The Mello-Kings

The Mello-Kings were a doo-wop group who became popular in the late 1950s. Despite the fact that their only hit, "Tonite Tonite", never climbed higher than number 77 in the US charts, the single is still considered one of the most popular group harmony recordings of the era, more than three decades after its initial release. The group consisted of brothers Jerry and Bob Scholl, Eddie Quinn, Neil Arena and Larry Esposito. The quintet was formed in 1956 at a high school in Mount Vernon, New York, USA, under the guidance of manager Dick Levister. Originally named the Mellotones, the group was signed to the Herald label. "Tonite Tonite" was written by Billy Myles, a staff composer for the label. The group was forced to change its name after the single's release, as another group had already claimed Mellotones. The record lasted only 10 weeks in the US pop, and the group was never able to repeat this success. The group appeared in revival shows in the late 60's and early 70's. In 1975, lead singer Bob Scholl was tragically killed in a boating accident. The group disappeared from the scene for a couple of years until around 1977 when Jerry Scholl started it back up again. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.