The Marcels were a doo-wop group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Cornelius Harp (lead), Fred Johnson (bass), Gene Bricker, Ron Mundy, and Richard Knauss. In 1961, Richard Knauss and Gene Bricker left and were replaced by Allen Johnson (brother of Fred) and Walt Maddox. Ron Mundy left the group soon after their departure. In 1962, Cornelius Harp and Allen Johnson left, and were replaced by Richard Harris and William Herndon. A brief reunion of the original members took place in 1973 and the group made several recordings in 1975 with original lead vocalist Cornelius Harp. In 1961 "Blue Moon" sold a million copies and is featured in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The Marcels were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Their 1961 hit "Blue Moon" was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1934 film Manhattan Melodrama . Rodgers hated this version of the song so much that he took out ads in British newspapers urging the public not to buy it. His plea fell on deaf ears; the song reached #1 on both British and US charts.
Members have included Cornelius Harp (d. 2013), Fred Johnson , Gene Bricker (d. 1983), Ronald Mundy , Richard Knauss , Allen Johnson , Walt Maddox, Richard Harris, William Herndon, Jules Hopson, Richard Merritt, Ted Smith.
