The Del-Tones

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Del-Tones is the original name of the Canadian rock group The Beau-Marks, formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1958. Under that first name the single Rockin' Blues was released in April 1959, with Moonlight Party on the B-side. Shortly afterwards the group changed its name, as a nod to the Bomarc, a missile. Its members included guitarist Ray Hutchinson, guitarist and bassist Mike Robitaille, pianist and singer Joey Fréchette and drummer Gilles Tailleur.

Music and breakthrough

Their breakthrough was Clap Your Hands. The song topped the charts in Canada and Australia, reached number 45 on the American Billboard chart and also did well in New Zealand. French-language versions were released too, among them under the title Frappe Tes Mains. In 1960 the first album came out, The High Flying Beau-Marks, with ten songs. The band appeared on American Bandstand and at a charity concert at Carnegie Hall.

Influence

The Beau-Marks were the first Canadian band to headline at the Peppermint Lounge in New York and to be invited onto The Ed Sullivan Show. Two more albums followed, after which the group disbanded in 1963. At a reunion in 1968 Clap Your Hands was reissued. It was a simple rock 'n' roll sound with guitars, piano and a solid rhythm, typical of the pop music of the late 1950s.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1960The High Flying Beau‐Marks