A lighthearted and loving look back at the glory days of the Shady Dell, the historic haven for teenagers in York, PA, and the magnanimous couple that created it, John & Helen Ettline.
CLOSE YOUR EYES. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. OPEN YOUR HEART.
SHADY DEL KNIGHT, ADMINISTRATOR
High School Yearbook Photo
"More than a place, the Shady Dell was and will forever remain a state of mind." - Shady Del Knight
HELLO STRANGER ... IT SEEMS LIKE A MIGHTY LONG TIME!
Living Dell Rat." Margaret's father built the Dell
and she and her family were the first people to
occupy the estate starting when Margaret was
only a one year old child. Now the dear little girl whose very long life we have enjoyed reading about and from whom we learned many valuable lessons about love, compassion and forgiveness, has finally left us.
Out of respect for Margaret, Kathleen and
the family, and to give myself time to clear
my head and process what is, for me as well,
a great personal loss, the music will fall silent
on this site, and I will immediately withdraw
from all blogging activity for an
undetermined period of time.
Thank you for all the gifts you gave
us, Margaret. It was an honor and a
privilege to have known you and to
have called you my friend. To me,
you were much more than a friend.
Over the years I came to love you.
You have been my inspiration.
You set a shining example for others to follow.
Never in my life have I been able to state about anyone with as much certainty, with as much ardent conviction, that this was a life well lived.
Goodbye," a song penned by Motown's
famed Holland-Dozier-Holland writing and
producing team. The record was a nod
to Spector and had a sound similar to
those released by the Crystals.
Now here are the Supremes singing
"Run Run Run," another H-D-H song
and another exciting Motown Meets Spector hybid.
It's hard to believe Motown's premier
girl group ever had to struggle for hits
but, early on, they did. Released around
the beginning of 1964, "Run, Run, Run"
came to a screeching halt at #93 on the
the chart. Why the poor showing? The
depressed mood of the nation in the wake
of the JFK assassination was probably to
blame for the failure of that Marvelettes
single I featured. This Supremes 45 was
released at the height of Beatlemania.
Were the Fab Four to blame for
derailing Diana's Supremes?
It doesn't seem fair to blame the Beatles.
If the old school instrumental "Java" by
Al Hirt could make it to #4 around that
time there should have been room near
the top for this Supremes sizzler!
"Run, Run, Run" - The Supremes
(Feb. 1964, highest chart pos. #93)
DOROTHY BERRY
"You're So Fine" was a top 20 hit in 1959
for the Falcons, and R&B group that included
Eddie Floyd and later Wilson Pickett. In 1963
a cover of the song was recorded by Dorothy
Adams Berry, wife of Richard Berry, the man
who wrote and first recorded the notorious
rock 'n' roll anthem "Louie Louie."
Dorothy's record was produced by David Gates,
a talented young devotee of the Spector Sound
who went on to front the soft rock group Bread.
Dorothy cooks on this Spectorian single, and
the doubletracked vocal yields a girl group
sound that kicks butt all over town!
"You're So Fine" - Dorothy Berry
(December 1963, uncharted)
THE
RIGHTEOUS
BROTHERS
At #92 on my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell is the next featured sound,
“He” by the Righteous Brothers, a Spector-
produced ballad with an overtly religious
theme similar to that of another Dell
classic - "Human” by Tommy Hunt.
A song about God's benevolence, "He"
was originally recorded in the mid 1950s
by Al Hibbler and covered by the singing
McGuire Sisters. The tear-jerking cover
by the Righteous Brothers, released in
the spring of 1966, played frequently
on the Dell jukebox, casting its spell
on reverent rats from June until
the school bells rang.
"He" - The Righteous Bros.
(July 1966, highest chart pos. #18)
THE
WALKER
BROTHERS
Los Angeles natives Scott Engel, John Maus
and
Gary Leeds adopted the stage name
The Walker Brothers, moved to England
and achieved hit records there and in the
United States. Their first hit on both sides
of the pond was "Make It Easy On Yourself,"
a Bacharach-David composition that first
became a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962.
