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Post by razorbacker on Nov 7, 2018 13:02:13 GMT
I seem to be striking out with this stuff, but maybe someone will remember these 3 singles. All 3 of these songs debuted on October 20, 1962: This one started out at #98: Stubborn Kind Of Fellow – Marvin Gaye This was the first hit single for Marvin. It was written by Marvin, Berry Gordy & William Stevenson. It will stay around for nine weeks & peak at #46 on the Pop Chart, but it goes to #8 over on R&B. At the time of this recording, he was married to the sister of Berry Gordy (Anna) & would remain so until 1975. Marvin was born in Washington D.C. His real name was Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. He died in 1984, just one day short of his 45th birthday when his dad shot him in the heart. Since his death, many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors—including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Producers at Motown were having a hard time getting Marvin to sing an upbeat song and put a little scream to it. So, according to a pioneering Motowner named Geno Parks, the label sort of tricked Marvin by telling him that he was singing this song as a demo for Parks. To Marvin's surprise, the company released the demo as an official song. The song also marked the debut of the Vandellas singing backing vocals (previously known as the Vels,later as Martha and the Vandellas), who continued to accompany Marvin on "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby," "Hitch Hike" and "Pride & Joy." www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdXUnWem9U8This one began at #68: Return To Sender – Elvis Presley This song was written by Otis Blackwell & Winfield Scott. Elvis gets sixteen weeks on the chart with it, but he misses out on the top spot when he peaks at #2 where it stays for five long weeks. It also goes to #5 on the R&B Chart. The song was from the movie Girls, Girls, Girls. Otis Blackwell, who had written Elvis' hits "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up," wrote this with Winfield Scott, who was in a vocal group called The Cues and wrote the song "Tweedle Dee" for LaVern Baker. When Elvis needed songs for his movie Girls! Girls! Girls!, Blackwell convinced Scott to try his hand writing Pop songs, and they came up with this and "We're Comin' In Loaded" for the movie. The song was recorded March 27, 1962 at Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood with the master cut coming from Take 2! Rumors are that Bobby Keys played the sax on the song but there is no confirmation of that. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4iEub6hYnoAnd this one showed up at #66: Big Girls Don’t Cry – The 4 Seasons Bob Crewe & Bob Gaudio wrote this one. They don’t suffer the same fate as Elvis as they go all the way to #1, stay there for five weeks & land as the 2nd biggest hit single of the year. (They also had the 3rd biggest hit with Sherry, in total the group spent 10 weeks at #1 during the year). The song will also spend three weeks at #1 on the R&B Chart. It is in The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. So who has the correct story on this? According to Bob Gaudio, he was dozing off while watching the John Payne/Rhonda Fleming/Ronald Reagan movie Tennessee's Partner when he heard Payne's character slap Fleming in the face. After the slap, Fleming's character replied, "Big girls don't cry." Gaudio wrote the line on a scrap of paper, fell asleep, and wrote the song the next morning. However, the now-famous line does not appear in the Ronald Reagan film. According to Bob Crewe, he himself was dozing off in his Manhattan home with the television on when he awoke to see John Payne manhandling Rhonda Fleming in Slightly Scarlet, a 1956 film noir based on a James M. Cain story. The line is heard in that film. www.youtube.com/watch?v=40bTOCv3_ak
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Post by razorbacker on Nov 19, 2018 12:49:14 GMT
Evidently I am the only one that likes any of this really old stuff...Hey, you can't get to where we are without going through who we were... So here is a version of a song that I doubt many have heard before, but do to the historic signifigance of the production, I thought you might like to hear it. The song debuted at #75 on November 17,1796: Zip A Dee Doo Dah – Bob B. Sox & The Blue Jeans This was the 1st hit single for these folks. It stays around long enough to hit its peak position of #8 in January 1963. Ray Gilbert & Allie Wrubel wrote the song. The song also goes to #7 on the R&B Chart. Phil Spector was the producer of the record & evidently the song marked the first time his Wall of Sound production formula was fully executed. This was a vocal trio consisting of group members Bobby Sheen (of the Alley Cats) & Darlene Love & Fanita James (both formerly of The Blossoms). The group was put together by Phil Spector. The song comes from the 1946 Disney movie, Song of the South. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. www.youtube.com/watch?v=feKEIeq5ozk
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Post by MissScarlet on Nov 24, 2018 23:06:07 GMT
Summer & vacations got in the way, so I haven't spent much time around her lately. But I'm back. I just spent some time clicking on all the links here from the last few months. Good stuff! Consider this a big LIKE for all the songs mentioned. quite a few good memories & quite a few new ones I hadn't heard yet, but still good.
Keep up the good work, razorbacker. I'm appreciating it, although sometimes a few months late.
