George "Wydell" Jones, wrote "Rama Lama Ding Dong"

[Twitters]

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - George "Wydell" Jones, who wrote the doo-wop hit
"Rama Lama Ding Dong" and performed it as a member of the Edsels, has
died after battling cancer.

Jones, who was 71, died at home Saturday, according to his son,
Steffon Jones.

"Rama Lama" peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961.
The Youngstown, Ohio-based Edsels also included Jimmy Reynolds, Harry
Green, Marshall Sewell and Larry Green.

During their heyday, the Edsels performed at the Apollo Theater in New
York and appeared on "American Bandstand."

Jones was born in Richmond, Va., and as a child moved to Youngstown,
where his father worked in a steel mill. After high school, Jones
joined the Air Force, where he sang in a vocal group with other
servicemen and wrote "Rama Lama."

Jones is survived by his wife, six children, 16 grandchildren and 17
great-grandchildren.

A funeral home said services would be Saturday at Shiloh Baptist
Church in nearby Campbell, Ohio, with interment at the Tod Homestead
Cemetery.