The Mark IV

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They were not Canadian in origin, The Mark IV were a Chicago-based originally named "The Rhythm Maker's", when the fan's didn't get the meaning they changed to "Mark V" as members left the group they changed the name to "The Mark IV" ending in the 80's as "The Mark IV Trio". rock/pop band who had one of their biggest hit in 1959 with the novelty song, "I Got A Wife" (Mercury 71403). "I Got A Wife" was set to a lively polka beat, and reached #24 in U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart [1], and #14 on Canadian radio station CHUM's "Chum Chart" [2]. The song was later covered by Frankie Yankovic and other polka bands.

The B-Side of "I Got A Wife" was "Ah-Ooo-Gah", a straight 1950s rocker, punctuated with an old-time car horn effect.

Previous to "I Got a Wife", the group released at least two singles on Cosmic Records. One of these was "Goose Bumps" b/w "Booblee Ah Bah Doo Baa" (Cosmic 702; 1957), recorded along with the Dick Marx Orchestra. Though both songs on this record fit the category of doo-wop, the nonsense title of the B-Side suggests the "novelty" direction the group would later take.

The other known Cosmic release was "(Make With) The Shake" b/w "45 R.P.M." (Cosmic 704; 1958). Dick Clark owns the right's to the song, he bought it from the group and it's writer's. These two songs were also released in Canada on the REO label (REO 8217). "(Make With) The Shake" was in a vein rather similar to Danny and the Juniors' "At The Hop", and it charted #22 on the Canadian "Chum Chart" [3].

After the novelty success of "I Got A Wife", Mercury quickly followed up with several more Mark IV novelty singles. One of these was "Move Over Rover" b/w "Dante's Inferno" (Mercury 71445; 1959). The other was "Mairzy Doats" b/w "Ring Ring Ring Those Bells" (Mercury 71481; 1959). There are enough singles to make a full CD for a re-released album for oldies type music fans.

Songwriting for all of these songs, except "Mairzy Doats", is credited to Edward C. Mascari and Erwin Herbert "Dutch" Wenzlaff. At some point, Mascari - it seems - ran his own Chicago-based "Delaware" record label, and was also once General Manager of Mercury's "Near North Music Publishing" [4]. Additionally, according to "Chicago Soul" by Robert Pruter, Mascari also ran (other sources say "owned"), a Soul label named Limelight... perhaps a Mercury sub-label. Mascari is also credited by one source as having been produced a single titled "Cindy, Oh Cindy" for Ivanhoe Records. Yet another lists him as producer of a United Artist's record by Danny Lee (aka Dan Penn) [5]. Perhaps most notably, however, Mascari once co-produced an album by singer/songwriter Dick Campbell, on which musicians Peter Cetera, Paul Butterfield, and Mike Bloomfield are all credited [6].

Wenzlaff, too, appears to have had a professional association with Mercury (as a record producer) at some point [7]. Additionally, he and Mascari wrote and produced songs for other artists, including "Foggy Mountain" for Danielle Blanchard, "Stop, Look and Listen" for Ralph Marterie and his Marlboro Men, and and something titled "Bride and Groom" (sheet music for which can often be found on eBay). Additionally, Wenzlaff is credited with having arranged and conducted "You Wouldn't Listen" for The Ides of March on Harlequin Records in 1966.