The Delegates
Encyclopedia
The Delegates were a novelty song
group who scored a hit in the United States in 1972. The "band" was actually Bob DeCarlo, the morning disc jockey at KQV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob was approached by Nick Cenci and Nick Kousaleous, local Pittsburgh record moguls, to make a novelty record. Bob and the two record men assembled "Convention '72", which consisted of Bob imitating several popular television reporters of the day, including Walter Cronkite
("Walter Klondike"), Chet Huntley ("Sidney Bruntley"), David Brinkley ("David Stinkley") and Harry Reasoner ("Larry Reasoning") asking questions of current politicians involved in that year's presidential election (such as Thomas Eagleton
, Sargent Shriver
, Spiro Agnew
, Richard Nixon
and Henry Kissinger
) at a joint national convention of Republicans and Democrats, with the responses given as lines from popular songs of the day (in a manner analogous to that made famous by Dickie Goodman
). "Convention '72" was a one-hit wonder
that year, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Pop Singles charts. Bob later recorded an album by "The Delegates" which included the hit single as well as a cover of the Frank Sinatra
hit "My Way
" and a segment called "Interviews with Your Favorite Politicians".
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
group who scored a hit in the United States in 1972. The "band" was actually Bob DeCarlo, the morning disc jockey at KQV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob was approached by Nick Cenci and Nick Kousaleous, local Pittsburgh record moguls, to make a novelty record. Bob and the two record men assembled "Convention '72", which consisted of Bob imitating several popular television reporters of the day, including Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
("Walter Klondike"), Chet Huntley ("Sidney Bruntley"), David Brinkley ("David Stinkley") and Harry Reasoner ("Larry Reasoning") asking questions of current politicians involved in that year's presidential election (such as Thomas Eagleton
Thomas Eagleton
Thomas Francis Eagleton was a United States Senator from Missouri, serving from 1968–1987. He is best remembered for briefly being the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972...
, Sargent Shriver
Sargent Shriver
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
, Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
) at a joint national convention of Republicans and Democrats, with the responses given as lines from popular songs of the day (in a manner analogous to that made famous by Dickie Goodman
Dickie Goodman
Richard Dorian "Dickie" Goodman was an American music producer.-Career:In June 1956 Goodman created his first record, "The Flying Saucer", which he co-wrote with his partner Bill Buchanan, and featured a four-minute rewriting of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio show...
). "Convention '72" was a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
that year, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Pop Singles charts. Bob later recorded an album by "The Delegates" which included the hit single as well as a cover of the Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
hit "My Way
My Way (song)
"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...
" and a segment called "Interviews with Your Favorite Politicians".