Originals: The Dells

THE RAYS, formed by five youngsters from Harvey, Illinois in 1952, were just one of the thousands of doo-wop groups springing up in America's cities at the time, and at first they had no more luck than most of their contemporaries: gigs at a local ice-cream parlour were the height of their professional progress, and more often they would practice their harmonies under a railway arch (the echo was good).