We have been very fortunate these past several years to be able to share some brand new holiday music with our readers during the Christmas Season ... sometimes even before this music hits radio!!!
Today, we've got FIVE holiday favorites to share with you again ...
Kent ... I’d like to share the new video I made on Michael Jackson’s “Little Christmas Tree” (Clinton/Wayne) with you. I hope you enjoy it. http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/new-michael-jackson-video-little-christmas-tree-2009/ Merry Christmas and regards, Artie Wayne Thanks for sharing, Artie! SO much Michael Jackson attention this year ... how nice that you're able to share in this!!! (kk)
Hi Kent, Now that the holidays are here, I wanted to make sure that you had Bob Lind's incredible song, "A New Year's Carol." This song really expresses what everybody feels but nobody says about this time of year. I am attaching it to share with your readers ... and they can also get it on Bob's website at http://www.boblind.com/download.html. I'm sure your fans will love it. Happy Holidays. Enjoy, Jill Guerra www.BobLind.com Thanks for sending, Jill ... and Happy Holidays to you and Bob and all of those close to you! (kk)
Hi Kent, Hope all is well and thank you for another great year of Forgotten Hits! My song "Santa's Comin' Here" was just voted one of the Top 10 finalists in the Chicago Tribune's New Holiday Classics contest. A friend of mine, Swanyce, put together a really nice video montage of the tune that I'd like to share with everyone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZymrmMObjQ Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year! Dick Eastman Congratulations, Dick, you absolutely deserve it! ("Santa's Comin' Here" was MY favorite Christmas song last year, too ... and it was a honor to be able to feature it in Forgotten Hits last season ... and now there's a video, too!!!) Enjoy! (kk)
We got this one too late to include in last year's batch of "Christmas Presents" ... so we're sending it out early this year ... it's Danny and the Juniors doing that old Christmas staple, "Marshmallow World"! (kk)
And finally, another one of our Forgotten Hits seasonal favorites ... we've had a number of requests for this one ... and it sounds like our FH Buddy Joe Klein has been hearing from some of you, too!
HAPPY HOLEY DAZE! (I've already ready received a couple of emails about CHRISTMAS IN MALIBU from FH fans!) Thanks, Kent!
Joe Klein / "New Media" Joe
It's a GREAT track, Joe ... and here's a video clip for those who may have missed this one the last time we featured it! (kk)
re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS: Hi Kent, Just some ramblings ... The Animals' hit song "We've Gotta Get Out Of This This Place" is identified as being a top 40 hit in 1965. This had bothered me for quite some time. Working on our yearbook for our graduation in 1963 we had chosen "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place" as our class song. When the faculty advisors would not allow us to use this song, we chose "Lets Go" and life went on. I attended all but one of our class reunions, and sometime after 1984 when computers and Compact Discs began to proliferate, I came up with the idea of creating a CD containing the hits that were popular during are high school years. I was always confused about the Animals' song since I was quite sure we had chosen it, but of course checking the charts for popular hits this could not be true since it is on the list for 1965. I had always felt a little insecure because I thought my memory had failed me. Call me corny, I love most all music, but tonight watching "Ed Sullivan's Rock & Roll" on WHBG Channel 2 in Boston (a great station), one of the featured Ed Sullivan acts from 1962 !! was an appearance by Eric Burden and The Animals doing ==>"We've Got To Get Out Of This Place" !!! two years before it charts in America!! I felt reborn, that is where I/we had learned it I am not sure how it took such a long time to reach the charts in 1965. Thanks for reading this, if in fact you did. Great job on the top Instrumentals. I realize this may not be of relevance to the majority of your readers but it is just the type of stuff that makes your site so attractive and personable. Happy Holidays !!! P.S. My contribution to favorite non traditional Christmas song is: 'Stop The Calvary' by Jona Lewie !!! Sweet Dreams Charlie Fraser I hate to burst your bubble but this just isn't possible ... and, if "1962" was flashed on the TV screen during The Animals' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show during that recent PBS Special that's been running these past few months, it was a typo on their part. Quite simply, this would have meant that The Animals appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show two years BEFORE The Beatles did ... and that just didn't happen!!! "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" debuted on the Billboard Chart (for the FIRST time) on August 14, 1965 ... by the time it finally did, The Animals had already placed seven OTHER hits on Billboard's Chart. A quick check of the British Hit Parade shows that it premiered on the British Charts exactly one month earlier ... they didn't make their first appearance on EITHER chart until 1964. Checking TV.com, I find that The Animals made a total of six appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, first on October 18, 1964, when they performed their #1 Hit "House Of The Rising Sun" and "I'm Crying", next on January 24, 1965 ("Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"), May 30, 1965 ("Bring It On Home To Me" and "Bright Lights, Big City"), October 17, 1965 ("The Work Song"), February 6, 1966 (the first time they performed "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", already six months AFTER it had been a hit, along with their brand new release, "Inside Looking Out") and April 17, 1966 ("Don't Bring Me Down" and "Shake"). Checking just a little bit deeper, I found that The Animals were first formed in 1962 and spent the spring of 1963 perfecting their act in Hamburg, Germany, much as The Beatles had done a few years before. They didn't cut their very first demonstration record until December of 1963, and even then they only pressed 500 copies to sell to their fans at their live shows. They made their first live appearance on the radio on December 27, 1963, when they appeared on the BBC Radio Program "Saturday Club." This source confirms the release of "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" as July of 1965. (kk) FUN FACT: Song writer Cynthia Weil (who co-wrote the song with her husband Barry Mann) later stated that she had written the song with Paul Revere and the Raiders in mind ... and, in fact, The Animals' cover version is her LEAST favorite version of ANY song she ever composed!!! (lol) Another source states that the song was originally written for The Righteous Brothers and that when Cynthia Weil first heard The Animals' recording, she called publisher Don Kirshner to see if there was anything he could do to prevent the song from coming out. Cynthia recalled, "When I heard The Animals' record, I went berserk because they left out half the lyric. They changed it radically. I called Kirshner and begged him to stop the song from coming out. He said, 'It's Number Two in England ... what do you want me to do?'" (kk)
... And, speaking of The Animals ... >>>There were shortened singles versions, but it was a myth that singles had to be 2:30 or less, which lasted until at least 1969. Here is a 3+ pre-1969 minute singles:House of the Rising Sun (was there a shortened single version?) Dwight Rounds >>>Actually, yes there was ... and I wish I could FIND the shorter version of "House Of The Rising Sun" ... it hasn't been played in so long, MOST people have forgotten that it even existed! (kk) Kent - I have this if you're still looking for it. Randy Price I have it, too (although I can't vouch for what condition that 45 might be in!!!) Picture Sleeve, too! I used to LOVE this song when it came out ... (still do, actually, although Mrs. K HATES it and it scored pretty high on our "Fastest Buttons Pushers" recently, too!) I just NEVER felt like the "one foot on the platform" verse fit ... of course, we're all so used to it now ... but that whole verse wasn't in the original single version ... yet by the time The Animals' Greatest Hits LP came out, it was the LONG version (and it HAS been ever since.) Thanks for sharing this with our readers, Randy ... I wonder if anyone else will remember these edits??? (Quite honestly, while I clearly remember the edited verse, I did NOT remember the way they chopped up the awesome organ solo at the instrumental break!!! Too bad ... for me, that's one of the highlights of the song!) kk