The Walker Brothers are best known
for their biggest hit, "The Sun Ain't
Gonna Shine Anymore" but, before
moving to England, they recorded
"Love Her," a Spectorized single
produced by Nick Venet and
arranged by Jack Nitzsche.
"Love Her" - The Walker Brothers
(May 1965, highest chart pos. #20 UK)
KAREN KELLY
I introduced Karen "KK" Kelly singing
"Nobody's Girl" in Echoes Vol. 5.
The Nashville songbird with the
powerful pipes shoulda been,
coulda been and woulda been
a major girl pop star of the 60s
like Lesley Gore, but for some
reason her records failed to chart.
KK's self-penned "Nobody's Girl" was
released in 1964 on Sound Stage 7, a
subsidiary of Monument Records. Now
check out the killer bee side of that single,
entitled "Don't Let The Hurt Show Through."
Penned and produced by Bob Montgomery,
this one boasts the same dynamic Spectorian
production and a melody that at times might
remind you of "A World Without Love,"
the song that became a hit a few months
earlier as recorded by two other acts,
Peter & Gordon and Bobby Rydell.
"Don't Let The Hurt Show Through" Karen Kelly (October 1964, B side of "Nobody's Girl")
Hello, I'm Shady Seaweed! Unless you just crawled out from under a rock... you know that I have been emceeing the annual New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady blocast since 1974 and that I was recently tapped as Kelly Ripa's new co-host on the daily ABC morning show which has been renamed Live with Kelly and Shady. Some of you old timers might also remember me from the 50s and 60s when I hosted the wildly popular gymnastics TV show American Handstand.
I grew up watching Dick Clark's
American Bandstand and other U.S.
produced music TV shows for teenagers.
Apart from Hullabaloo's remote segments
from London, I never gave any thought to
similar shows that were originating in other
countries. In this new series I will present
high quality videos of solo artists, groups
and bands of the 1960s thru early 2000s,
many of them American, performing in
studios, big halls and clubs in the UK,
Germany and other countries. Join me
on this trip back in time as we visit Bandstands in Foreign Lands!
THE COOL-NOTES
TOP OF THE POPS
Let's begin the series on a real cool note
with The Cool-Notes, a seven member
pop/funk band from London that had a
string of hits in the UK in the mid 80s.
One of the very coolest of the Cool is
"In Your Car," a 1985 single that the
act performed on Top Of The Pops,
the long-running music television
series that first originated from
studios in Manchester and
later moved to London.
"In Your Car" - The Cool-Notes
(1985, highest chart pos. #13 UK,
perf. on Top Of The Pops)
THE BANGLES
COUNTDOWN
Countdown was a Dutch music TV series
that ran from the late 70s through early 90s
on the public broadcasting system Veronica. Countdown was considered the top music
show in all of Europe. That's where we
find Susanna Hoffs and her SoCal pop-
rock band The Bangles singing their
hit single "In Your Room," a song
from their 1988 album Everything
which charted higher in Europe
than it did in the U.S.
"In Your Room" - The Bangles
(Dec. 1988/Jan '89, highest chart pos.
#5 Hot 100, from Oct. 1988 album
Everything, perf. on Countdown)
PET SHOP BOYS
TOPPOP
TopPop is another Netherlands-based TV
series, this one from Dutch broadcaster
AVRO with studios in Hilversum near
Amsterdam. Most of the performances
on TopPop were recorded on location
at venues around the world because
few artists were willing or able to
travel to Holland. Pet Shop Boys,
the popular English electronic pop
duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe,
appeared on TopPop and performed
their award winning 1985 hit
single "West End Girls."
that brushed the top 5 in 1974. Sandra's rousing
rendition reached the top 10 in half a dozen
European countries. The beautiful songstress
appeared on several of the European television
music shows that will be featured in this series
including this great performance on TopPop.
"Everlasting Love" - Sandra
(Sept. 1987, highest chart pos.
