1959 The Mark IV – I Got A Wife
Michael McCarth, Leon McGeary, Bob Peterson, and William (Bill) Thomas were members of The Rhythm Makers, a quintet formed in Chicago in the fifties. The group changed its name to the Mark V, and then to the Mark IV when the unnamed fifth member left the group. They appear to have been primarily a doo-wop vocal group.
The first single recorded by the group that charted was Make With The Shake. Drummer Eddie Mascari and pianist Erwin “Dutch” Wenzlaff wrote the song, which peaked at #69 on the Hot 100 in 1958.
While the lower reaches of the Hot 100 normally aren’t very helpful, in this case it was enough to get them an appearance on American Bandstand. That got them noticed by Mercury Records, who signed the group to a recording contract.
Their only other appearance on the Hot 100 came from another novelty record written by Eddie and Dutch. The Mark IV’s single release of I Got A Wife made it up to #24 on the Hot 100 in 1959. A few random artists covered the song as a polka number.
The group recorded a few more singles that failed to chart, and their contract with Mercury ended. One of the members left the group, but they continued performing as The Mark IV Trio into the eighties.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mark_IV
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