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Post by razorbacker on Nov 26, 2018 13:59:58 GMT
Hey, hey, hey! Someone actually responded. I had about given up on these things. So...in honor of that I will give you two songs both of them I am sure you will remember & they both debuted on December 1, 1962: This one started out at #81: Tell Him – The Exciters This was the 1st of three different versions of this song to chart & it will be the biggest of them all by a landslide. Dean Parrish stalls out at #96 in 1966 & Kenny Loggins falls out at #76 in 1989, but these folks go all the way to #4 on the Pop Chart & #5 over on R&B. The song was another hit from Bert Russell. This was the 1st & the biggest hit ever from this R&B Vocal group out of Jamaica NY. Group members included Herb Rooney & his wife Brenda Reid (they are the parents of mega producer LA Reid), Carol Johnson & Lillian Walker. Bert Berns, using the pseudonym Bert Russell, wrote this song as "Tell Her." Versions by Johnny Thunder and Ed Townsend were released in 1962, but they both faltered. When the production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller left Atlantic Records to work for United Artists, they produced a new version by The Exciters, a New York quartet featuring three female vocalists. Bert Berns, who died of a heart attack at age 38 in 1967, wrote several hits of the '60s, including "Twist And Shout," "Piece Of My Heart" and "Hang On Sloopy". www.youtube.com/watch?v=io7taNUIly4This one began at #64: Two Lovers – Mary Wells Motown is really begging to step up & be a force. This song goes all the way to #7 on the Pop Chart but it spends four weeks at #1 over on R&B. Smokey Robinson wrote it. This was the third collaboration between Mary and Smokey, following "The One Who Really Loves You" and "You Beat Me to the Punch. Smokey said that this song was inspired by his then-wife, Claudette. The song was also inspired by an old movie that Smokey was watching on TV one night. He recalled in an interview with Mojo Magazine: "This woman had these two men that she loved. And see, people think that love is exclusive, 'How can you love somebody else if you love this person?' That's just the way love is. Love doesn't have boundaries, no formulas, and no rules, love doesn't know that." www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmICa5hzIG0
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Post by MissScarlet on Nov 26, 2018 21:47:44 GMT
Two great songs. I remember both of them. I also really enjoy your background info. Most of that I had no idea about. It seems that there are so many songs that never made it to #1, but are still memorable all these years later. While so many #1 songs were just a flash in the pan & have long since been forgotten (for good reason).
It's like that with movies too.
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Post by razorbacker on Nov 27, 2018 11:22:02 GMT
I know most folks don't find it as interesting as I do, but as I go through these weekly Billboard charts, I have found some interesting things. In 1963 as the year winds down, there are just tons of artists experiencing the ignominy of either being a 1 Hit Wonder, or even more artists that have their final chart hits. The charts are telling us something.... a change is on the way in the form of The British Invasion...they just don't know it yet. The record labels are continuing to trot out new music by artists mired in the style of the 50's & seeing the songs flounder about without gaining any traction.
And then on the week of June 29, 1963, we see these names for the very first time, all of them have singles that debut on the same week, only they aren't the singers, they are the song writers:
John Lennon, Paul McCartney & Bob Dylan's music is heard for the very first time on the Billboard Hot 100 on the very same week.
Lennon & McCartney see their song From Me To You debut at #96 by Del Shannon & Bob Dylan's Blowin In The Wind debuts at #86 for Peter, Paul & Mary. Cool stuff, even if I am the only one to think so...HA!