#4 South Africa, #5 Germany &
Switzerland, #6 Austria, from
Oct. '87 album Ten on One
(The Singles), live perf.
on TopPop)
ABBA
STARPARADE
Starparade was a West German music TV series
hosted by German composer and big band leader
James Last. Starparade presented performances
by popular music acts and was broadcast live
from big halls throughout Germany. Starparade
was carried on ZDF, the public-service television
broadcaster based in Mainz. In the spring of 1978,
the Swedish super group ABBA stopped by to do
their international hit "Take a Chance on Me."
In the mid 60s, Clydie King recorded at Gold Star,
an independent studio in Hollywood that became
a hit factory during the decade. Clydie released
a single on Imperial that was cast in the same
mould as the Wall of Sound recordings
of producing legend Phil Spector.
Written and produced by Jerry Riopelle
(also spelled Riopell), "The Thrill Is Gone"
is a lush, layered production that utilized
the studio's echo chamber, a tool of the
trade upon which Spector often relied.
"The Thrill Is Gone" - Clydie King
(May 1965, uncharted)
BONNIE AND
THE TREASURES
As the story goes, a tape of Clydie King's
"The Thrill Is Gone" was brought to the
attention of Phil Spector and Spec was so
impressed with Jerry Riopelle's work on
the single that he hired Jerry as a writer
and producer at Philles Records. Soon
after Riopelle cranked out another gem.
Penned by the famed Brill Building team of
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, "Home of
the Brave" is another Spectoresque opus
that some people believed was recorded
by the Ronettes. Instead, the lead singer
was Charlotte Ann Matheny, stage name
Charlotte O'Hara. Backing vocals were
provided by Sherlie Matthews, whom
you met in part 1, and Clydie King.
Jerry Riopelle named the girl trio
Bonnie & the Treasures. A great 45,
"Home of the Brave" nevertheless
died on the vine at #77. Shades of
Spector, the Ronettes, the Crystals
and the Shangri-Las, here are
Bonnie & the Treasures!
"Home of the Brave" Bonnie and the Treasures
(Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #77)
CHARLOTTE O'HARA
Six Degrees now leads us to another
single by Charlotte O'Hara. Before she
waxed "Home of the Brave" as "Bonnie,"
lead singer of Bonnie & the Treasures,
Charlotte was a backing vocalist on
recordings produced by Phil Spector.
In 1963, as a solo artist, Charlotte
released "What About You" a song
originally recorded by Ramona King,
another fine but obscure Spector artist.
"What About You" - Charlotte O'Hara
(May 1963, uncharted)
BONNIE
We now return to Clydie King's career timeline.
In October of 1965, Bonnie and the Treasures
(Charlotte O, Clydie and Sherlie) released a
follow-up to "Home of the Brave," this one
credited only to Bonnie. "Close Your Eyes"
is another Spectorian soundalike produced
by Jerry Riopelle and it has all the essential
elements for greatness - girl group harmony,
The Wrecking Crew supplying the orchestral
backing and the Gold Star Studio's echo fx.
"Close Your Eyes" - Bonnie
(Oct./Nov. 1965, uncharted)
CLYDIE KING
Around that same time frame, Clydie King
released another magnificent solo effort on
Imperial, this one penned by Jerry Riopelle
and Gary Zekley. Euphoric and Spectoric,
the single "Missin' My Baby" is another
Wall-of-Sound-alike born in the
Gold Star echo chamber.
"Missin' My Baby" - Clydie King
(Oct./Nov. 1965, uncharted)
JIMMY HOLIDAY
& CLYDIE KING
In 1967, Clydie King recorded a soulful duet
with Mississippi R&B singer and songwriter
Jimmy Holiday. Released as a single, the
song "Ready, Willing and Able," written
by Holiday, missed the chart, but went
on to become a Northern Soul anthem,
a dance floor filler in clubs of the UK.
"Ready, Willing and Able"
Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King
(April 1967, uncharted)
THE BLACKBERRIES
In the mid 60s, Sherlie Mae Matthews,
the background vocalist who sang with
Clydie King and Charlotte O'Hara on
those Bonnie and the Treasures records,
signed with Motown and became a prolific
session singer, songwriter and producer for
the famed record company. In the early 70s,
Sherlie formed the Blackberries, a soul trio
consisting of herself and fellow backing
vocalists Clydie King and Venetta Fields,
the latter another soul thrush that
I introduced in part 1.
