The Demensions

The '50s vocal group The Demensons came together at Christopher Columbus High School in The Bronx, NY., as The Melody Singers, but soon afterwards changed their name to The Demensions (to be just a bit different they spelled it with an "e" instead of an "i"). They went for a more structured, sophisticated sound than your average "doo-wop" group, helped along by Lou Dell, the father of member Lenny Del Guidice and a professional trumpet player. He helped them to rehearse and streamline their sound, and eventually got them an audition with a small local label, Mohawk Records. At that audition they sang "Over the Rainbow", made famous by Judy Garland in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Label executives were impressed enough to sign them and schedule a recording session with the group singing that song. However, shortly before the session was to start, member Charlie Peterson dropped out. Fortunately for the group, he was replaced by Lenny Del Guidice's uncle, Phil Del Guidice. The record was released in May of 1960 and immediately started rising up the charts on the East Coast, and by July it had charted nationally. The next year Mohawk Records sold the group's contract to Coral Records, a bigger label that could give them national distribution. Unfortunately their next few releases for Coral, all in the style of "Over the Rainbow", went nowhere. In 1963 their recording of the old standard "My Foolish Heart" finally did hit the charts, if only at #95. In late 1963 member Marisa Martelli left the group to get married. Now a trio, the group stayed together and performed mostly on the East Coast, mainly in the New York area and at a variety of Catskill Mountains resorts.