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Post by razorbacker on Nov 30, 2018 17:56:38 GMT
Ok, I have 3 songs to share this time around. As you will see 2 of the 3 are in the Grammy Hall Of Fame & the 3rd is just such a memorable song it has to be one everyone remembers. All 3 of these songs debuted on the week of December 8, 1962: This one debuted at #87: You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me – The Miracles The Miracles have the first & the biggest of the 3 versions of this song to chart. They go all the way to #8 on the Pop Chart & #1 over on R&B. This was their 1st Top 10 hit since 1960. Smokey wrote the song & it is in both the Grammy & Rock & Roll Halls Of Fame. Smokey wrote this song when he was in New York City negotiating a publishing deal, and not pleased with the way the talks were going. He says that he wrote the song in his hotel room with the intention of writing something controversial, which he accomplished with the first line: "I don't like you, but I love you." www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBEjCVOiH00This one started out 1 spot higher at #86: The Ballad Of Jed Clampett – Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs This one stays on the charts for eleven weeks which lets it peak way out in February of 1963, but it goes only to #44 on the Hot 100 while climbing to #14 on the AC Chart & spending three weeks at #1 on the Country Chart. The song was written by Paul Henning & it was the 1st time the duo had crossed over to the Pop Chart, a feat they would not accomplish very often. Paul Henning was the guy that created The Beverly Hillbillies for TV. That show proved so successful that he was given other chances & Petticoat Junction & Green Acres also came from him. But he had been writing for TV for years. Previously he had written for such series as Fibber McGee & Molly and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, and later such television series as The Dennis Day Show, The Real McCoys, and The Andy Griffith Show. Henning was also the creator, writer, and producer of The Bob Cummings Show, where he first met many of the actors who were subsequently to appear in his later series. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HExX4sU6pgEAnd this one started out at #78: Don’t Make Me Over – Dionne Warwick This song is going to chart four times before all is said & done, Dionne was the 1st of the four but not the biggest. She goes to #21 while Sybil will hit #20 with her version in 1989. This version also goes to #5 on the R&B Chart. This was the 1st hit single for Dionne. It was written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David & is in The Grammy Hall Of Fame. Sometimes ya gotta wonder what would have happened if things had taken a different path. She wanted to re-record "Make It Easy On Yourself" in her first Scepter recording session. After she was told that Jerry Butler had already recorded it and had it scheduled for release by Vee Jay, she yelled at Burt Bacharach, "Don't make me over, man!" and stormed out of Bacharach's office. Bacharach and Hal David quickly composed a song inspired by her outburst and offered it to Dionne. All was forgiven. So what if they had just washed their hands of the temperamental yet to be star & refused to write for her? www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDblF-J6qvY
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Post by Arielflies on Dec 14, 2018 16:24:36 GMT
I didn't find out his name but one of the many Drifters (a bass) provided the musical entertainment at our holiday party. This is his new gig - playing private parties. He said he was retired from The Drifters, but his voice is still powerful. Part of his history was moving from the south to LA. Wish I had found out his name. sorry
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 14, 2018 18:26:02 GMT
I didn't find out his name but one of the many Drifters (a bass) provided the musical entertainment at our holiday party. This is his new gig - playing private parties. He said he was retired from The Drifters, but his voice is still powerful. Part of his history was moving from the south to LA. Wish I had found out his name. sorry There have been probably as many as 100 different guys that were a part of The Drifters at one time or another. In fact due to lawsuits & claims as to who owned the name there have even been multiple groups called The Drifters at the same time. So, your guy may have been one of the splinter groups, or maybe he swung into the original group at one time or another. And, there is still a group calling themselves The Drifters, still on the road, still cashing in even though the original guys are pretty much all gone by now. Hey, since it is almost Christmas, how about The Drifters singing White Christmas:
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Post by Arielflies on Dec 15, 2018 5:38:48 GMT
Damn - that is the song he sang after saying he was part of The Drifters. He had us singing back up.
He sure sounded like Bill Pinkney, even though I know Bill Pinkney is dead and this guy was probably 20 years younger. He was probably chosen to be part of the later group because of his sound.
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 15, 2018 12:01:36 GMT
We had a company Christmas party one year where the entertainer was Dennis Yost, he of The Classics IV. You probably remember that group for their hits Spooky, Stormy, & Traces. He was pretty good, but it was long after he & that group had parted ways. Speaking of parting ways, once The Classics IV broke up, members J.R.Cobb, Dean Daughtry & Buddy Buie went on to form a group called The Atlanta Rhythm Section...I reckon you know them.
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 20, 2018 13:20:05 GMT