Very interesting blog. I remember watching "Your Hit Parade" in those days and I don't think they ever did any Elvis songs. We thought at the time that the show was afraid of a lawsuit from the extremely protective Colonel Parker. R.L. Oak Lawn,IL A little before my time, so I honestly can't say ... certainly they did the biggest hits of the day ... and when rock and roll started to take over the airwaves in a big way, series regulars like Snooky Lanson, Dorothy Collins, June Valli, Tommy Leonetti and Johnny Desmond took their crack at them. (Some even managed a few chart hits of their own!) Here's the way "The Complete Directory To Prime Time Network And Cable TV Shows, 1946 - Present" by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh describes the introduction of rock and roll into the format ... which, by the way, specifically names an Elvis hit: "The ballads of the early 1950s were fine for TV presentation by a regular cast of singers, but trouble began to brew for 'Your Hit Parade' in 1955 when a new kind of music invaded the charts -- rock 'n' roll. Not only were the Hit Parade regulars ill-suited to perform this new, raucous music, but the youngsters who bought the records wanted to see only the original performers. There was something ludicrous about Snooky Lanson attempting 'Hound Dog' in a different setting each week, usually as a childish novelty." Since the program typically counted down The Top Seven Hit Songs of each week, (although rarely in order!), it would have been pretty hard to avoid an Elvis song. Speaking of which, this, too, from that same Prime Time Directory: "Although most of the 'Hit Parade' singers were recording artists in their own right, only one of them ever had a hit big enough to appear on the program's top seven while a regular on the show. That was Gisele MacKenzie's 'Hard To Get', which made the list briefly in 1955. Ironically, one-time 'Hit Parade' regular June Valli had the biggest hit of her career, 'Crying In The Chapel', only two months after leaving the show in June 1953." (kk) DIDJAKNOW?: In 1957, in an attempt to save the show (and appeal to a larger audience), the entire cast was replaced with a younger, "more contemporary" crew, none of whom were popular rock artists, however. By February of 1958, The Hit Parade was reduced to The Top Five, often throwing in as many as five more "extras" ... and even a "Mystery Tune" contest that would award one lucky viewer $200,000, BIG money for 1958!!! In 1959, the program selected their "Top Tunes" list from Billboard Magazine but by then it was too late ... it went off the air on April 24th that year. Prior to "The Billboard Countdown", they explained their chart process this way: "'Your Hit Parade' survey checks the best sellers on sheet music and phonograph records, the songs most heard on the air and most played on the automatic coin machines ... an accurate, authentic tabulation of America's taste in popular music." ... although Brooks and Marsh go on to explain that "No explanation of exactly how the surveying was done was ever revealed. The actual compiling took place in great secrecy at Batten, Barton, Durstine And Osborne, which was sponsor American Tobacco Company's advertising agency." (kk)
>>>Here's a loooong-shot. There was as a "fragrance", I assume aimed at the 12-18 female demographic, named "Heaven Sent" - possibly "Heaven Scent". This was circa 1966-1970?, Chicago market, heavy saturation. There was a rather catchy song they labeled that product with, and played it again, and again, and yet ... again. On those late night drives one takes with that new girl ... who makes one's heart beat faster than the rest, the ambient melodies create the sountrack ... smile. The lyrics go something like: "Suddenly, there's a heavenly fragrance that clings ... it's heaven scent. Suddenly you're an "imp" (imp?) wearing angel's wings ... in heaven scent ... Suddenly you are all of the things that you want to be, a little bit naughty but heavenly ... in heaven sent ... etc." Can you imagine the angst those lyrics would create in the 16 year-old female heart? Angel / naughty? I digress ... I have so many memories tied to that commercial, and people I've kept connected to. Years ago I tried calling radio stations, and even searched the net. I'd do anything to get my hands on that. Might anyone out there in FH-land has ANY clue If, and HOW, I might be able to get my hands on that commercial? Thought fishing in "FH" pool might get a lead? Thanks ever-so ... (Ron) >>>Hey, it's worth a shot ... we've come up with STRANGER requests! (LOL) I certainly remember this one, too ... quite honestly, I don't know if ANY of this helped sell perfume or hair products but these were GREAT little songs! (kk) Kent and Ron, As for your "wanted" "Heaven Scent" commercial, I think EVERY person that listened to WLS back in the period you mention will recognize this GREAT jingle instantly. Like you, I was entranced by how cool it was, the idea, not just the tune -- AND the over saturation of airplay it got! I loved it and have been trying to get a clean tape or record of it ever since without luck. Attached is the only version I have from AM radio. It sounds like the Chiffons to me, but the version I remember best was mostly a solo voice, possibly double tracked, singing it just a bit more sexy than this cleaner sounding (But STILL GROOVY!) version. Hey, how cool was this jingle? It was so good that the company put the SHEET MUSIC to it in their trade ads!! Buddy Weed composed it. Kent, can you find Buddy for us? Haha. So there you have it! Another great classic from Kent's FH members! Enjoy and by all means, SING ALONG while I play it on the piano in "Moderato, with a beat" (see sheet music)!!! WLSClark
Kent - It is Heaven Sent not Heaven Scent cologne one reader was alluding to and it can be purchased on the Net at the manufacturer or even via K-Mart. I'm tempted to buy a bottle, just to refresh my memory on the smell because I wore it all the time. Also, I do remember the commercial, just don't remember the exact lyrics or melody. Keep up the good work. Sue Patterson You'll find the lyrics AND the melody posted on The Forgotten Hits Website right above your email!!! (Now how cool is THAT?!?!?) kk
Kent, It was heard on the radio today (12/05/09) that, in the 60's, only The Beatles and Herman's Hermits had more than one song in the top 10 at a time. True?? ShelleyCT (Tufano) While both of these artists certainly achieved this feat, they are NOT the ONLY two to do so during the 1960's. Depending on how "loose" you want to make the rules, I can come up with at least nine others. First and foremost, you have to remember that in the 1960's, Billboard Magazine counted both sides of the same single as two SEPARATE entries on their Top Singles Chart. As such, in 1961 alone The Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley each accomplished this feat by charting BOTH sides of their current single in Billboard's Top Ten. On March 20, 1961, The Everlys placed "Ebony Eyes" at #8 and the flipside, "Walk Right Back" at #9. Two months later, on May 22nd, Ricky Nelson reached The Top Ten with both sides of HIS latest single ... "Travelin' Man" hit #5 and "Hello Mary Lou" came in at #9. Four months after that, Elvis achieved this feat when "Little Sister" reached #6 the same week that "(Marie's The Name Of) His Latest Flame" hit #10. Herman's Hermits achieved THEIR Double Top Ten status on April 24, 1965, when their version of "Silhouettes" reached #10 the same week that "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" was the country's #2 Record. In THIS case, these were two completely separate releases ... and both records would remain in The Top Ten for four more weeks, with "Mrs. Brown" ultimately hitting #1 and "Silhouettes" peaking at #5. NOBODY out-performed The Beatles, however. Counting separate releases and two-sided hits, The Beatles placed two records in The Top Ten a total of eight times ... but they ALSO achieved a chart status that NOBODY else would ever achieve ... in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania, The Beatles not only placed at least two songs in the nation's Top Ten, but they ALSO held down The Top Two Spots on the Chart, The Top THREE Spots on the Chart, The Top FOUR Spots on the Chart and, incredibly, The Top FIVE Spots on the Chart!!! Here's