FRED PARRIS,
1936-2022

Fred Parris, the do-wop legend who founded The Five Satins and wrote their classic “In the Still of the Night,” died Thursday at the age of 85 after a brief illness. The group announced his death on its Facebook page.

“Fred’s classic song ‘In the Still of the Night’ has been recognized as one of the greatest love songs of all time. It is the #1 requested song of the doo-wop era. Fred also wrote several other classic songs, and his gorgeous voice enthralled audiences worldwide for decades,” the surviving Five Satins said in a joint statement. “The Five Satins family is devastated by this loss but appreciative of having shared Fred’s music with thousands of fans and friends.”

A native of New Haven, Conn., Parris and his group of high-school friends recorded "In the Still of the Night" in a New Haven church in February 1956. Released locally on the Standord label, Ember Records picked it up that year. The single went to #3 R&B/#25 pop.

"In the Still of the Night" was further cemented into history when it appeared as the lead track on the first volume of the Oldies But Goodies series of compilations in 1959 and radio stations in San Francisco, San Antonio and Rochester, N.Y., started playing it again in late 1959/early 1960.

Parris entered the Army soon after the song's release, however, and The Five Satins’ follow-up records featured the voice of Bill Baker.

Parris assembled a new group after his discharge, Fred Parris and the Scarlets. He was later able to reclaim the Five Satins name. Thus reconstituted, they recorded for Ember, Cub, United Artists, Warner Brothers and Roulette. Parris had a three-year run with his group the Restless Hearts in the mid-'60s. In the 1970s, he recorded “Dark at the Top of My Heart” as a solo artist for the short-lived Birth Records.

1973's American Graffiti was the first of multiple films that would use “In the Still of the Night,” further enhancing its popularity. Don Kirshner subsequently signed Parris and his group, releasing two singles on the Kirshner label. They recorded several singles for Elektra in 1982, including a medley of their 1950s hits, “Memories of Days Gone By,” which peaked at #77.

Throughout the 1980s, Baker and Parris performed with their own versions of The Five Satins. This led to a seven-year court battle that ended in 1993 with Parris securing the right to use the name. He remained active in the music industry until 2020.

“In the Still of the Night” (sometimes styled as “Nite”) was also used in the films Dirty Dancing, The Irishman and Dead Ringers. Boyz II Men, Debbie Gibson and Santo & Johnny have recorded notable covers.

The Five Satins were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.