever and tactful way of admonishing us to behave accordingly.
Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore!
From the moment I entered the compound, I was hooked. The Dell was a private playground for teenagers - a candy land - a fun factory - a safe haven where kids could congregate and blow off steam without having to worry about parents and teachers giving them the evil eye. Instantly, I became intoxicated - not by alcohol - but by a sense of total freedom. Moreover, there was a vibe in the air at the Dell that was completely new to me – an exhilarating blend of romance, adventure and danger!
Instead of placing a ton of restrictions on their young patrons, John and Helen granted us the independence teenagers crave. The Ettlines were willing to take a step back and trust our judgment. It was okay for us to party as long as things didn’t get out of hand. Most of us eagerly embraced that arrangement. If and when we screwed up, the Ettlines gave us another chance. John and Helen cut you plenty of slack, but if you disrespected them or trashed their establishment both were capable of unleashing a fiery temper.
Of Rats and Men
Contrary to popular belief, the Dell did not harbor gangs of juvenile delinquents eager to conceal their wicked deeds from law enforcement. Sorry, Mom - there weren’t any guns, switchblades or brass knuckles - no gangs, career criminals or prostitutes - just a bunch of ordinary teenagers who loved to meet, mix and mingle, dance and have fun.
Fights were few and far between. There was tacit agreement that it was our duty to preserve and protect the unique setting that the Ettlines had created for us. It required us to police ourselves to prevent incidents that would generate negative publicity or hassles with the law. Scuffles were settled quickly, often through John’s bold intervention. One of the first lessons a guy learned at the Dell was: don’t let the gray hair fool you - nobody messes with John - he’s the boss!
A Special Welcome to All Incoming Freshmen!
I got punched in the face three times during my first year of matriculation on the campus of the Shady Dell School of Hard Knocks. Apparently, a few of the guys were determined to teach me a lesson. Yet, such incidents could not dampen my enthusiasm or scare me away from the place. In fact, they had the opposite effect - they whet my appetite for more! As a Dell newbie desperate to break free of mom’s apron strings and earn respect and acceptance, I wasn’t about to let a bloody nose deter me. For the first time in my life, I felt like a man instead of a boy and I loved it. Just like Secret Agent Man, I was living a life of danger. I was addicted to the rush!
Determined to create an image that would allow me to blend in, appeal to the ladies, and avoid becoming a frequent target of the tribe's dominant males, I engaged in a good deal of posing, posturing and pretending. I decided that it would be advantageous for me to look tough, even though I wasn't. Whenever I strolled into the dance hall, I made sure that my hair was messed up, my shirt tail was hanging out, a lit cigarette was dangling from my lips, and my game face was on.
One afternoon before anybody else arrived, my best friend and I rolled around on the dance floor of the barn so that we could properly break-in our new Baracuta jackets by getting them coated with Dell dust. This drove my mother crazy. She kept asking me how I got my jacket so badly soiled. She was even more perplexed when I forbade her to get it cleaned. How could I explain to her that I didn’t want to risk weakening my status with the other guys by wearing a clean jacket?
In my mom’s day, the ideal guy wore a white sportcoat and a pink carnation. His hair was neatly cropped, oiled down and slicked back off his forehead. That look would have spelled social suicide at the Dell in the mid 60s. My goal was to look like I had just been in a fight at reform school, and if I got my uniform dirty or bloodied in combat, it was a GOOD thing.
Helen & John Ettline
Shady Dell Owners
Helen and John: Not Your Typical Mom and Pop
Even by mid 60s standards, John Ettline seemed part of a vanishing breed of men. John never called me by my first name. He always chose to address me as “Mr. Knight." John maintained that friendly formality through all the years I knew him. I’m very glad he did. John always made me feel important when he added the title “Mr.” to my name. Making insecure teenagers feel good about themselves was John’s greatest gift. He always treated young people with dignity and respect and that made them want to return it.
Along with his outstanding people skills, John possessed a photographic memory. He could always match a face with a name. He seemed to know a lot about anything or anybody that you happened to be discussing. John Ettline had a million stories to tell - all of them interesting.
Although old enough to be our grandparents, there was no generation gap between the Ettlines and their teenage guests. They seemed to remember better than other grown-ups what it was like to be young. John and Helen stayed in touch and in tune with the youth culture. Never was that more in evidence than one day at the York Fair in September, 1968. I was sitting in the grandstand awaiting the start of the James Brown concert. I turned around to search the crowd for familiar faces and there, a few rows behind me, sat Helen and John. In a year when racial tension was running high in York and elsewhere, it was remarkable to see a white couple in their 60s at a James Brown concert, chanting along with the rest of us, “Say It Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud!”
John and Helen were cool. Young people felt at ease talking with them. Unlike many adults, John and Helen listened to us. They cared without preaching or judging. The Ettlines treated their teen visitors like extended family. They believed in the potential of every young person, including troubled youth from broken homes. They spoke to us about the value of an education and honest hard work. They sponsored athletic programs and honored America’s armed forces. They shaped young lives by instilling a sense of pride and self esteem. John and Helen went out of their way to make all of their kids feel like somebody - even those whose families were telling them they were nobody.