how they did it: On February 8th, "She Loves You" joined "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in The Top Ten. The two records remained in The Top Ten for the next several weeks. On February 22nd, "She Loves You" hit the #2 spot while "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was still the #1 Record. The songs HELD those two positions for the next four weeks ... and by then "Please Please Me" had JOINED them in The Top Ten, giving them THREE Top Ten Charters. On March 14th, "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You" and "Please Please Me" were the Top Three Songs in the Country. A week later, "She Loves You" replaced "I Want To Hold Your Hand" at #1 and "Twist And Shout" entered The Top Ten for the first time, giving The Beatles FOUR Top Ten Records the week of March 21st. The following week, these four records were The Top Four Records in the Country with "She Loves You" at #1, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" at #2, "Twist And Shout" at #3 and "Please Please Me" at #4. NO Artist had EVER achieved this feat before ... so imagine the surprise the following week when their latest release, "Can't Buy Me Love", jumped from #27 to the #1 Spot, giving The Beatles THE TOP FIVE RECORDS IN THE COUNTRY!!!: "Can't Buy Me Love" (#1), "Twist And Shout" (#2), "She Loves You" (#3), "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (#4) and "Please Please Me" (#5). No act would EVER repeat this feat. The Beatles would have two-sided hits in The Top Ten when "I Feel Fine" and "She's A Woman" did the trick for two weeks beginning December 26, 1964 ... again when "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" reached The Top Ten for three weeks beginning January 8, 1966 ... another week when "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" hit The Top Ten on April 1, 1967 ... and for an eight week stretch when "Come Together" and "Something" hit The Top Ten beginning November 8, 1969. Right in the middle of that impressive run, Billboard changed their chart policy and began charting both sides of the same single at the same chart position. As such, Creedence Clearwater Revival became the next artist to place two records in The Top Ten thanks to THEIR two-sided hit, "Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son". Some would consider that a "technicality" and maintain that this means that only The Beatles and Herman's Hermits "OFFICIALLY" pulled off this feat. However, ANOTHER artist throws a REAL monkey-wrench into this philosophy because on April 25, 1964, The Dave Clark Five reached The Top Ten with two SEPARATE singles when "Glad All Over" hit #6 and their follow-up, "Bits And Pieces" reached #7. That would make The Dave Clark Five the only other act to hit Billboard's Top Ten during the '60's with SEPARATE record releases unless you consider the following: Bending the rules just a little bit (again), we can also count Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations on our list. Beginning on December 28, 1968, (and remaining in The Top Ten for a total of three consecutive weeks), Diana Ross and the Supremes were at #3 with "Love Child", The Temptations were at #10 with "Cloud Nine" and a "duet" by both groups, "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" premiered in The Top Ten at #7. In another "technicality", Frankie Valli pulled off this feat for three weeks when his solo hit "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" reached #3 the same week his lead vocal as part of The Four Seasons hit #9 with "C'mon Marianne"!!! And if you REALLY want to get technical (i.e. anal ... and we do!!!), Ron Dante reached The Top Ten the same week as the "ghost" vocalist for The Archies ("Sugar Sugar) and The Cuff Links ("Tracy") on October 18, 1969 ... and HE stayed there for three consecutive weeks, too!!! So there's the REAL answer to your question, Shelley ... according to OUR interpretation of Billboard's Top Ten, we've got to include The Beatles (with a Top Ten chart performance that will NEVER be equaled), Herman's Hermits, The Dave Clark Five, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, Ron Dante, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and The Everly Brothers ... a total of ELEVEN different artists to place TWO records in America's Top Ten during the same week. (For the record, this feat was ALSO achieved a few times in the '50's and in the '70's ... but you only asked about the '60's ... and this "short answer" is already long enough!!! lol) GREAT question!!! (kk)
Speaking of exceptional chart performances, I was very pleased to hear Bob Stroud salute The Monkees last week on his "One 45 at 1:45" feature. It was the 42nd Anniversary of The Monkees' album "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd." reaching the #1 Spot on Billboard's Album Chart. This gave The Monkees FOUR #1 Albums during the same year, 1967 ... an INCREDIBLE statistic that has never been equaled. (In fact, The Monkees would spend 29 weeks in the #1 LP Spot during 1967: their debut album, "The Monkees", first reached #1 on Billboard's Album Chart on November 12, 1966, where it remained for 13 consecutive weeks, only to be knocked out of the top spot by their SECOND album, "More Of The Monkees", which posted another 18 consecutive weeks in the #1 position! In June, their third LP, "Headquarters" reached the top of the charts for a week (before it was displaced by The Beatles' landmark LP, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band") and then, on December 2nd, The Monkees RETURNED to the top spot with "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd." which spent the next five weeks atop the chart. Those 29 weeks at #1 in 1967 (plus the eight weeks prior at #1 with their debut LP) gave The Monkees the #1 Album in the country for 37 out of a possible 60 weeks! The 45 Stroud featured that day was "Daydream Believer", also the #1 Single in the Nation on that date yet, amazingly, not from ANY of the four previously mentioned albums!!! (It wouldn't show up on a Monkees LP until May of the following year when "The Birds, The Bees And The Monkees" broke the string of consecutive chart-toppers when it peaked at #3.) The Monkees are the ONLY act to place four straight albums at #1, four #1 LPs in a one year period, and first four LPs "out of the box" to top the charts. Here's a little '60's Flashback to part of our Boyce and Hart Series where we first addressed the question, "Where The Monkees REALLY More Popular Than The Beatles?":
'60's FLASHBACK: WERE THE MONKEES REALLY BIGGER THAN THE BEATLES AT ONE TIME?!?!?: For a brief moment in time, yes, they were! The Monkees' first album spent 13 weeks at #1 beginning in November of 1966. It was knocked out of the #1 spot by their SECOND album ("More Of The Monkees"), which spent 18 additional weeks at #1!!! That one-two punch accounted for 31 consecutive weeks of The Monkees topping Billboard's LP chart. In addition, The Monkees would place two more albums at the top of the chart during 1967: "Headquarters" (#1 for 1 week) and "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd." (#1 for 5 weeks). That's a total of 37 weeks at Number One out of a possible 60!!! (During that same timeframe, The Beatles topped the charts just once with what is considered to be their landmark album of all time, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which spent 15 weeks on top of Billboard's LP Chart.) In addition, The Monkees rang up eight Top 40 Hits during that 60 week period (vs. The Beatles' five.) It can be argued that The Beatles lost some of their younger fans who were not yet ready to follow their leaders down the much more sophisticated path of "Rubber Soul", "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper" ... let alone their newly embraced drug culture ... some of us still wanted the fun, happy, carefree mop-tops and suddenly The Monkees better fit that bill. (The Beatles were growing mustaches for God's sake!!!) But the truth is that NO other Beatles album ever spent more time at #1 than "Sgt. Pepper"'s 15 week run ... in fact, even when compared to their biggest year ever (1964, when they, too, knocked themselves out of the #1 spot on the album chart ... "The Beatles' Second Album" replacing "Meet The Beatles" at the top of the heap for a combined consecutive total of 16 weeks ... along with a mass saturation of product hitting the marketplace never before seen in the music industry), The Monkees certainly gave The Beatles a run for the money in terms of overall short-term popularity.
