Nick Santo of Doo Wop Group the Capris Dies

From Oldies Music:

Nick Santo (Santamaria), lead singer of the Capris, lost his battle with cancer Thursday (December 30). He was 69. Nick had retired from performing and disbanded the group over three years ago to battle the disease.

The Capris were formed in 1957 by teenagers in Queens, New York. Answering an ad placed by fledgling record producers, they cut "There's A Moon Out Tonight" in 1958, which was bought and released by Planet Records. The song went nowhere and the group disbanded. That is, until a New York City disk jockey played it two years later.

Released again on Lost Nite Records (and then picked up for national distribution by Old Town Records), the song spent a week in the #3 position on the Billboard charts in early 1961.

The group re-assembled and hit the charts three more times, with "Where I Fell In Love" (#74-1961), "Girl In My Dreams" (#82-1961) and "Limbo" (#98-1962). By the latter release, though, Nick had left for a solo career and ended up with the New York City Police Department.

He rejoined the Capris in 1982 and continued with the group until its dissolution. His composition, "Morse Code Of Love," though it never charted, is still considered a doo-wop standard. The Capris were named to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007.