NEW YORK - Hank Medress, whose vocals as a member of doo-wop group the Tokens helped propel their irrepressible single “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” to chart-topping success before he shifted to producing hits for the Chiffons and Tony Orlando and Dawn, has died of lung cancer. He was 68.
Medress, who died Monday at his Manhattan home, was a teenager at Brooklyn's Lincoln High School when he launched his vocal quartet in 1955 with another local youth, Neil Sedaka, performing as the Linc-Tones. When Sedaka departed for a successful solo career, lead singer Jay Siegel joined brothers Mitch and Phil Margo and Medress to become the Tokens.
It wasn't until 1961 that the group scored its singular smash, its hypnotic “Wimowehs” derived from a traditional Zulu melody. The Weavers had made the song a folk staple in the '50s, but The Tokens brought their version to No. 1 on the pop charts.
The band had other minor Top 40 hits, including “I Hear the Trumpets Blow” in 1966 and “Portrait of My Love” in 1967 - but never recaptured the success of their enduring single.
Medress would return to the charts, though, when The Tokens landed a production deal. The all-girl vocal group The Chiffons benefited from his studio touch with the classic '60s singles “He's So Fine” and “One Fine Day.”
It wasn't until 1961 that the group scored its singular smash, its hypnotic “Wimowehs” derived from a traditional Zulu melody. The Weavers had made the song a folk staple in the '50s, but The Tokens brought their version to No. 1 on the pop charts.
The band had other minor Top 40 hits, including “I Hear the Trumpets Blow” in 1966 and “Portrait of My Love” in 1967 - but never recaptured the success of their enduring single.
Medress would return to the charts, though, when The Tokens landed a production deal. The all-girl vocal group The Chiffons benefited from his studio touch with the classic '60s singles “He's So Fine” and “One Fine Day.”
