Editing Dave Appell (section)

==Career==
Appell (pronounced "AP-el") is associated mainly with the [[Cameo-Parkway Records|Cameo-Parkway]] record label, in whose history he played a substantial part. He started working as an arranger for several [[United States Navy]] [[big band]]s in the mid-1940s during his service in [[World War II]], including [[Jimmie Lunceford]]'s black orchestra.<ref name="bio"/>

He later arranged for dance orchestras, including [[Benny Carter]] and [[Earl "Fatha" Hines]]. He [[sound recording and reproduction|recorded]] for a while on [[Decca Records]] as the Dave Appell Four, until [[Paul Cohen (record producer)|Paul Cohen]] of Decca suggested he change the group name to [[The Applejacks (US band)|the Applejacks]]. Appell also became a publisher, joining [[ASCAP]] in 1955, collaborating with [[Max Freedman]].<ref name="bio"/>

He appeared prominently in the 1956 [[Alan Freed]] film, ''[[Don't Knock the Rock]]'', and worked for a while as the studio band and music director on the [[Ernie Kovacs]] TV and radio shows in Philadelphia. Next Appell and the Applejacks were playing in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], but they soon began to pine for their hometown and returned to Philadelphia, where they started working for [[Cameo Records]], a label founded by [[Kal Mann]] and [[Bernie Lowe]]. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Appell did [[backing singer|background vocals]], [[session musician|session]] work as a guitarist, [[sound engineer|engineering]], arranging and producing. The first [[hit record|hit]] artist on the Cameo label was [[Charlie Gracie]] with "[[Butterfly (1957 song)|Butterfly]]". Appell's band backed Gracie on that million-seller in 1957, and on the singer's subsequent hits, "Fabulous", "Ninety-Nine Ways" and "Wander in' Eyes". In 1958 Appell and his group backed [[John Zacherle]] on his [[Top 40|Top 10]] [[novelty song|novelty]] hit ''[[Dinner With Drac]]''.

In the summer of 1958, Appell got an idea for a song from the Philadelphia String Band of a marching-type song with a dance beat. He wrote an [[instrumental]] song called "The Mexican Hat Rock", a jumped-up version of the old "[[Jarabe tapatío|Mexican Hat Dance]]", that he had his studio band record. The song was released under their own name on Cameo that fall and became a big dance hit on ''[[American Bandstand]]'', reaching # 16 on the [[record chart|charts]]. The Applejacks also charted with "Rocka-Conga" (# 38) later in the year.

Appell went on to become the leader of Cameo-Parkway's house band, backing such artists as [[Chubby Checker]], [[Bobby Rydell]], [[The Dovells]], [[Dee Dee Sharp]] and [[The Orlons]]. In the cases of the aforementioned act's [[gramophone record|records]] Appell also arranged and, in many instances, produced, and even co-wrote with Kal Mann, songs such as "[[Let's Twist Again]]", "[[Bristol Stomp]]", "[[Mashed Potato Time]]", and "[[South Street (song)|South Street]]". These were the years of the [[Twist (dance)|twist]] and other dance crazes, in the launching of which Appell played a vital role. Appell left Cameo in 1964.

In the 1970s he had success with his productions for [[Tony Orlando and Dawn]], including the # 1 hits "[[Knock Three Times]]" (1970) and "[[Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree]]" (1973), on [[Bell Records (1950s-70s)|Bell Records]] in New York City. Appell's co-producer at the time was [[Hank Medress]], a founding member of [[The Tokens]] musical group.<ref>{{IMDb name|0032253}}</ref>

Appell died on November 18, 2014. Cause of death is unknown. He was survived by his children Roz (Robert Purdy) Appell Purdy, Lynda Appell and granddaughter Sara Millett.<ref name="Legacy"/>