In mid 1972, Motown left Detroit and moved
to Los Angeles. That year Sherlie, Clydie and
Venetta recorded nine songs intended to be
released as the Blackberries' debut album.
However the project was never completed.
The Northern Soul gem you are about to
hear, arguably the best song of the bunch,
was not even released as a single. From
the voluminous vaults of Motown, here
are the Blackberries with "Kidnapped,"
a dancer that sounds like a blend of the
Martha & the Vandellas hits "Heatwave"
and "Quicksand," the Orlons' "Crossfire"
and the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love."
"Kidnapped" - The Blackberries
(song from unreleased 1972 album)
In the early 70s, along with her recordings
as a member of the Blackberries, Clydie King
reached the top 50 on the R&B chart with two
additional solo singles, "'Bout Love" (#45) and
"Loneliness (Will Bring Us Together Again)"
(#44), the latter using the name Brown Sugar.
In this two-parter we will play my favorite
game, Six Degrees, as we listen to Texas
born vocalist Clydie King's best work
as a session singer and as a
solo recording artist.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
In 1974, Clydie's soaring background vocals
accompanied Lynyrd Skynyrd and helped to
make "Sweet Home Alabama" the southern
rock band's signature song and one of the
most memorable sounds of the decade.
"Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
(Aug. 1974, highest chart pos. #8)
SHERLIE MATTHEWS
Singer, songwriter and record producer
Sherlie Matthews now enters the game.
Sherlie joined Clydie King as
one of the backing vocalists
on "Sweet Home Alabama."
THE DOOBIE BROS.
Sherlie also sang background on another
great 70s single, "Take Me in Your Arms
(Rock Me a Little While)" by the Doobie
Brothers, a rockin' remake of the 1968
Motown hit by the Isley Brothers.
"Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)"
The Doobie Brothers (June '75, highest pos. #11)
VENETTA FIELDS
Now meet session singer Venetta Fields
who joined Sherlie Matthews as a backing
vocalist on "Take Me in Your Arms."
STEELY DAN
It's a small world after all, because
Venetta, Shirley and Clydie all
sang
backup on "Deacon Blues," the hit
single from Steely Dan's album Aja.
"Deacon Blues" - Steely Dan
(1978, highest chart pos. #19
from Sept. 1977 album Aja)
As the game of Six Degrees continues we learn
that Venetta was once a member of the Ikettes
as was Clydie King. Clydie was also one of
Ray Charles' female background singers,
The Raelettes. So was Merry Clayton.
MERRY CLAYTON
Merry Clayton gained fame singing a duet
with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones
classic "Gimme Shelter," a track from
the December 1969 album Let It Bleed.
A few months later the Louisiana thrush
released a magnificent and delightfully churchified solo version. Merry's single
was a minor hit in the U.S. but failed to
chart in the UK. Shoulda been a smash!
"Gimme Shelter" - Merry Clayton
(June 1970, highest chart pos. #73)
THE ROLLING STONES
Both Clydie King and Venetta Fields sang
background on "Tumbling Dice," a Jagger-
Richards song that was the first single
released from the Stones' double
album Exile on Main St.
"Tumbling Dice" - The Rolling Stones
(May 1972, highest chart pos.
#7 Hot 100/#5 UK)
Now that you've listened to some of
Clydie King's session work on recordings
released by other artists, let's press RW
and listen to a couple of her solo singles,
one of which dates back to the mid 50s.
LITTLE CLYDIE
AND THE TEENS
In our Bloggy Award winning series Dueling Doo-Wops, Dell Rat Ron and I introduced
The Six Teens, a Los Angeles group best
remembered for "A Casual Look," a 1956
hit single that featured 12-year-old Trudy
Williams on leadvocals. Shortly after
the release of that Six Teens record,
13 year old Clydie King waxed a
cover and it was released as a
single with the artist listed as
Little Clydie and The Teens."