So I have made it into 1963 on the Billboard Charts & here are three songs that debuted on January 12, 1963. I reckon a couple of them will be memorable, the 3rd probably not so much, but it was the 1st hit for a future star. This one started out at #96: Hitch Hike – Marvin Gaye Marvin co – wrote the song with Clarence Paul & William Stevenson. It is going to stay around for 12 weeks & land at #30 on the Pop Chart & #12 over on R&B. This was his 1st Top 40 hit single. Marvin got the idea for the song after watching his sister do a little dance where she just moved her hands with her thumbs pointed out like she was hitchhiking. He performed the song and its accompanying "Hitch Hike" dance on American Bandstand (thanks to youtube, we get to see it again). Marvin had always resisted dance routines, because he thought they were an affront to the artistry of his songs, but the "Hitch Hike" sparked a brief dance craze. It appears as though that is Martha & The Vandellas on backing vocals. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGVJDX8XV5EThis one began at #91: Look At Me – Dobie Gray We have the 1st hit single for Dobie but it isn’t going to point the way to bigger & better. It stays around for just 2 weeks, and it peaks right here at #91. The song was written by Johnny Cole & does not cross over to any other chart. Dobie won’t chart again until 1965. Dobie was born in Brookshire Texas. His real name was Lawrence Darrow Brown. He recorded for several local labels under the names Leonard Ainsworth, Larry Curtis, and Larry Dennis, before Sonny Bono directed him toward the small independent Stripe Records. They suggested that he record under the name "Dobie Gray", an allusion to the then-popular sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FdF6sZlfDgAnd this one landed at #80: Rhythm Of The Rain – The Cascades This was the 1st & more popular of the two versions of this song that will hit the chart. Gary Lewis & The Playboys will get the song to #63 in 1969, but The Cascades are going all the way to #3 on the Pop Chart, #7 on the R&B Chart & they spend 2 weeks at #1 On the AC Chart. The song was written by James Gummoe (vocals & guitar player in the group) & it stays on the chart for 16 weeks. This was the 1st hit single for these guys & their only Top 40 hit as well, in fact they won’t escape the 60’s on any chart from here on out. The Cascades were a Pop Band out of San Diego. The group consisted of the already mentioned Gummoe, Eddie Snyder on piano, David Wilson sax, David Stevens bass, & David Zabo on drums. Writer John Gummoe, had this to say in October 2008: "I wrote 'Rhythm of the Rain' over a period of time, but the lyrics began while I was serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Jason AR8. I was standing a mid watch on the bridge while we were underway to Japan. We were sailing up in the north pacific and it was raining heavily and the seas were tossing. The title came to me first and I liked the 'ring' of it, the way it flowed, and that night I wrote down most of the lyrics. It was like the rain was talking. It was later on that I sat down at a piano and was fooling around with the black keys and started playing a sequence from E flat down to F sharp, well, if you do it you'll see it's the melody that is now stuck in the heads of millions of people around the world. Later on, when we did a demo on the song, that great little ding ding thing that goes FC-FC, DA, DA came to be. The great arranger Perry Botkin Jr. enhanced that little hook and it was producer Barry De Vorzon who came up with the idea of opening the song with that famous burst of thunder." This was recorded at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. Some of the elite west coast studio musicians played on this song, including the legendary session drummer Hal Blaine and guitarist Glen Campbell. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmF_bG5IVnM
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 31, 2018 12:42:30 GMT
Here are a couple of big, big songs that both debuted on the Billboard Chart of January 26, 1963: This one started out at #94: The End Of The World – Skeeter Davis Sylvia Dee & Arthur Kent wrote this one & Skeeter has a mega multi chart hit with it. It stays around for 17 weeks & climbs to #2 on the Pop Chart, #2 on the Country Chart, #4 on the R&B Chart & it gets 2 weeks at #1 on the AC Chart. It was the biggest hit of her career. Skeeter became, & to this day still is, the only Female Country artist to have a hit single hit all 4 of those charts at the same time. The single was produced by Chet Atkins & that is Floyd Cramer on the piano. Her recording of "The End of the World" was played at Atkins's funeral in an instrumental by Marty Stuart, and at Davis's own funeral at the Ryman Auditorium. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbZ9ILRYQ2oAnd this one began at #40 - debuting this high on the chart was really unusual: Walk Like A Man – The 4 Seasons Bob Crewe & Bob Gaudio were once again the writers for these guys & once again they have written a big one. If they hadn’t released Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (which charted at #23) this would have been their 3rd consecutive #1 hit on the Pop Chart. It spends 3 weeks at the Top & comes in as the 10th biggest hit of the year. It also goes to #3 on the R&B Chart. The song is in The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. This was recorded in a burning building! According to guitarist Vinne Bell, their producer, Bob Crewe, locked the door to the studio (a standard practice on recording day), then after a while - and a couple of bad takes - the musicians smelled smoke and there was a pounding on the studio door. Crewe refused to unlock it, even though plaster was falling from the ceiling, because he wanted one more take to perfect the song. The musicians were afraid of electrocution as water leaked into the studio. The session ended when firemen axed open the studio door and knocked Crewe to the floor in the process. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaKpo2lFzH8I always find it interesting the variety of songs that charted at the same time. For instance on this particular week we also had: Greenback Dollar by The Kingston Trio #21 on the Pop Chart #6 on AC Days Of Wine & Roses by Henry Mancini an Oscar winner & a two time Grammy winning single. Send Me Some Lovin by Sam Cooke #13 on Pop & #2 on R&B. Happy New Year everyone!
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Post by Arielflies on Dec 31, 2018 14:39:08 GMT
The Kingston Trio was a favorite of my group of friends.