re: MARTY ROBBINS: >>>"El Paso" is an absolute classic ... I can't think of ANY other song that ever evoked such a vivid musical landscape of the old west ... it's no wonder at all that this one reached the top spot on both the Pop and Country Charts. (kk) What a GREAT track -- and cool to think that this was the very first #1 record to kick off the '60's! (Mary Beth) Released at a time when westerns dominated our television and movie viewing, Marty truly DID capture that very spirit of the old west in his four minute song. (But all this talk makes me want to hear "Ringo" by Lorne Greene now, too ... ANOTHER #1 Record from the early '60's that vividly captured this era ... this time from the guy who ALSO had the #1 Television Show, too!!!)
By the way, Diane Diekman, who provided that "Sneak Peek" Preview from her forth-coming Marty Robbins biography, ALSO publishes a Marty Robbins / Faron Young online newsletter. (She did Young's biography, too!) Here is just a short excerpt from the current edition. If you'd like to become a regular subscriber to her newsletter, simply respond to the link below (kk): This periodic newsletter commemorates the lives of Faron Young and Marty Robbins. Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story was published in 2007 by the University of Illinois Press, and the publication goal for Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins is 2012. "EL PASO" IS FIFTY YEARS OLD: For the past two months I've been working on Marty Robbins chapters that talk about "El Paso" and the gunfighter ballads. Then one day I was shocked to realize this was FIFTY years go. I'm always a decade behind, and I'd thought it was forty years. Ranger Doug Green told me the Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album is "part of Cowboy 101. It's a must listen" for anyone who sings western music. My Internet searches often turn up references to this song and this album. How many others are routinely talked about fifty years after their release? 1959 closed with "El Paso" sitting in the number one spot nationwide on both pop and country charts. Three weeks before his death, Marty was asked how many times he'd sung "El Paso," and he said, "Tell me how many personal appearances I've made since 1959, and then I will know." Here's a version from his 1969 TV show, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bwoGbpYXRw, and this is one of his later live shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3JB51NH_M Diane Diekman Washington DC, USA diane@dianediekman.com Live Fast, Love Hard:The Faron Young Story And, if any of our readers have information that might prove interesting regarding the Marty Robbins biography, please contact Diane at the above address, too! (kk)
re: ANGIE BABY: How cool to get the inside scoop on 'Angie Baby' after all these years. Thanks to Alan O'Day for sending this into Forgotten Hits -- and thanks to Forgotten Hits for sharing it with all of your readers! This is what makes your website so awesome! Sue We TOTALLY agree with you, Sue!!! (lol) kk
Kent, Very interesting insight into the writing of the song! Thanks, Alan! "Undercover Angel" has a bit of the fantasy lyrics as well. Always liked "Started Out Dancing" as a followup, but don't know why it did not connect. "Angie's" timing was right for the times when you think of similar tunes like "Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", "Judy Mae", "Werewolf", etc., from the same era. About writing a song like "Lady Madonna," I always found it interesting that "Ode to Billie Joe" knocked "All You Need is Love" out of #1 in Billboard on 8/26/67 and a year later, "Hey Jude" knocked "Harper Valley PTA" out of #1 on September 28, 1968. So thinking back, had "Ballad of John & Yoko" reached #1 the week it peaked at #8, "In the Year 2525" would have been knocking it out of #1 the next week. Had the songs been bigger hits, using the country theme, it could have been "Polk Salad Annie" or "A Boy Named Sue"! Then again, a lot of odd songs were hits in that time, so it COULD have been "The Minotaur"!!!!! WLSClark VERY special thanks to Alan O'Day for sharing his "Angie Baby" memories with our readers ... it's a GREAT song and SO cool to get the insight BEHIND the songs from the people who wrote 'em!!! (Of course, we dissected "Undercover Angel" earlier this year, too ... and had a bit of fun with Alan ... who's a REALLY good sport, by the way ... on that one!!! lol) kk
re: MORE ON THE INSTRUMENTALS: Kent, Congratulations on launching your new FORGOTTEN HITS RADIO PAGE at MEVIO.COM. They are a great company (formerly PODSHOW), founded by the "podfather" of podcasting, ADAM CURRY, and have been around since the dawn of the medium about 5 years ago! I've listened to about half of the countdown already and am really enjoying it! So many memories of so many FORGOTTEN HITS! It's just great! I always loved those instrumentals as a "young lad" and hearing them again has made me feel young AGAIN! I am sure that everyone who goes to the new site at MEVIO and listens to the countdown will agree! Meanwhile, as we all wait with baited breath for the rollout of THE TRIALS, TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A SURF MUSIC LEGEND, I, personally, am celebrating the 21st birthday of my own little Christmas classic CHRISTMAS IN MALIBU, which was recorded back in October of 1988 and released the following month! My old friend, RUSS TERRANA, is pretty much in the middle of this story as well, as the holiday song was the VERY LAST RECORD to be recorded and mixed in the legendary HOLLYWOOD HITSVILLE STUDIO! It wasn't planned that way, but it just happened! For more, check out my latest blog post here! http://newmediacreative.com/christmas-in-malibu-comes-of-age/ Kent, once again, you're doing a GREAT JOB at keeping oldies alive! Keep up the good work and BLOG ON! "NEW MEDIA JOE" Klein
We're hoping to start the "Surf Music Legend" Series this week ... knowing full well that we'll also be running some "follow-up" chapters at a later date. I think our readers will enjoy it ... and we certainly appreciate all of the long, hard work that you've put into this project, Joe! Meanwhile, thanks for the kind words on the new podcast ... by bed time last night I had already heard from close to two dozen readers who had already listened to the show. (kk)