"A Casual Look" Little Clydie and The Teens
(summer 1956, uncharted)
CLYDIE KING AND
THE SWEET THINGS
In the spring of 1963 Clydie released
"Only the Guilty Cry," a single credited
to another pseudo group (Clydie plus
session singers) called Clydie King
and the Sweet Things.
The fab flip side, "By Now," a recording
that reminds me of the Jan Bradley hit
"Mama Didn't Lie," is the one that
caught my ear. This rare relic sold
for $600.00 USED on eBay!
"By Now" - Clydie King & the Sweet Things
(May 1963, B side of "Only the Guilty Cry")
In Part 2, Clydie King waxes
some of the best Spectorian recordings of the mid 60s.
“Words and photographs could never do those dancers justice because you had to be there - in a club with great music, like minded people and loads of atmosphere.” David Meikle of Glasgow, Scotland wrote those words in an article remembering the Twisted Wheel, the legendary northern soul club in Manchester, England. Yet, Mr. Meikle could just as easily have been describing the scene at my favorite "in" spot of the 1960s, the Shady Dell in York (Pennsylvania, not England).
THE SHADY DELL
YORK, PENNSYLVANIA
The Shady Dell: Part of York County's Colorful History
What began as a home based restaurant and bakery in 1945 evolved over the next two decades into the hottest teen nightspot in York county complete with indoor and outdoor dance floors. It went beyond that. Shady Dell owner John Ettline and his wife Helen put out the welcome mat offering hospitality, comfort, support, and encouragement to generations of young people. During its impressive 45-year life span the Dell became a home away from home for countless area youth from a variety of backgrounds.
At the height of its popularity in the early and mid 60s the Dell, located on the southern outskirts of the White Rose city, was as widely known as North York’s White Oak Park ("the Oaks"), Harrisburg's Raven club or any other youth-oriented venue in central Pennsylvania. The Dell attracted crowds from all over the region. It brought together under one roof kids from middle class families and kids from working class families - city kids, suburban kids, small town kids and farm kids.
The diverse cast of characters that constituted the Shady Dell family was a potentially volatile mix. Each of us had to find a way to fit in and get along (or risk being voted off the island). In the end, in spite of our differences, most of us learned to dance together without stepping on each other’s toes.
Shady Dell regulars were nicknamed Dell rats and we had at least two things in common: a love of the music that played on the Dell’s jukebox and a genuine respect for John and Helen Ettline who graciously made their home our home.
GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
The Dell was a unique, magical coming of age experience - a proving ground - a secluded hideaway where adolescents could develop social skills, learn to handle responsibility and test the waters of adulthood free from the hassles of ubiquitous adult micromanagement.
SHOCKING TRUE CONFESSION: I WAS A TEENAGE DELL RAT! by Shady Del Knight
I became a Dell rat in 1965 at the age of fifteen. Disparaging rumors about the place had been circulating for years. If you were to believe the gossip the Dell was a snake pit where bad boys and bad girls went to do bad things. Some people, including my mother, referred to the Dell as a “den of iniquity.” Intrigued by the horror stories, I was determined to get there and see for myself what all the fuss was about.
In preparation for my grand entrance, I subjected myself to weeks of rigorous training at a Shady Dell boot camp of my own devise. I grew my hair longer and took up the smoking habit. I practiced in front of a mirror until I was convinced that my stance, walk, and dancing style were all cool.
To complete my extreme makeover, I went shopping for my 'uniform' which consisted of a tapered shirt from the Hub, slacks by H.I.S. and two wardrobe essentials: a pair of blue Jack Purcell sneakers and the all-important Baracuta jacket "Made in England." Wearing my 'Cuta' made me feel so terribly, terribly British, you know. Spot on for us bird watchin' blokes, right gov'na?
'JACKS'
AN ABSOLUTE MUST...FOR DANCIN' ON DELL DUST!
THE CLASSIC NATURAL COLOUR BARACUTA
STRICTLY CONTINENTAL, MATE!
