The Mello-Kings

The Mello-Kings were a rock group formed in Mt. Vernon, NY, in 1956. Originally called the Mellotones, they gained a following in the Mt. Vernon area and soon caught the attention of pianist Dick Levister, who liked what he heard and offered to become their manager. Levister was acquainted with Al Silver, the owner of Herald Records and Ember Records, both of which had had successes with "doo-wop" groups, and he was looking to score with another one. Silver thought the group had good possibilities and decided to record them. He picked out a song by Billy Myles called "Tonite Tonite", which was released in 1957. Almost immediately it became a smash hit in the New York area. However, Silver soon discovered that there already was a group called The Mello-Tones. He quickly changed his group's name to The Mello-Kings and re-released the song under their new name. The group appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand (1952) show promoting the song. They released several more records, but despite a string of personnel changes, still couldn't score a national hit and eventually broke up.