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Post by razorbacker on Jan 8, 2019 12:36:25 GMT
I have to share a couple of songs this time not because they were big hits, but because they charted on February 16, 1963. Among all the doo wop & the white bread crooners, we got these two instrumentals that seemed to be so out of place & so far ahead of their time, that they simply got overlooked. This one began life at #98: Jive Samba – Cannonball Adderley Sextet Cannonball’s brother Nat wrote this one. It spends 8 weeks on the chart & comes in at #66. It seems to be the only single in the decade of the 60’s for him that did not cross over to the R&B Chart. The sextet included brother Nat on coronet, Joe Zawinul on keyboards (he left to put together the group Weather Report), Walter Booker bass, Roy McCurdy on drums. George Duke would eventually replace Zawinul, but he too would eventually leave to join Frank Zappa. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB_pO55vpQIAnd this one showed up at #87: Boss – The Rumblers This song gets two weeks on the chart, but it has debuted at its peak position. This was the only chart hit for these folks & the song was written by Jack Wenzel. The Rumblers were an Instrumental rock group out of Norwalk California. Group members included Bob Jones sax, Johnny Kirkland guitar, Mike Kelishes guitar, Wayne Matteson bass & Adrian Lloyd on drums. These guys would evolve into other groups & do some recording under different names, such as the Nylons and Bel Canto's, whose "Feel Aw Right" has an arrangement by a young Barry White, but they still never charted again. They broke up in 1965 when Johnny Kirkland got drafted. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Y7hihfHQA
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Post by razorbacker on Jan 21, 2019 19:35:58 GMT
It's been a while, but here is song I reckon everyone knows. It first hit the Hot 100 on March 16, 1963 at #61 & went up rather nicely: Puff (The Magic Dragon) – Peter, Paul & Mary Peter Yarrow co – wrote the song with Leonard Lipton. The song goes to #2 on the Pop Chart, #10 on the R&B Chart & it spends 2 weeks at #1 on the AC Chart. It was their biggest hit so far & it looks to be the only time they charted on R&B. Peter Yarrow wrote the song in 1958 before he joined the group. It started with a poem his roommate, Lenny Lipton, left in his typewriter. In a Songfacts interview, Yarrow told the story: "Lenny Lipton and I were at Cornell, and it was exam time. He came to my place in Collegetown, sat down at the typewriter, and wrote some poetic words - he had been thinking about Ogden Nash for a while. And he wrote part of what became the lyric. He actually left the piece of paper in the typewriter when he left because he was absorbed in getting to his exams. It was not intended to be a lyric of a song or anything - it was just something that he typed on paper, and I looked at it and loved it. I wrote the rest of the words to give it a song form and a dramatic arch, and the music to it. Later, on the second album [Moving], when we were looking for children's songs - we did some children's songs on the first album, including 'Autumn to May' and 'It's Raining' - I suggested 'Puff, the Magic Dragon,' and we put it on the album, without any thought that it might ever become popular in any important way. Yet, it happened spontaneously at some point, because a DJ somewhere in the Northwest started to play it on the radio, and it just took off, and it's the song that it now is." A few years after this song became a hit, Yarrow found Lipton and gave him half the songwriting credit. Lipton, who was a camp counselor when Yarrow found him, gets extensive royalties from the song. www.youtube.com/watch?v=z15pxWUXvLY
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Post by MissScarlet on Jan 21, 2019 22:00:08 GMT
Nice background info. I'm glad Mr Lipton gets his writing credit & royalties. Nice to see not everyone in the music business is a selfish jerk.
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Post by razorbacker on Jan 24, 2019 12:14:21 GMT
Sometimes there are weeks that go by on the Billboard charts with song after song charting & you have to wonder why. What were the labels thinking in putting out some of the schlock they were. And then out of the blue there will be a week like March 23, 1963. That week there were 14 brand new songs & none of them were cringe worthy but I know you aren't interested in hearing 14 songs, so here are just 3 of the more memorable ones that debuted that week. This one hit the charts at #90: I Will Follow Him – Little Peggy March If you have a 1st hit single like this one what do you do as a follow up. In the case of Little Peggy, you aren’t able to match the success at all. The song goes to #1 on both the Pop & R&B Charts. She never gets any higher than 26 on the Pop Charts again & this was the only time she charted on R&B. The song spends 3 weeks at #1 on Pop & comes in as the 8th biggest hit of the year. Peggy was a Pop Singer from Lansdale Pennsylvania. Her real name was Magraret Battivio. She had turned 15 just two weeks prior to this song charting. When this song hit #1 she became the youngest female artist with a number one hit, a record that still stands for the Billboard Hot 100. The recording also reached number one in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, and Scandinavia. