The Mark IV

The Mark IV were a Chicago-based group originally named "The Rhythm Maker's". They later changed their name to "Mark V", and then - as members left - to "The Mark IV", and eventually ending in the 80's as "The Mark IV Trio". The band had their biggest hit^{hit singles} in 1959 with the novelty song, "I Got A Wife" (Mercury^{Mercury Records} 71403). "I Got A Wife" was set to a lively polka beat, and reached #24 in U.S.^{United States} Billboard Hot 100 chart^{record chart} ,, and #14 on Canadian^Canada radio station CHUM's "Chum Chart" .. The song was later covered^{cover version} by Frankie Yankovic and other polka bands.

The B-Side^{A-side and B-side} of "I Got A Wife" was "Ah-Ooo-Gah", a straight 1950s rocker^{rock and roll}, punctuated with an old-time car horn effect.

Previous to "I Got a Wife", the group released at least two singles^{single (music)} on Cosmic Records. One of these was "Goose Bumps" b/w "Booblee Ah Bah Doo Baa" (Cosmic 702; 1957), recorded along with the Dick Marx Orchestra. Though both songs on this record fit the category of doo-wop, the nonsense title of the B-Side suggests the "novelty" direction the group would later take.

The other known Cosmic release was "(Make With) The Shake" b/w "45 R.P.M." (Cosmic 704; 1958). The group performed "(Make With) The Shake" on American Bandstand, and Dick Clark currently owns the rights to the song. Both songs were also released in Canada on the REO label (REO 8217). "(Make With) The Shake" was in a vein rather similar to Danny and the Juniors' "At The Hop", and it charted #22 on the Canadian "Chum Chart" ..

After the novelty success of "I Got A Wife", Mercury quickly followed up with several more Mark IV novelty singles. One of these was "Move Over Rover" b/w "Dante's Inferno" (Mercury 71445; 1959). Another was "Mairzy Doats" b/w "Ring Ring Ring Those Bells" (Mercury 71481; 1959).

Songwriting^Songwriter for all of these songs, except "Mairzy Doats", is credited to Edward C. Mascari and Erwin Herbert "Dutch" Wenzlaff. At some point, Mascari - it seems - ran his own Chicago-based "Delaware" record label, and was also once General Manager of Mercury's "Near North Music Publishing" .. Additionally, according to "Chicago Soul" by Robert Pruter, Mascari at one point ran (other sources say "owned"), a Soul label named Limelight... perhaps a Mercury sub-label. Mascari is also credited by one source as having produced a single titled "Cindy, Oh Cindy" for Ivanhoe Records. Yet another lists him as producer of a United Artist's record by Danny Lee (aka Dan Penn) .. Perhaps most notably, however, Mascari co-produced an album by singer/songwriter Dick Campbell, on which musicians Peter Cetera, Paul Butterfield, and Mike Bloomfield are all credited ..

Wenzlaff, too, appears to have had an association with Mercury (as a record producer) at some point .. Additionally, he and Mascari wrote and produced songs for other artists^musician, including "Foggy Mountain" for Danielle Blanchard, "Stop, Look and Listen" for Ralph Marterie and his Marlboro Men, and something titled "Bride and Groom" (sheet music for which can often be found on eBay). Additionally, Wenzlaff is credited with having arranged^arrangement and conducted^Conducting "You Wouldn't Listen" for The Ides of March on Harlequin Records in 1966.