[2] Members were South African-born sisters Anne and Jackie Ralph as well as Cliff Edwards, Doug Gravelle and Gordon McLeod.
The Five Bells' first big song was "Moody Manitoba Morning" (written by Rick Neufeld) which peaked on the RPM 100 chart at #78 in the spring of 1969.
Piano player Frank Mills joined The Bells for a short period, from 1970 to 1971, after which he left to pursue a solo career, the highlight of which was the #3 1979 U.S. hit single "Music Box Dancer".
Written by Saint John native Ken Tobias, the song became a major hit worldwide, selling four million copies and going to #1 in Canada on the RPM 100 national Top Singles chart on April 10, 1971, and remaining there for two weeks.
[8] The Bells had three Canadian Top Ten singles from their final album, Pisces Rising (Polydor, 1973): "The Singer", "Hey My Love", and "He Was Me, He Was You".
Jackie Ralph recruited new members, featuring a new rhythm section with Skip Layton on drums and Will (Wayne) Cardinal on bass; the band took on an edgier, country rock style.