We got a nice email from Danny Guilfoyle the other day, who was acting as kind of a liaison for us with Johnny Farina of Santo and Johnny. (We had hoped to have Johnny join us for the instrumental countdown ... and announce "Sleep Walk" as Your #1 Favorite ... but it just didn't work out. We DID, however, receive a nice email from Johnny AFTER the list was published ... here's a note from Danny to Johnny ... and then Johnny's response to us!!! (kk) Johnny - I was excited to see that "Sleep Walk" was voted the number one choice of the "Forgotten Hits" members, with over 14,000 total votes cast. There are two links below. The second link shows the results of the recently completed survey done by Kent Kotal, with "Sleep Walk" at the top. The first link was compiled by one of the list members based on Billboard and Cash Box chart information. Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 40 Instrumentals, 1955 - 1979 Kent Kotal has been running this web site for over a decade and it is quite amazing and very interesting and I think that you will also enjoy it. Thanks for allowing Kent to contact you and lots of luck with your publishing company and with your performing. Danny Guilfoyle Thanks, Danny ... we heard from Johnny himself just a few short minutes later!!! Hi Kent, Danny Guilfoyle called me today and informed me that Sleep Walk is #1 on "The Forgotten Hits Countdown". It's amazing because Sleep Walk has been in so many movies and commercials since 1959, lucky for me, it's one hit that was never forgotten. Thank you for including my Sleep Walk at the top of your list. For your fans, and my fans, they can check me out on www.santoandjohnny.com and see some live video performances. Have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year. Johnny Farina Yes, sometimes the name "Forgotten Hits" is a bit of a misnomer, especially with a song as popular as "Sleep Walk" obviously still is with our readers and oldies music fans all over the country. (We ran into this with Tony Hatch recently, too, when we asked him to tell us the story behind his smash hit "Downtown" ... and who would ever go so far as to consider any of Peter Noone's music as "forgotten"!?!?!?) It's GREAT to hear that you're still recording and performing ... in fact, there are some very nice samples on the santoandjohnny.com website and I hope our readers will take some time to check it out. Sorry we hooked up too late to do the radio broadcast ... but you can catch your song at the top of the charts on the podcast now, too!!! (kk) www.forgottenhitsontheradio.mevio.com !!! (Maybe we couldn't get to Johnny Farina in time ... but thanks to his extensive archives, Phil Nee WAS able to get a GREAT bunch of guests to appear ... listen for Burton Cummings of the Guess Who, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, Davie Allan and many others ... including Bob Spickard of The Chantays, Jim Pash of The Surfaris, Don Wilson of The Ventures. Chuck Rio of The Champs, Mitch Schecter of The Rip Chords and Frank Mills ... to help us liven up the countdown!) kk
By the way, as of this morning we have already received about two dozen emails from FH Readers who had already listened to The Instrumental Countdown AND our appearance on The Flip Side Show!!! And this includes readers not only from all over our country ... but from as far away as Canada, The U.K. and Australia as well!!! (So I think we've helped to widen EVERYBODY's audience with this project!!!) Thanks again to everyone for all your support ... we hope to post OTHER Forgotten Hits appearances on this new site in the months to come! (kk)
I got an email here from a reader from Pittsburgh. He loved it. That is awesome! Thank you again. Phil Nee / WRCO
I'm telling you, Phil, they're coming in from all over ... you did a GREAT job on this and I'm happy that I can help bring it to the rest of the world!!! (kk)
I went to the site and listened to the podcast. This is very cool & it is encouraging me to pursue putting more Flip Side Radio Shows on something similar. Thanks for the plug(s), and that will be groovy to have new listeners! We changed to a new frequency in Nashville (107.1) and have a new tower, so our reach in Nashville should give us a larger audience. So things are looking up. I think I have improved my voice & technique a lot since last December, so hopefully that will be noticeable to anyone who listened to the podcast & then tunes in on Tuesday night. Mr. C
I'm hoping that a number of our readers will tune in Tuesday Night to listen to your Second Anniversary Show ... I know that I'LL be listening!!! (It's "The Flip Side Show" with Mr. C ... on Radio Free Nashville ... "Listen Live" link below: Click here: WRFN - Radio Free Nashville
I was kind of surprised to see the ranking of the various instrumental hits by FH readers. I wouldn't have thought that such MOR standards like Exodus, Theme From A Summer Place, Love Is Blue, etc., would have ranked so high. I'm sure many of us saw the list and thought, I forgot about that one! Yet I was pleased to see four that I voted for, made the top 50. Maybe my tastes aren't that far out of the mainstream. I'm going to have to try harder. Perhaps another genre that has fallen by the wayside in the few decades is the novelty song. It seemed there used to be at least one on the chart on any given week. What do FH readers say? Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets) I think certain songs are just classics ... something like "Theme From 'A Summer Place'" has really been passed down from generation to generation ... it's been used in OTHER movies, too, and television ad campaigns ... it also just happens to be an incredibly beautiful melody. I figured "Exodus" would do pretty well on the chart, based on all the response we got when Arthur Ferrante passed away a few months ago) ... the fact that some of the titles that made the list are a bit "older" is also a pretty good demographic of our reading audience age group. (I figured a song like "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group ... or maybe something by Billy Preston would have ranked higher ... both got off to GREAT starts early on in the voting ... but neither artist made The Top 50 once all the votes were counted.) And you've got to give a REAL tip of the hat to Booker T. and the MG's who placed THREE songs in The Top 50 ... NO other artist can make THAT claim!!! (kk)
Hi Kent, The listing is certainly is varied, from the lush strings represented by the likes of Percy Faith & Les Baxter through to the Allman Brothers. I’m mildly surprised that none of Sandy Nelson’s singles made it and totally blown away that Dueling Banjos didn’t make the list. As a good Scotsman, I’m also embarrassed that I forgot to include The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards version of Amazing Grace in my picks, but there again it was never going to make the top 50. Have you ever done a similar poll of members favorite Novelty hits? Keep up the good work. Mike Ogilvie Mississauga, ON Part of the appeal of a countdown such as this is the cross variation of styles you get to hear side-by-side. (Phil Nee did an INCREDIBLE job with the countdown and spiced things up with a number of "extras" along the way.) In hindsight, we easily could have counted down The Top 100 and STILL left some great titles off the list! I told Phil afterwards that, had we been feeling REALLY creative, we could have programmed "The Stripper", "The Happy Organ" and "Raunchy" to play together in one segment. lol You can listen back to the entire broadcast, now available as a podcast here: forgottenhitsontheradio.mevio.com.) Sandy Nelson's votes were split between "Let There Be Drums" (74 votes) and "Teen Beat" (30 votes). I was a little surprised by "Dueling Banjos" missing the list ... "The Entertainer" by Marvin Hamlisch (from "The Sting"), too ... both were HUGE instrumental hits in the early '70's, yet only earned 48 and 61 of your votes respectively. Regarding the "Your Favorite Novelty Hits" idea, we received that same suggestion from four other readers, too ... but it was REALLY weird to receive back-to-back emails from Jack in Illinois and Mike in Ontario, Canada!!! I dunno ... I guess nobody really likes our "Best Polkas" idea!!! (kk)