The Dell Jukebox: ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER!
Upon arriving on the Dell scene, I soon realized that the jukebox in the barn was loaded with the greatest, most danceable records to be found anywhere. There were quite a few songs that I had never heard before, and would never hear anywhere else. The music that played nightly at the Dell was consistently better than that being played on top 40 radio. During the mid 60s, the musical menu at the Dell was a combination of Motown, northern soul, blue-eyed soul, Memphis sound, southern r&b, British beat, girl group, American pop and folk-rock, plus a few do-wop favorites held over from the 50s.
Shady Dell regulars prided themselves on having radar for cool. Year in and year out, they discovered and popularized songs that radio stations across the country had somehow overlooked. Records that lingered near the bottom of the national chart often became cherished classics at the Dell. Forgotten flips were elevated to mega-hit status by Dell rats unfettered by the limitations of radio play lists.
Certain songs resonated with the Dell crowd to such an extent that they remained on the jukebox for years. The best example of this phenomenon is the song that I picked as #1 on my survey of the 200 Greatest Hits Of The Shady Dell. That song was still one of the most popular selections on the Dell’s jukebox a dozen years after its initial release in the 50s! That very special song, the greatest and longest lasting Shady Dell hit of all time, was "Close Your Eyes" by the Five Keys!
THE FIVE KEYS
"Close Your Eyes" Ranked #1
Del-Chords & Magnificent Men
Another mighty evergreen at the Dell was "Everybody’s Gotta Lose Someday," an intense, power-packed r&b/soul ballad by the Del-Chords, a racially mixed group from York. Released in 1964, the record was still being played heavily two years later, jamming the floor with slow dancers several times a night. Dave Bupp and Buddy King, lead vocalists from the Del-Chords, eventually merged with band members from Harrisburg’s Endells to form the blue-eyed soul group, the Magnificent Men. The “Mag Men,” as we called them, were white guys who had a passion for black music and the vocal talent and musicianship to authentically perform it. Their awesome, inspirational ballad "Peace of Mind" became the first in an impressive string of Dell hits for our hometown heroes.
Magnificent Men
HEAVY HITTERS AT THE DELL!
The Emperors of Harrisburg
Records by the Emperors, another home-grown act, were also enormously popular with Dell dancers. The Emperors, a black group from the state capital, became leading exponents of the “Harrisburg sound,” a blend of r&b, soul and Latin influences. "Karate," the Emperors’ best known recording, was the first of eight raw, funky, organ-driven numbers to achieve hit status at the Dell in 1966 and 1967.
THE EMPERORS
DELL ROYALTY - THEY RULED!
End of an Era
Once addicted to the Dell, I pretty much lived there until the fall of 1967 when I left York to attend an institution of higher learning. Over the next four years, I visited my Dell family whenever possible during holidays, spring breaks, and summer vacations. My stint as a Dell rat officially ended in 1971 when I found a job in another city and moved away from York for good.
My final visit to the Dell came in March of 1984 when my career took me out of state. My last piece of business before leaving was to drop in at the Dell and say a final goodbye. I entered the house to find John sitting on a stool at the lunch counter reading the newspaper. “Well, hello stranger!” John bellowed, rising to his feet and extending his hand. “Long time no see, Mr. Knight!" After shaking hands with John and exchanging a few pleasantries, I inquired about Helen. I was stunned to learn that she had passed away a few weeks earlier. I never got the news! John and I stood alone in Helen’s snack bar, reminiscing about the good old days and lamenting how much things had changed since the Dell’s golden era.
After a brief chat, I excused myself and walked down the sidewalk to check out the barn. The old dance hall was dimly lit and nearly vacant. The only customers were two boys with shoulder length hair standing by the jukebox with a couple of girls. No music was playing. The place was dead - or at least in the final lonely stages of life. If it had been twenty years earlier, the joint would have been jumpin’. The four young people eyed me suspiciously. Is this guy a narc? I put myself in their combat boots and realized that the sight of a stranger in his mid thirties was probably making this new generation of Dell rats uncomfortable. I promptly exited the barn and returned to the house to bid farewell to John.
That night marked the last time I ever saw John or entered the Shady Dell. I made one final pilgrimage in 1988 when I returned to Pennsylvania to visit my parents. I drove up to the Dell one afternoon with every intention of going inside. I’m sure I would have encountered a smiling John Ettline who would have immediately remembered my name. Yet, I never got out of the car. I chose not to enter because I didn’t want to further contaminate my memories by seeing how much older John looked and how much more dilapidated the Dell had become. All I could do was sit there in the parking lot gazing at the barn, the house, the bench, and the steps to the admission booth where the whole journey started. My mind flooded with a thousand memories of the people, the place, and the time of my life.
John Ettline closed the Dell in the fall of 1991. He died at the beginning of 1993. John’s family auctioned off the restaurant equipment, signage and other Dell paraphernalia in the spring of that year.
(Mike Argento's 1993 article in the York Daily Record was used as a reference source for portions of this cover story.)
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