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgPMYQTINNkThis one began life at #82: On Broadway – The Drifters This was the 1st of two different versions of this song to chart & it will be the lesser of the two but not by much. The Drifters get the song to #9 on the Pop Chart & #7 on the R&B Chart. The more successful version comes in 1978 when George Benson gets the song to #7. Leiber & Stoller were joined in the writing of this one by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. According to Cynthia Weil, this was written with a girl group in mind (the original version, in fact, was first recorded by The Crystals in 1962). She told NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross: "It was about a girl coming to New York and dreaming of Broadway and stardom. It was much more kind of escape from a small town and I'm going to make it. When we met with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and played it for them, they said, you know, we're doing The Drifters, so it would need a whole other perspective. You can go home and do it yourself, or you can write it with us. And these guys were our idols. We thought they were great and it would be a fantastic opportunity to work with them. So we ended up reworking the song together." This was one of the last Drifters songs featuring lead singer Rudy Lewis, who replaced Ben E. King in 1961. Rudy died of a heart attack in 1964. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XtYvR8ryj8And this one kicked it off at #73: Surfin U.S.A. – The Beach Boys The Beach Boys will release this song twice & both times it will hit the Top 40. This time they go all the way to #3, while it hits #36 in 1974. The song also goes to #20 in 1977 when it is released as a single by Leif Garrett. This 1963 release also goes to #20 on the R&B Chart & has been installed into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. The song was written by Chuck Berry. The lyrics are basically a guide to good surf locations, but the "Surfin' U.S.A." music was based on Chuck Berry's 1958 hit "Sweet Little Sixteen." The Beach Boys did it as a tribute to Berry, but didn't get his permission first - maybe because he was in jail for transporting a minor across state lines. When Chuck threatened to sue, The Beach Boys agreed to give him most of the royalties and list him as the song's composer. The song also helped build his legend while he served his time. According to Brian Wilson: "I was going with a girl called Judy Bowles, and her brother Jimmy was a surfer. He knew all the surfing spots. I started humming the melody to 'Sweet Little Sixteen' and I got fascinated with the fact of doing it, and I thought to myself, 'God! What about trying to put surf lyrics to 'Sweet Little Sixteen's melody? The concept was about, 'They are doing this in this city, and they're doing that in that city' So I said to Jimmy, 'Hey Jimmy, I want to do a song mentioning all the surf spots.' So he gave me a list
Also charting singles that week among the others were were Mary Wells, Dionne Warwick, The Rooftop Singers, The Shirelles, The Marvelettes, Gene Pitney, & a 1 Hit Wonder group out of the Phillipines called The Rocky Fellers (surprisingly enough, their song was pretty rockin)
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Post by MissScarlet on Jan 27, 2019 20:01:11 GMT
That Surfin U.S.A. video is weird. The first 2 1/2 minutes of the song, no one is singing, no one is playing guitar, and the drummer isn't drumming. They're just standing there holding the guitars pretending & kind of swaying to the music with the song playing without them performing it. Then all of a sudden, there they are in different clothes & playing, singing, drumming, but still with no guitar cords. I doubt they had cordless electric guitars back then. I would love to hear that The Rocky Fellers song.
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Post by razorbacker on Jan 28, 2019 12:05:24 GMT
That Surfin U.S.A. video is weird. The first 2 1/2 minutes of the song, no one is singing, no one is playing guitar, and the drummer isn't drumming. They're just standing there holding the guitars pretending & kind of swaying to the music with the song playing without them performing it. Then all of a sudden, there they are in different clothes & playing, singing, drumming, but still with no guitar cords. I doubt they had cordless electric guitars back then. I would love to hear that The Rocky Fellers song. I suspect someone found a bunch of videos of The Beach Boys performing & pasted them together. I can't even guarantee that they were singing the same song all the way through. As you wanting to hear the Rocky Fellers, your wish is my command: The song debuted at #84:
Killer Joe – Rocky Fellers
This was the 1st & only hit single for these guys. It was written by Bob Elgin, Phil Medley & Bert Russel. The song stays on the chart for 13 weeks & ends up at #16.
The Rocky Fellers were dad Doroteo & sons Eddie, Albert, Tony & Joe Maligmat. They were from Manila in The Phillipines.
The song was inspired by famed dance instructor and 'King of the Discothèque', Killer Joe Piro.
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Post by MissScarlet on Jan 29, 2019 4:25:54 GMT
That really is a fun lively song. I faintly remember hearing it before. Whether it was their recording or someone else's I have no idea. I'm surprised that was their only hit. First because it was fun & good, & second because the group is a family. They tend to stay together a bit longer.