Moment of Truth: Boy Meets Dell
Too young to drive, I made my first Dell visit happen by bumming a ride one night with my college-age cousin and two of his buddies. Clearly, none of the above was thrilled to be babysitting.
As we drove past York Hospital on South George and headed toward Violet Hill, what began as giddy anticipation was turning to apprehension. Fear of the unknown started creeping into my brain. What if the rumors turned out to be true? Would I soon be sharing a needle with a gang of rowdy bikers?
At Violet Hill, we made a dogleg turn to the right and began to climb the narrow, winding, bumpy Starcross Road. By this time my breathing had become labored and I felt queasy. It was as if, on a foolish dare, I had agreed to spend the night with Vincent Price in his House on Haunted Hill. Was it too late to leap from the car and bolt?
"I See the Lights... I See the Party Lights..."
We rounded a bend and I caught my first glimpse of her a short distance up the road. Perched on the hillside was a three-story brick house. Down to the left stood a barn. The festive glow of colored lights rose skyward from an area behind the house. As I would soon learn, the atmospheric illumination originated from strings of lanterns hanging above a patio rigged with remote speakers for outdoor dancing.
As we banked to make our final approach I detected the percussive beat of uptempo music emanating from the barn. We turned left into a gravel parking lot overflowing with vehicles. Here, in all of her rustic splendor, stood the infamous Shady Dell, my destination for the evening and my obsession for years to come!
I Found My Thrill on Violet Hill
My heart was thumping as we climbed the steps that led to the entrance and approached the admission booth. Following my cousin’s lead, I slid a quarter through the window and looked up to see a balding, bespectacled old man grinning back at me. Old? John Ettline would have been 59 at the time. I'm older than that now. Yikes!
“Good evening, gentlemen!” John delivered his cheerful salutation in a booming baritone. Immediately, my anxiety vanished. John’s warm welcome made me feel right at home. It made me feel like I belonged. I didn’t get it at the time but later came to realize that John’s presupposition that we were "gentlemen" was a clever and tactful way of admonishing us to behave accordingly.
Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore!
From the moment I entered the compound I was hooked. The Shady Dell was a private playground for teenagers - a candy land - a fun factory - a safe haven where kids could congregate and blow off steam without having to worry about parents and teachers giving them the evil eye. Instantly I became intoxicated - not by alcohol - but by a sense of total freedom. The place gave off a vibe that was completely new to me – an exhilarating blend of romance, adventure and danger!
Instead of placing a ton of restrictions on their young patrons, John and Helen granted them the independence they craved. The Ettlines were willing to take a step back and trust our judgment. It was okay for us to party as long as things didn’t get out of hand. Most of us eagerly embraced that arrangement. If and when we screwed up, the Ettlines gave us another chance. John and Helen cut you plenty of slack, but if you disrespected them or trashed their establishment both were capable of unleashing a fiery temper.
Of Rats and Men
Contrary to popular belief, the Dell did not harbor gangs of juvenile delinquents eager to conceal their wicked deeds from law enforcement. Sorry, Mom - there weren’t any guns, switchblades or brass knuckles - no gangs, career criminals or prostitutes - just a bunch of ordinary teenagers who loved to meet, mix and mingle, dance and have fun.
Fights were few and far between. There was tacit agreement that it was our duty to preserve and protect the unique setting that the Ettlines had created for us. It required us to police ourselves to prevent incidents that would generate negative publicity or hassles with the law. Scuffles were settled quickly, often through John’s bold intervention. The first lesson a guy learned at the Dell was as follows. Don’t let the gray hair fool you. Nobody messes with John. He’s the boss!
A Special Welcome to All Incoming Freshmen!
I was punched in the face three times during my first year of matriculation on the campus of the Shady Dell School of Hard Knocks. Apparently a few of the guys were determined to teach me a lesson. Yet, getting socked in the kisser did not dampen my enthusiasm or scare me away from the place. In fact they had the opposite effect. They whet my appetite for more! As a Dell newbie desperate to break free of mom’s apron strings and earn respect and acceptance, I wasn’t about to let a bloody nose deter me. For the first time in my life I felt like a man instead of a boy and I loved it. Like Secret Agent Man I was living a life of danger. I was addicted to the rush!
