[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E568] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING NEW HAVEN NATIVE FRED PARRIS ______ HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO of connecticut in the house of representatives Thursday, April 23, 2015 Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure today that I rise to join Mayor Toni Harp and the City of New Haven as they pay tribute to New Haven native Fred Parris at the City's 377th Anniversary celebration. Today, community leaders and residents will gather to plant five trees, one for each century during which the City of New Haven has been incorporated. As they do so, they will pay homage to the City's ``deep roots'' by recognizing one of our civic icons, Fred Parris. Founder and lead singer of The Five Satins, Fred's extraordinary story began in 1953 when he started singing as a student at Hillhouse High School in a group called the Scarlets. The group disbanded when its members joined the army in 1956 and Fred Parris found himself stationed at Philadelphia's Navy Yard. On weekends, Fred would often return to New Haven and sing for fun with a few friends from the neighborhood. In fact, they could often be found singing on street corners along bustling Dixwell Avenue. At the insistence of a local record company owner, Fred got together with Jim Freeman, Lou Peebles, Eddie Martin and Stanley Dortch to form the Five Satins--the era of Doo-Wop music was born. One night, while on guard duty at 4 am, Fred penned ``In The Still of the Night'' bringing a musical gift to the world. It has been over 50 years since they recorded ``In the Still of the Night'' in the basement of St. Bernadette's church in New Haven. Just weeks later, Fred was shipped out by the time the record made the national charts, he was stationed in Japan and had to be replaced by Bill Baker. When Fred returned from the army, he again became the group's lead, recording songs like ``Shadows'' and ``I'll Be Seeing You.'' ``In the Still of the Night'' has sold millions of copies and is still one of the most requested ``golden oldies'' on almost every Top- 40 radio station in the country. In fact, when Rolling Stone magazine released its list of ``The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time'' a few years ago, ``In the Still of the Night '' was right up there at #90--in between #89 ``California Dreamin'' by The Mamas & The Papas and #91 ``Suspicious Minds'' by Elvis Presley. Fred and his Five Satins continued recording well into the 1980's and in 2003 were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Fred, along with his wife, Emma, continues to make the Greater New Haven community their home today and Fred continues to perform. He is true community treasure and I am honored to join Mayor Harp and all of those gathered today in paying him tribute. ____________________