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 4, 2019 17:35:01 GMT
It has always been my contention that during the late 50's & early 60's the Black artists were making so much more interesting & better music than the white artists were. Here a couple of examples of songs that charted for the 1st time on April 20, 1963: This one saw the light of day at #91: If You Need Me – Solomon Burke This was the 1st & most popular of the two versions of this song that hits in 1963. Solomon goes to #37 on the Pop Chart & he spends a frustrating 5 weeks at #2 on the R&B Chart. The song was written by Robert Bateman, William Sanders & Wilson Pickett. Solomon was, kept from the number one position on the R&B Chart by Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout" and Sam Cooke's "Another Saturday Night". www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-RLZwLp7EAnd this one kicked it off at #61 & spoiled the party for Solomon Burke: Another Saturday Night – Sam Cooke Sam takes this one all the way to #10 on the Pop Chart & #1 on the R&B Chart. His was the 1st version released and even though he wrote the song, he will still be outdone on the Pop Chart when Cat Stevens releases it in 1974 & goes to #6. Musicians playing on this single included session drummer Hal Blaine , John Anderson on trumpet, John Ewing on trombone, Jewell Grant on sax, Ray Johnson on piano, and Clifton White and Rene Hall on guitar, and Clifford Hills on bass. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s64j4cK7AwM
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 11, 2019 13:20:42 GMT
On the week of May 4th 1963, there were two artists that debuted their very 1st chart hits at the same time. One of them had a smash hit, but a relatively short career while the other debuted a middling hit, but went on to a legendary career. Here are those two songs & artists. This song started out at #90: If You Need Me – Wilson Pickett Wilson has the 2nd version of this song to chart within the past couple of weeks & he will also have the less successful of the two. He is able to get his version only to #64 while Solomon Burke goes to 37. Wilson does go to #30 on the R&B Chart but Solomon saw his version go to #2 over there. This was the 1st chart hit for Wicked Pickett. He was born in Pratville Alabama but he ran away from his mother & moved to Detroit to live with his Father in 1955. He is going to have a few minor hit singles in the next couple of years, but his career really won’t catch fire until he changes labels (leaving Double – L & joining Atlantic) & hooking up with guitarist/producer Steve Cropper in Memphis. His 1st hit at Atlantic was recorded at a studio called Stax & it was a little song called In The Midnight Hour. Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnK4k_EnXSoThis one began at #80: Hello Stranger – Barbara Lewis Barbara has the 1st & most successful of the eventual 3 versions of this song to land. It will land at #100 for a group called Fire & Rain in 1973 & Yvonne Elliman will get her version to #15 in 1977, but Barbara goes to #3 on the Pop Chart & she gets 2 weeks at #1 on the R&B Chart. This was the 1st hit single for Barbara & she wrote the song herself. Barbara was an R&B singer/songwriter/multi - instrumentalist from Michigan. Not only did she write this song, but she also wrote everything that was on her debut album as well, that was quite unusual for a lady back in the day. Backing vocals are provided by The Dells & the arrangement was done by Riley Hampton who was also working with Etta James at the time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rAyThU_J3IThis was a relatively short week with just 9 new singles, but also appearing this week were singles by The Marvelettes, Rick Nelson, Tommy Roe & Freddy Cannon.
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Post by Navybelle on Feb 18, 2019 3:53:34 GMT
I'm listening to/watching the Elvis All-Star Tribute on NBC tonight, and there are so many great old songs being sung by some very talented current musicians. I like how they're cutting in some Elvis concert TV footage too. And the "Memories" montage was great as well.
Carrie Underwood with "How Great Thou Art" was phenomenal! And I liked Adam Lambert's "Blue Suede Shoes" too. Darius Rucker from Hootie and the Blowfish was also very good. Actually, I've liked most renditions, except JLo really (she's pretty, and dances well, but her voice? Nah). I love Elvis' voice so much, but these artists are doing a nice job of honoring him and not copying him (because, who could?!).
Lisa Marie was looking verrrrrrry rough. I hope she isn't going the substance-abuse route her dad took. Priscilla was on too. It's been a good show!
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 18, 2019 12:26:24 GMT
I recorded the Elvis special but haven't watched it yet. Looking forward to it. Carrie always shines on How Great Thou Art.
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Post by MissScarlet on Mar 28, 2019 17:49:56 GMT
Razorbacker, where are you? I miss my oldies fix.