Determined to create an image that would allow me to blend in, appeal to the ladies and avoid becoming a frequent target of the tribe's dominant males, I did a lot of posing, posturing and pretending. I decided that it would be advantageous for me to look tough even though I wasn't. Whenever I strolled into the dance hall, I made sure that my hair was messed up, my shirt tail was hanging out, a lit cigarette was dangling from my lips and my game face was on.
One afternoon before anybody else arrived, my best friend and I rolled around on the dance floor of the barn so that we could properly break-in our new Baracuta jackets by getting them coated with Dell dust. This drove my mother crazy. She kept asking me how I got my jacket so badly soiled. She was even more perplexed when I forbade her to get it cleaned. How could I explain to her that I didn’t want to risk weakening my status with the other guys by wearing a clean jacket?
In my mom’s day the ideal guy wore a white sport coat and a pink carnation. His hair was neatly cropped, oiled down and slicked back off his forehead. That look would have spelled social suicide at the Dell in the mid 60s. My goal was to look like I had just been in a fight at reform school, and if I got my uniform dirty or bloodied in combat, it was a GOOD thing.
Helen & John Ettline
Shady Dell Owners
Helen and John: Not Your Typical Mom and Pop
Even by mid 60s standards, John Ettline seemed part of a vanishing breed of men. John never called me by my first name. He always chose to address me as “Mr. Knight." John maintained that friendly formality through all the years I knew him. I’m very glad he did. John always made me feel important when he added the title “Mr.” to my name. Making insecure teenagers feel good about themselves was John’s greatest gift. He always treated young people with dignity and respect and that made them want to return it.
Along with his outstanding people skills, John possessed a photographic memory. He could always match a face with a name. He seemed to know a lot about anything or anybody that you happened to be discussing. John Ettline had a million stories to tell - all of them interesting.
Although old enough to be our grandparents, there was no generation gap between the Ettlines and their teenage guests. They seemed to remember better than other grown-ups what it was like to be young. John and Helen stayed in touch and in tune with the youth culture. Never was that more in evidence than one day at the York Fair in September, 1968. I was sitting in the grandstand awaiting the start of the James Brown concert. I turned around to search the crowd for familiar faces and there, a few rows behind me, sat Helen and John. In a year when racial tension was running high in York and elsewhere, it was remarkable to see a white couple in their 60s at a James Brown concert, chanting along with the rest of us, “Say It Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud!”
John and Helen were cool. Young people felt at ease talking with them. Unlike many adults, John and Helen listened to us. They cared without preaching or judging. The Ettlines treated their teen visitors like extended family. They believed in the potential of every young person, including troubled youth from broken homes. They spoke to us about the value of an education and honest hard work. They sponsored athletic programs and honored America’s armed forces. They shaped young lives by instilling a sense of pride and self esteem. John and Helen went out of their way to make all of their kids feel like somebody - even those whose families were telling them they were nobody.
The Dell Jukebox: ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER!
Upon arriving on the Dell scene I soon realized that the jukebox in the dance hall was loaded with the greatest, most danceable records to be found anywhere. There were quite a few songs that I had never heard before and would never hear anywhere else. The music mix that played nightly at the Dell was consistently better than what I was hearing on the radio. In the mid 60s the Dell's musical menu was an exciting blend of Motown, Chi-town, New York and Philly soul, Memphis, southern R&B, blue-eyed soul, Brit beat, sunshine pop, garage, psych and folk-rock plus a few do-wop favorites held over from the 50s.
Shady Dell regulars, the gang I now refer to as the Rodentia Intelligentsia, prided themselves on having radar for cool. Year in and year out they discovered and popularized songs that radio stations across the country overlooked. Records that lingered near the bottom of the national chart often became cherished classics at the Dell. Forgotten flips were elevated to mega-hit status by Dell rats unfettered by the limitations of radio play lists.