re: MORE POLKAS?!?!?: How about the top 50 Accordion hits? Bob Hughes Were there 50?!?!?!? (kk)
re: OTHER IDEAS: How about songs that ran longer on the 45 than on the LP? I'm thinking "Rock and Roll Lullaby" by B J Thomas. Yep - the 45 had a much longer intro than the LP. Do you know of another song that was trimmed for the album? Looking beyond the dozens of songs that charted by two artists simultaneously, how about songs that charted by three (or more) artists at the same time? 1955 - "Unchained Melody" is the first to pop into my mind. That one actually had four artists charting it in the spring of that year. David Lewis Several hit songs in the early-to-mid '50's charted with as many as three (and even FOUR) versions ... often, they just shared the same chart position because the emphasis back then was on the SONG more than the artist. I don't think there are too many songs that were LENGTHENED for single release!!! I'm guessing that perhaps the B.J. Thomas track proved to be so strong as an album cut that the label decided to release it as a single as more of an afterthought ... and punched it up accordingly ... without question, it's a GREAT sounding record ... that STILL sounds wonderful today! (kk)
It was an honor to host it. I did get some great feedback and suggestions as to songs they thought should have made it. I have had a couple of calls wondering when they could hear it again on the podcast. It was fun putting it together. Thanks for taking my show from Southwest Wisconsin to the world! Thanks again for your help. Phil Nee By the way, if you have any other ideas for a countdown, I would like to be a part of it. Such as 'Should Have Been Bigger', 'Best Summer Song' , Spring, Fall, or Winter. 'Best Make Out Song' ... etc. Phil We've been receiving quite a few suggestions from our readers, too ... so I'm sure we've got a few of these countdowns left in us ... I really WOULD like to come up your way next summer and do either a B-Sides or Two-Sided Hits Weekend ... and, if you're looking for something sooner, there's always The Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs ... TONS of information, great tracks ... and it's already up on the website!!! Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs It's our most-visited web page ... so this one would make for another great podcast, too! In fact, who knows ... take a look at the web page ... perhaps we could even invite some of the winning entry writers to appear on the program and read their piece!!! Now THAT would make it a TRULY interactive show, which would make even MORE readers want to tune in to hear it! (See ... NOW you've really got the wheels turning!!! lol) And, although it's the most-read single page on ANY of the Forgotten Hits web pages, a "proper" radio countdown has never been done ... and I think your format would lend itself well to this. The Instrumental Favorites Countdown was REAL fun to listen to ... and I hope many, many more readers across the country will check out the podcast. You did a great job on it and I'd love to work with you on some other projects in the future. (kk) forgottenhitsontheradio.mevio.com
Hi Kent I remember two songs that had two charted versions. But the interesting thing to me was that the 2nd version completely knocked the 1st version off the charts. Fats Domino had "I'm Walkin" in the top 10 and along came new heart-throb Ricky Nelson and his version zoomed to the top in about 2 days and radio completely stopped playing Fats' version. Bobby Rydell recorded " World Without Love" and got knocked out of the box by Peter and Gordon. Back in the 50's and early 60's it seems to me that while two versions of the same song charted high, at least here in Chicago only one was played. I can remember hearing Tab Hunter's version of "Young Love" and never hearing Sonny James' version until I traveled to Florida. Likewise, I remember only hearing Johnny Dee's version of "Sittin in the Balcony" but nowadays, only Eddie Cochran's version is ever played on oldies radio. Of course, Chicago was king of payola in the 50's so I suppose the version we heard depended on who paid off who. I can't remember how many awful Nick Noble songs we were subjected to even though they never charted very high. Steve Davidson
LOL ... Nick Noble sure WAS popular here in Chi-Town, wasn't he?!?!? (Well, for one thing, he was born here, so that probably had a little something to do with it, too ... we have ALWAYS been real big about supporting our local talent on Chicagoland Radio.) Although Noble had three songs reach Billboard's Top 40, he placed an incredible NINETEEN songs on the old WJJD Survey back in the '50's!!! As for "I'm Walkin'", the scenario you described certainly happened here in Chicago, where Rick Nelson's version went all the way to #1. (The Fat Man's stopped at #8 here in Chi-Town). But nationally, the OTHER side of Nelson's first record was the bigger hit ... "A Teenager's Romance" peaked at #2 on Billboard's Best Sellers Chart ... while "I'm Walkin'" stopped at #4. The Fats Domino' version of "I'm Walkin'" went to #5 on the same list.
As for "A World Without Love", citing the Bobby Rydell version really isn't a fair comparison ... Peter and Gordon had the inside track on this one (since Paul McCartney was dating Peter Asher's sister Jane at the time) ... and the song was written for ... and given to Peter and Gordon ... by Sir Paul himself. Rydell's version was just a "cover", trying to cash in on what was know commonly known as The British Invasion.
Just to cover ALL of the bases, the Eddie Cochran version of "Sittin' In The Balcony" was a #18 Billboard Hit ... and Johnny Dee's (who is REALLY hit songwriter John D. Loudermilk, by the way) stopped at #38 in the same publication. Here in Chicago, both versions shared the #6 spot on the WJJD Chart. And "Young Love", a #1 Record for BOTH artists mentioned (a REAL rarity!!!) SHARED the #1 spot on the Chicagoland chart as well.
