A member of the group, The Marcels, known for the hit doo-wop song “Blue Moon” and for reviving the genre in the 1980s and 1990s, has died.
Walt Maddox was 88 years old.
Maddox, according to his obituary, died on March 30 and passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.
The Marcels started in Pittsburgh in 1959 and “helped establish the golden age of doo-wop,” Soultracks.com said.
“The Marcels carved out a distinctive niche by blending traditional doo-wop harmonies with a playful, almost comedic rhythmic bounce—an approach that would help them stand apart in a crowded field‚” the website said of the group’s performances.
The group was initially made up of multi-racial performers, but after challenges, particularly in the South, The Marcels reinvented itself with the lead singer Cornelius Harp, Fred Johnson and Maddox.
Their biggest hit was “Blue Moon,” released in 1961, and was part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 500 songs that shaped rock music.
“Blue Moon” made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 3, 1961, before Maddox joined, staying at the top for three weeks. It was The Marcels’ only Hot 100 No. 1, but they also hit the charts with “Heartaches,” “My Melancholy Baby,” and “Summertime.”
The group stayed together until 1962. They came back together in 1972, and again in the 1990s, still performing into the 2010s, PennLive.com reported.
Several iterations of The Marcels toured in multi-act doo-wop shows, with SoulTracks.com calling Walt Maddox & The Marcels one of the most popular.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Maddox left behind his wife of 44 years, their daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his siblings and nieces and nephews, according to his obituary.
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