Certain songs resonated with the Dell crowd to such an extent that they stayed on the jukebox for years. The best example of this phenomenon is the record ranked #1 on my survey of the 200 Greatest Hits Of The Shady Dell. It remained one of the most popular jukebox selections a dozen years after its initial release in the 50s. That very special song, the greatest and longest lasting Shady Dell hit of all time, was "Close Your Eyes" by the Five Keys.
THE FIVE KEYS
"Close Your Eyes" Ranked #1
Del-Chords & Magnificent Men
Another mighty evergreen at the Shady Dell was "Everybody’s Gotta Lose Someday," an intense, power-packed r&b/soul ballad by the Del-Chords, a racially mixed group from York. Released in 1964, the record was still being played heavily two years later, jamming the floor with slow dancers several times a night. Dave Bupp and Buddy King, lead vocalists from the Del-Chords, eventually merged with band members of Harrisburg’s Endells to form a blue-eyed soul group called the Magnificent Men. The “Mag Men,” as we called them, were white guys who had a passion for black music and the vocal talent and musicianship to authentically perform it. Their inspiring ballad "Peace of Mind" was the first in an impressive string of Dell hits for our hometown heroes.
Magnificent Men
HEAVY HITTERS AT THE DELL!
The Emperors of Harrisburg
Records by the Emperors, another home-grown act, were also enormously popular with Dell dancers. A black group from the state capital, the Emperors were exponents of the “Harrisburg sound,” a blend of r&b, soul, garage and Latin influences. "Karate," the Emperors’ best known recording, was the first of eight raw, funky, organ-driven numbers to achieve hit status at the Dell in 1966 and 1967.
THE EMPERORS
DELL ROYALTY - THEY RULED!
End of an Era
Once addicted to the Dell, I pretty much lived there until the fall of 1967 when I left York to attend an institution of higher learning. Over the next four years I visited my Dell family whenever possible during holidays, spring breaks, and summer vacations. My stint as a Dell rat officially ended in 1971 when I found a job in another city and moved away from York for good.
My final visit to the Dell came in March of 1984 when my career took me out of state. My last piece of business before leaving was to drop in at the Dell and say a final goodbye. I entered the house to find John sitting on a stool at the lunch counter reading the newspaper. “Well, hello stranger!” John bellowed, rising to his feet and extending his hand. “Long time no see, Mr. Knight!" After shaking hands with John and exchanging a few pleasantries, I inquired about Helen. I was stunned to learn that she had passed away a few weeks earlier. I never got the news! John and I stood alone in Helen’s snack bar, reminiscing about the good old days and lamenting how much things had changed since the Dell’s golden era.
After a brief chat with John I excused myself and walked down the sidewalk to check out the barn. The old dance hall was dimly lit and nearly vacant. The only customers were two boys with shoulder length hair standing by the jukebox with a couple of girls. No music was playing. The place was dead or, more accurately, in the final lonely stages of life. If it had been twenty years earlier, the joint would have been jumpin’. The four young people eyed me suspiciously. Is this guy a narc? I put myself in their combat boots and realized that the sight of a stranger in his mid thirties was probably making this new generation of Dell rats uncomfortable. I promptly exited the barn and returned to the house to bid farewell to John.
That night marked the last time I ever saw John or entered the Shady Dell. I made one final pilgrimage in 1988 when I returned to Pennsylvania to visit my parents. I drove up to the Dell one afternoon with every intention of going inside. I’m sure I would have encountered a smiling John Ettline and that he would have immediately remembered my name. Yet, I never got out of the car. I chose not to enter because I didn’t want to further contaminate my memories by seeing how much older John looked and how much more dilapidated the Dell had become. All I could do was sit there in the parking lot gazing at the barn, the house, the bench and the steps to the admission booth where the whole journey started. My mind flooded with a thousand memories of the people, the place, and the time of my life.
John Ettline closed the Dell in the fall of 1991. He died at the beginning of 1993. John’s family auctioned off the restaurant equipment, signage and other Dell paraphernalia in the spring of that year.
(Mike Argento's 1993 article in the York Daily Record was used as a reference source for portions of this cover story.)
