The Tokens

Emerging from the doo-wop scene of the 1950s, the Tokens reached their commercial pinnacle in 1961 when their adaptation of a South African folk melody, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” topped the charts. Although no subsequent single duplicated that chart-topping run, the quartet’s polished vocal harmonies and inventive choices—blending folk and refined pop elements with their foundational doo-wop style—sustained them as a touring attraction well into the twenty-first century, a legacy captured on the 1994 compilation Wimoweh: The Best of the Tokens. As the decade progressed, psychedelic pop began shaping their arrangements; they also established their own imprint, overseeing both their output and that of outside acts, a phase anthologized on The Very Best of the Tokens 1964-1967.

The Tokens’ original lineup coalesced in Brooklyn, New York, in 1955. All four members attended Abraham Lincoln High School and initially called themselves the Linc-Tones to honor their institution. Neil Sedaka fronted the quartet alongside Hank Medress, Eddie Rabkin, and Cynthia Zolotin. By the time they entered the studio in 1956, Rabkin had departed and Jay Siegel had stepped in; the group had likewise adopted the name the Tokens for the Melba Records single “I Love My Baby” b/w “While I Dream,” both sides co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Zolotin exited in 1957 and Sedaka left the following year to pursue a solo career. Medress and Siegel continued briefly with Darrell & the Oxfords before reconstituting the Tokens in 1960 with thirteen-year-old tenor and multi-instrumentalist Mitch Margo and his brother Phil Margo on baritone.

This refreshed configuration landed a Warwick Records single, “Tonight I Fell in Love” b/w “I’ll Always Love You,” which reached number 15 on the Top 100. The success prompted a move to RCA Victor, where producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore paired the group with a 1952 Weavers favorite. Retitled “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” after new lyrics were added to the South African song “Mbube” by Solomon Linda, the track was originally slated as the B-side to “Tina.” Disc jockeys flipped the record, propelling “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” to number one for three weeks. The Tokens continued applying their vocal approach to folk standards, yet “La Bamba” stalled at number 85 and the African-inflected “B’wa Nina (Pretty Girl)” peaked at number 55. While RCA struggled to locate another hit, the group’s production arm, Bright Tunes, thrived, delivering the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” and “One Fine Day,” Randy & the Rainbows’ “Denise,” and the Happenings’ “See You in September” and “Go Away, Little Girl.”

When their RCA contract lapsed in 1964, the Tokens founded B.T. Puppy Records—named for Bright Tunes—and scored their strongest post-“Lion” placement with “He’s in Town,” which reached number 43. In 1966 they climbed to number 30 with “I Hear the Trumpets Blow.” Warner Bros. subsequently signed them, yielding the number-36 hit “Portrait of My Love.” During this period the Tokens embraced countercultural themes and psychedelic production techniques, most vividly on the 1967 single “Green Plant,” awash in reversed tape loops. Their follow-up, “It’s a Happening World,” charted at number 69 and titled their first Warner album. After the hard-rock-tinged “Animal” failed to chart in 1968, the label shelved the next project; the Tokens departed, and the album Intercourse surfaced in limited fashion on B.T. Puppy, later attaining cult status.

A 1970 Buddah release, Both Sides Now, failed to register on the charts, and the extracted cover of the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” managed only number 95. The group returned to B.T. Puppy for the 1971 album December 5th. Meanwhile Hank Medress, operating through Bright Tunes, produced Dawn—featuring Tony Orlando—on the hits “Candida,” “Knock Three Times,” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Old Oak Tree.” Medress then departed to concentrate on production; Mitch Margo, Phil Margo, and Jay Siegel rebranded as Cross Country, emphasizing country and folk harmonies reminiscent of Crosby, Stills & Nash. The trio issued one self-titled Atco album in 1973, its single “In the Midnight Hour” reaching number 30.

The Cross Country experiment proved brief, and the Tokens thereafter functioned chiefly as a live ensemble, though they contributed “A Victim of Gravity” to the Schoolhouse Rock series. In 1988 the Margo-led edition released Re-Doo-Wop, a medley collection of doo-wop classics. Mitch Margo’s configuration followed with 1993’s Oldies Are Now, mixing re-recordings and new material such as the hip-hop-flavored “Doo Rapp.” By the late 1990s two separate touring versions existed—one fronted by Jay Siegel, the other by Mitch and Phil Margo. Subsequent years brought losses: Hank Medress succumbed to lung cancer on June 18, 2007; Mitch Margo died of natural causes on November 24, 2017; and Phil Margo passed after a stroke on November 13, 2021. Jay Siegel continues with Jay Siegel’s Tokens, while Phil Margo’s son Noah Margo—performing with his father since 1993—now leads another edition simply known as the Tokens.