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 29, 2019 12:54:46 GMT
Razorbacker, where are you? I miss my oldies fix. In all honesty, I thought everyone had given up. No one ever had any comments so I thought no one had any memories of these songs & didn't particularly care. So since you asked, here are a couple for you: At the time we never would have known it or paid any attention to it at all but the week of June 29, 1963 was a pretty important week on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was the week that brought us the names of John Lennon, Paul McCartney & Bob Dylan all at the same time, for the 1st time. None of the 3 were singing or performing, but instead someone else was charting with songs they had written. Just consider it for a minute, 3 of the most important song writers of the rock era & they all come out of hiding at the same time…The Times They Are A Changin! This song debuted at #96: From Me To You – Del Shannon And here we have the 1st hit single from a couple of guys named Lennon & McCartney. They will chart with the single in 1964, but Del beats them out of the chute with the song & ends up peaking at #77. The Beatles by the way won’t hit the Top 40 with their version either as they stall out at #41. As for Del Shannon, his career waned when The Beatles and other British groups came to the US, and he was never able to regain the popularity he had in 1961, when he had a hit with "Runaway . Del has a #30 hit single in early 1965, but he charts two singles after that with both of them stalling out in the 90’s & he is done by the middle of 1966. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfl9BUOuwBEAnd this one began at #83: Blowin In The Wind – Peter, Paul & Mary Now we hear the 1st charting single for composer Bob Dylan. The song hits #2 on the Pop Chart but spends 5 weeks at #1 on the AC Chart. The song is in The Grammy Hall Of Fame. The group won Grammys in 1964 for Best Folk Recording & Best Vocal Performance By A Group. Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary said in the Radio Times, October 13-19, 2007: "His (Bob Dylan's) writing put Peter, Paul and Mary on another level. We heard his demos and Albert (Grossman, both Dylan and the trio's manager) thought the big song was 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right,' but we went crazy over 'Blowin' In The Wind.' We instinctively knew the song carried the moment of its own time. He was rising so fast over anybody else, in the level of poetry and expression, to a shatteringly brilliant level." Peter, Paul & Mary performed this song at the March on Washington, which took place August 28, 1963. This was a seminal event in American history, epitomized by Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have A Dream" speech. Mary Travers described having an epiphany during the performance. "Looking out at those 250,000 people, I truly believed at that moment it was possible for human beings to join together to make a positive social change," she said. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld6fAO4idaIThis week we also had the 1st chart hit from Roy Clark, The Devil In Disguise landed for Elvis Presley, Green Green charted for The New Christy Minstrels (with their new lead singer Barry McGuire, who also wrote the song), & the original version of I (Who Have Nothing) landed for Ben E. King (Tom Jones will kill this song in 1970).
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Post by Arielflies on Mar 29, 2019 14:24:13 GMT
I saw Peter, Paul and Mary as my only live concert appearance at Berkeley in 1965 (I think that was the year) and they sang Blowin' in the Wind.
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Post by MissScarlet on Apr 3, 2019 17:23:05 GMT
Yay! razorbacker's back. Great selections. I remember them both, although not by those singers. I didn't realize that both songs were hits for others before the songwriters had hits with them. From Me To You is almost identical to the Beatles' version except with a different voice. The tones & nuances were exactly the same. It brings up the question: Who copied who?
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Post by razorbacker on Apr 4, 2019 11:37:22 GMT
As I make my way through the weeks on Billboard, I seem to notice a trend. The charts are telling us a change is on the way, but no one seems to know it yet. But many of the artists that have been around for years are beginning to either disappear for good or are on the verge of a long time between hit singles. It is pretty interesting to see. But that just means that more of these songs are going to be more memorable for those of us that grew up during the era. These singles all debuted on August 3, 1963. I think you’ll flash back on them all. This one started out at #82: Heat Wave – Martha & The Vandellas This was the 1st of two versions of this song to chart & both versions will hit the Top 5 with these folks having the higher of the 2 when it lands at #4. Linda Rondstadt will take it to #5 in 1975. This version spends 4 weeks at #1 on the R&B Chart. This is a Holland/Dozier/Holland written hit single & it is in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Lamont Dozier explained: "It was summertime and hot and sticky in Detroit. I often sat at the piano and played a warm-up riff to get my day started. This one particular day the heat was over the top and I was watching TV and the weatherman said we had a record-breaking five-day heat wave that was not going to let up. So all this funky riff needed was for me to throw a girl into the mix and this song was born." www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE2fnYpwrngThis one began at #75: My Boy Friend’s Back – The Angels This one spends 14 weeks on the charts & 3 of those weeks will be at #1 which makes the song the 5th biggest hit of the year. The song stalls out at #2 on the R&B Chart. It was written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldsten & Richard Gottehrer. This was their biggest hit & their only #1 hit. Bob Feldman was inspired to write this song after witnessing an altercation between a girl and a tough-looking boy who wore a leather jacket. The girl yelled at him for telling lies about her at school and actually said the two phrases that would become lyrics to the song, "My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble... you're gonna be sorry you were ever born." Feldman told Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer about the incident that night and they came up with one of the most legendary songs in the history of rock. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NuofNHKbVcAnd this one launched at #45: Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh – Alan Sherman This was the 1st chart hit for Alan & he co – wrote the song with Lou Busch. This time he gets to #2 on the Pop Chart & he releases a new version of the song in 1964 when he doesn’t fair quite as well, but that time he will cross over to the AC Chart. Allan was born Allan Copelon in Chicago. While his recording career will be over by 1965 he still had a pretty nice career elsewhere. He was a writer on The Steve Allen Showand created the game show I've Got a Secret. www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3_xiUYMnXA
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