We've received suggestions and examples of two, three and even FOUR artists who released the same song at the same time as an interesting feature for a future series ... unfortunately, this trend was much more prominent in the mid-'50's when rock and roll music was first getting started. (We mentioned a couple of '60's examples recently ... but this was FAR more prevalent in the early days of rock and roll.) We'll see which topic we pursue next ... but thanks to everybody for sending in their suggestions. (kk)
re: JACKIE WILSON: Kent, As I was sayin' awhile back, Jackie Wilson had a great voice and it's unfortunate that he is only remembered by today's programmers for his two semi-rock hits, Lonely Teardrops and Higher and Higher. I was going through the playlist of Hit Parade Radio recently and pulled a few more of Jackie's million selling singles for you to hear. "Night" in 1960; "Along At Last" in 1960; "My Empty Arms" in 1961; and a seasonal offering, "Silver Bells". Jackie was one of the best entertainers of all time and should be remembered for signing more than rock. Don't forget him. John Rook Thanks, John ... and you're absolutely right ... Wilson (if he's played at all anymore) seems to only get credit for "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" ... but "Night", "Alone At Last", "Baby Workout" and "My Empty Arms" ALSO made The Pop Top Ten in the early '60's. (I've always liked "Doggin' Around", too, a song I first discovered thanks to the 1980's remake by Klique.) Wilson FIRST hit the charts with "Reet Petite", a song that also helped to launch Berry Gordy's career. (Berry wrote the tune!) Between 1957 and 1972, he hit Billboard's Pop Chart an incredible 54 times ... and served as MAJOR inspiration for the likes of Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson ... and let's face it, superstars don't come much bigger than these guys ... but honestly a LOT of Jackie's stuff sounds terribly dated today ... almost "operatic" in stature ... it's hard to believe that some of these songs competed in The Top Ten arena against some of the pop / rock songs of this era. But the stats don't lie ... Wilson scored 24 Top 40 Pop Hits ... and 39 titles made Billboard's Top 40 R&B Chart. We'll feature "Night" here today ... a #4 Billboard Hit from 1960 ... and offer another link to Hit Parade Radio where you can hear some of these OTHER long-forgotten Jackie Wilson gems: Click here: Hit Parade Radio (kk) (By the way, when I mentioned earlier that some of Wilson's stuff sounds damn-near operatic, I'm not that far off the mark ... "Night" was based on the Samson and Delilah aria "My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice", the melody for "Alone At Last" was based on Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto in B-Flat" and "My Empty Arms" was based on "Vesti La Giubba" from the opera "Pagliacci"!!!) kk
re: UPDATES: Hi everybody: I enjoy the weeks that it isn't necessary to do a tribute to an artist that has passed. Well, it looks like this week I have two. The Pop Shoppe is on www.topshelfoldies.com every Friday night from 7 PM till 3:01 AM (Times mentioned are eastern). This week's schedule is as follows: 7:00 / 9:00 My mixture of 50's and 60's classic oldies. Some you know, some you don't. 9:00 / 12:00 My tribute to Bob Keane. He ran Del-fi Records and was Richie Valens' manager. Some fantastic material and artists came out on his Del-fi and Donna labels. Following the Bob Keane tribute will be a little tribute to Richard Nader. The tributes that I have planned will really be special. At this writing, I am still working on them. Following the above will be doo wops till midnight. 12:00 AM / 1:00 It's time for Midnight Country!!!!! Here is where you get to hear some of country music's finest hour. The good old songs from way way back. 1:00 / 3:01 AM Back to the big pop / rock hits of the 50's and 60's with a touch of the 40's. Looking forward to see you all Friday night. Don't forget, you must be there because I don't want to be alone. Best wishes always, Stu Weiss (DJ Stu) Posting this too late again for you to catch the show again this week, unfortunately ... but Stu is ABSOLUTELY right ... we have been losing FAR too many of our musical heroes lately ... seems like every time we turn around, another one is gone. Bob Keane participated with Forgotten Hits from time to time and was a long-time reader. Unfortunately, these last couple of years we haven't had much contact ... in fact, about two years ago I tried to order his book and it never came! (Despite repeated emails and even contacting PayPal!!!) It sounds like "Must Reading" ... my hope is now that the book will be available through other services, too, as I was REALLY looking forward to reading it! (kk)
A few months ago we told you about the "Experience Hendrix" show that was making the rounds. Dates for a Chicagoland appearance have just been announced. Here's the scoop: Experience Hendrix The Chicago Theatre • March 18, 7PM Celebrate the Music and Legacy of Jimi Hendrix with the 2010 Tribute Tour featuring an all-star list of talent, including: Billy Cox of The Jimi Hendrix Experience; Joe Satriani; Robert Randolph; Susan Tedeschi; Jonny Lang; Eric Johnson; Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Ernie Isley; David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos; Brad Whitford from Aerosmith; Doyle Bramhall II; Living Colour; Hubert Sumlin; Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble! Tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday, 12/5 at 10 AM! And, thanks to FH Reader Ken Voss, here is the COMPLETE "Experience Hendrix" tour schedule: March 05 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Ampitheater March 06 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock - The Joint March 07 - Mesa, AZ - Ikeda Theater March 09 - Friant, CA - Table Mountain Casino Events Center March 10 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield March 12 - Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Casino March 14 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theater March 16 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre March 17 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater March 18 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre March 20 - St. Louis, MO - The Fox Theatre March 21 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater March 23 - Akron, OH - Civic Theater March 24 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater March 25 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theater March 27 - Atlanta, GA - The Fox Theatre For more information, check out the website: http://www.experiencehendrixtour.com/
Little Richard's on the mend with a brand new hip. Here's the scoop: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34231017/ns/entertainment-music/ David Lewis Glad to hear he's on the mend. I just read that the ORIGINAL plan for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts was to have Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis open the shows ... a GREAT tribute to the true roots of rock and roll. But Little Richard was undergoing his hip replacement and Berry and Domino refused to travel ... so that left "The Killer" to open BOTH performances (one night with "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and the other with "Great Balls Of Fire".) HBO has been running the concert highlight film ... and there's a cool DVD available now of the Superstar Jams that wrap up each year's induction ceremony ... some of the BIGGEST names in music history, honored for their talents. (kk)
... and, speaking of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ...
