The Del-Satins were an American vocal group in the 1960s who recorded on their own but are best remembered for their harmonies on hit records for Dion and others.
The group was formed in 1958 in Manhattan, New York through a merger of two existing street corner groups, the Yorkville Melodys and the Jokers. The original members were Stan Zizka (lead), Fred Ferrara (baritone), his brother Tom Ferrara (bass), Leslie Cauchi (first tenor), and Keith Koestner (second tenor). They chose the name Del-Satins as a tribute to The Dells and The Five Satins, and built a solid following with their live performances, coming first in a prestigious New York city-wide "Battle of the Groups". Koestner left before their first recording session and was replaced by Bobby Failla.
In 1961 they recorded their debut single, "I'll Pray for You" for the small independent End label, before signing for Laurie Records. There they joined forces with Dion, who wanted to replace his existing backing band, the Belmonts, with a "rockier" sound. The Del-Satins were instantly sent to work on his new song, "Runaround Sue", which then rose to number 1 in the Billboard charts. Although their contribution to the hit was substantial, the Del-Satins received no credit. They also sang on Dion's later solo hits, "The Wanderer", "Lovers Who Wander", "Little Diane", "Love Came To Me", "Ruby Baby", "Donna the Prima Donna" and "Drip Drop", as well as on records by Len Barry and Jan and Dean.
They released a number of singles under their own name, but had little success until "Teardrops Follow Me" in 1962, after which they found regular work on television and radio. They then moved to Columbia Records as part of Dion's new contract. Still frustrated by their lack of recognition, in 1963 they auditioned for Phil Spector but declined his subsequent invitation to record with him. As Dion's solo career ran into the commercial doldrums in the mid-1960s, the group moved on to Mala Records and then B.T. Puppy Records where they released an album, Out to Lunch.
One of their unsuccessful singles, "Love-Hate-Revenge" (Diamond) was covered by Episode Six.
Zizka left in the mid-1960s and Cauchi and Tom Ferrara were drafted. The remaining members of the Del-Satins continued to play live with the addition of Johnny Maestro (former lead singer of The Crests), Johnny Fielder, Richard Green, and Mike Gregorio. When Cauchi returned, they merged with The Rhythm Method from Long Island in 1968 to form Brooklyn Bridge.
In 1991, the Del-Satins, led by Stan Zizka, re-formed for nostalgia shows and issued an album, Still Wandering. In May 2011, The Del-Satins (Stan Zizka, Les Cauchi, Fred Ferrara and Tom Ferrara) reunited for two concerts, one in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, and the second one on Long Island. These "nostalgia" concerts were well received, and they are planning on more concerts in the future.
Fred Ferrara died on October 21, 2011, from cardiac arrest.[1]