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The Tokens

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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 original version of the group was formed in 1955 at Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School. Featuring Neil Sedaka, Hank Medress, Eddie Rabkin, and Cynthia Zolotin, the group was known as the Linc-Tones. After Rabkin was replaced by Jay Siegel in 1956, the Linc-Tones recorded their first single, While I Dream (Neil Sedaka sang lead). The next year, Sedaka and Zolotin left the band; Sedaka would go on to make a name for himself as a popular solo artist, and singer-songwriter, during the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, in 1957, Jay and Hank, with two new members, recorded "Picture in my Wallet" as Darrell & the Oxfords, and in 1959 "Come Dance With Me", both featuring Jay Siegel on lead vocals. By 1960, the classic group line-up, now renamed the Tokens, was in place, consisting of Siegel, Medress, and brothers 13-year-old multi-instrumentalist and first tenor Mitch Margo, with baritone brother Phil Margo, nee Margolis.

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 spurred them to an appearance on American Bandstand. This proved to be a prelude to the unleashing of their signature song for RCA, a cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Jay Siegel's characteristic lead vocals helped the song rise all the way to #1, where it remained for three weeks. Decades later, after receiving no publishing credit for their specific original musical composition within the 1961 hit, a court case to regain some of these publishing rights was thrown out of court due to "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. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" remains one of the biggest hit singles ever recorded with all publishing rights still belonging to the original record label while The Tokens hope to one day reap some of these benefits.

From 1962 to 1970, the group put nine more songs in the Top 100, including "I Hear Trumpets Blow" (1964) and "Portrait of My Love" (1967). Beginning in 1963, the Tokens also began producing for other artists, like 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; this trio had a minor hit with their cover of "In the Midnight Hour." The Tokens also performed the Schoolhouse Rock! song "A Victim of Gravity".

Today, brothers Mitch and Philip Margo continue to perform with "new" members Jay Leslie, Mike Johnson and Noah Margo on drums (one of Phil's sons). Mitch's sons, Damien and Ari Margo make guest performances from time to time. As Phil Margo says, "If you hang around long enough you can grow your own band."

Jay Siegel has long performed with his own Tokens group, featuring bass singer Bill Reid and, more recently, Jay Traynor, the original lead singer (before Jay Black) of Jay & the Americans. Siegel's son is also in the group as keyboardist and occasional vocalist, making this Tokens group, too, a family affair.

The original Tokens, minus Hank Medress and plus two current members, reunited in 1999 to perform on the PBS special, "Doo Wop 50." Performances of "Lion" and "Tonight I Fell in Love" are available, with some effort, on DVD and VHS, respectively. Medress died in June 2007.

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:

"He’s So Fine" by The Chiffons

"One Fine Day" by The Chiffons

"Denise" by Randy & The Rainbows

"See You In September" by The Happenings

"I Got Rhythm" by The Happenings

"Go Away Little Girl" by The Happenings

"Candida" by Tony Orlando & Dawn

"Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando & Dawn

"Tie A Yellow Ribbon" by Tony Orlando & Dawn

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

Original Group


Current Group

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