The Tokens: A Pleasant Artistic Career

Originally, The Tokens, an American male doo wop vocal group from Brooklyn, New York, was known as the Linc-Tones after forming in 1955 at Lincoln High School. Its members were Hank Medress, Eddie Rabkin, Neil Sedaka, and Cynthia Zolitin.

Certainly, at the beginning of their artistic career, they did not have a relevant impact on people. Consequently, the group disbanded later; nevertheless, Medress renewed the band again in 1960 under the name of the Tokens. There were new members including Brothers Phil and Mitch Margo and Jay Siegel. At that time, they recorded for Warwick entitled “Tonight I Fell In Love,” which became #15 on the charts. Besides, their chart-topping single, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” was focused on the South African Zulu song “Wimoweh” and got #7 on the R&B chart. This song, in particular, topped the first position for several weeks. 

After leaving the group Zolitin and Sedaka, the latter started a solo career during the 1960s and 1970s. This group also formed their own record label in 1964, B.T. Puppy, although they could not keep their coming hits for so long. The Tokens were also able to place nine more songs in the Top 100, as for example, “I Hear Trumpets Blow” and “Portrait of My Love.” Other contribution of this group was to produce songs for other singers, like The Chiffons.