re: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: Remember last year when Clive Davis, Mayor Bloomberg and Bruce Springsteen announced the move to open the Rock Hall of Fame in New York? Well ... The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame annex in NEW YORK CITY will shut down JANUARY 3rd, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, writing "a news release issued THURSDAY by S2BN ENTERTAINMENT, a partner in the venture, gave no reason for the closing." CEO TERRY STEWART told THE PLAIN DEALER in CLEVELAND "the decision was made by corporate partners who had backed the $10 million annex in downtown MANHATTAN." John Rook Hmmm ... wonder what that's all about?!?!? The only thing that anybody really wants to SEE is the Museum in Cleveland. Meanwhile, John also told us that they'll be inducting a VERY large cast of musical legends into The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame this year ... I'm happy to hear that, along with all of OUR bitching these past few years, he has embraced the idea of honoring these artists while they're still around to appreciate the recognition! The list should be coming in the next few weeks ... and you can bet on us publishing it here! (kk)
re: RON DANTE: Kent ... Is that the same Ron Dante who recorded "Something Happens" by Dante & Friends? If so, I would love to know the story behind who were the friends, and his career. That was a great, but unheralded doo wop song. Actually, one of my favorites from that era. Also, there was a group called Dante & the Evergreens. Same guy? Tell me more. Bob Hughes Sorry, but no ... in fact, I think we covered this topic once before ... Ron Dante was the voice behind The Archies, The Cuff Links and The Detergents ... he also produced Barry Manilow's biggest early hit albums and can be heard on literally hundreds of jingles. For a more in-depth look at HIS background, just check out his website here: Click here: Ron Dante OnLine - The Official Website (We interviewed Ron Dante for Forgotten Hits a few years ago ... maybe we can post THAT up on the website sometime soon, too!) kk Thanks for the info. The memory must be going. Do you know who the Dante was from Dante & Friends and Dante and the Evergreens? I had once heard that it might have been Gerry Granahan recording under a different name, but I have no corroboration of that. Bob Dante (of Dante and the Evergreens) was a guy named Donald Drowly ... their version of the Hollywood Argyles chart-topper "Alley Oop" was their biggest hit. I'm not really familiar with Dante and Friends ... but maybe somebody else on the list can shed some light on this for us. And, since Gerry Granahan is ALSO on our Forgotten Hits mailing list, maybe he will see this and have a thing or two to say, too!!! (lol) kk
re: SHE LETS HER HAIR DOWN: The variety of great info and music shared on today's FH was excellent, Kent. Way to go. David Lewis
MORE on "She Lets Her Hair Down" by the Tokens ... Even if Don Young's was the Chicago hit, I have to give it up to the Tokens. I have always loved harmonies of the Tokens, Beach Boys and all the greats, but 1970 seemed to be my fave for harmony vocals and my personal charts bore that out. Some of the obscure harmony and / or sing-a-long classics I charted high that year: She Lets Her Hair Down - Tokens (#9, 3/70); Why Should I Cry - Gentrys (#1, 1/70); Barbara, I Love You - New Colony Six (#1, 1/70); When Julie Comes Around - Cuff Links and Ron Rante (2/70); Walkin' in the Rain - Jay & Americans (2/70); Groovin' - Newbeats (#1 2/70); High on Life - Pozo Seco (3/70); Don't Worry Baby - Tokens (#2 - held out of #1 by "Vehicle" 4/70); He Ain't Heavy - Hollies (3/70); Laura - Newbeats (#2, 4/70); The Chant - Lighthouse (5/70); The Last of the Wine - Robbs (#1 7/70); Friends - Feather (#5 7/70); Your Love - Country Store (#9 7/70); I Kept on Loving You - Carpenters (8/70); I Shall be Released - Tremeloes (#3 7/70); Save the Country - Fifth Dimension (8/70); Mississippi - John Philips (7/70); Melanie Makes Me Smile - Tony Burrows (#3 9/70); I've Got You on My Mind - White Plains (9/70); Good Time Living - 3 Dog Night (8/70); As the Years Go By - Mashmakhan (9/70); Peace by Peace - Crabby Appleton (10/70); We're All Playing in the Same Band - Bert Sommer (10/70); California Rock & Roll - Crowfoot (10/70); You Better Think Twice - Poco (#1 10/70); High on a Rainbow - Smoke Ring (#1 10/70); Summer Morning - Vanity Fare (#! 10/70); Beautiful Daughter - Move (#1 11/70); Montego Bay - Bobby Bloom (11/70); Movin Along - Osmonds (11/70); And the Grass Won't Pay no Mind - Mark Lindsay (12/70) So many more that WERE hits too and many more that I just skipped. A great year! WLSClark Wow, some pretty obscure titles on THAT list ... and yet several others that we've featured in Forgotten Hits over the years! (kk)
It's always cool when we find out that somebody new has discovered Forgotten Hits thanks to the web page ... and it is EXCEPTIONALLY cool when it's discovered by somebody that we've been writing about. Last week, Diane Diekman happened to see our piece on Marty Robbins ... well, Diane just happens to be writing Marty's biography right now!!! And she even sent us a little mini-bio piece that we ran EXCLUSIVELY in Forgotten Hits this past Friday. (For more on Diane and her upcoming work, check out the the first entry in today's posting!) You can only imagine my surprise and delight when I opened THIS email this evening ... and saw that it was from Don Young, the guy who recorded the version of "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early In The Morning)" that we all listened to here in Chicago back in 1970. (How cool is THAT?!?!?) Here's what Don had to say about not only THIS song, but some of his other musical endeavors!!! (kk)
I WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR UP SOME OF THE MYSTERY ABOUT ME AND MY RECORD. 1 - THE ORIGINAL RELEASE WAS ON CALLA RECORDS IN THE SPRING OF 1969. IT STARTS WITH A CLASSICAL THEME ON FLUTE. 2 - IN THE SUMMER OF 1969, MY MANAGER, ARTHUR AARON, WAS CONTACTED BY FOOTE, CONE AND BELDING, N.Y. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SONG TO MATCH THE VIDEO THEY SHOT FEATURING LISA PALMER, THE DAUGHTER OF ARNOLD PALMER. THEY LIKED THE RECORDING AND RE-CUT THE VOCAL AT BROADWAY RECORDING . BOB NASH WAS THE PRODUCER OF THE JINGLE AND WANTED ME TO SOUND MORE M.O.R.& LESS FUNKY. IF YOU COMPARE THE ORIGINAL RECORDING TO THE COMMERCIAL, THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE. 3 - WHEN THE COMMERCIAL CAME OUT, ILEANE BURNS AT BANG RECORDS BECAME VERY INTERESTED IN THE SONG. WE RE-MIXED IT AND TOOK OUT THE CLASSICAL INTRO. THE RECORD WAS VIRTUALLY RELEASED OVERNIGHT. STAN SCHWARTZ AND ARTHUR AARON DROVE DOWN TO DISKMAKERS IN PHILLY, PA. AND GOT A FEW HUNDRED RECORDS PRESSED; THEY WAITED HOURS FOR THEM. 4 - THE ORIGINAL TITLE ON CALLA IS "SHE LETS HER HAIR DOWN" (EARLY IN THE MORNING ) 5 - I NEVER PLAYED PRO BALL. AS A KID GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN, I WAS A DODGER FAN. WHEN THEY LEFT, I BECAME A YANKEE FAN. SOME REASONS WHY PEOPLE MAY HAVE LIKED MY RECORD: I HAD THE TOP STUDIO MUSICIANS INCLUDING BERNARD" PRETTY" PURDIE ON DRUMS, CHUCK RAINEY ON BASS, LLOYD MICHALS ON FLEUGLEHORN, LEW TABAKIN ON FLUTE, ETC. THERE IS A HELL OF A LOT OF FUNKY MUSIC BEHIND ME! THAT RECORD WAS MORE IN THE STYLE OF R&B COMPARED TO THE OTHER EXCELLENT VERSIONS. FUN FACTS: I WAS A FRIEND OF DANNY JORDAN, RON DANTE, TOMMY WYNN - BETTER KNOWN AS THE DETERGENTS. PAUL VANCE WAS DANNY'S UNCLE. DANNY MOVED TO L.A. BACKGROUND: 1959 - 1961: TONY AND THE DAY DREAMS, PLANET RECORDS. RECORDED - WHY DON'T YOU BE NICE, CHRISTMAS LULABY, I'LL NEVER TELL, OVER THE RAINBOW. FIRST TENOR & GUITAR ** THE 4 FOUNDING MEMBERS ARE TOGETHER AGAIN. 1962 - 1963: THE FIREFLIES - LEAD VOCALS, GUITAR AND SAX, REPLACING RITCHIE ADAMS. "YOU WERE MINE" 1964 - 1965: VITO AND THE SALUTATIONS - FIRST TENOR & GUITAR. THAT'S ME ON THEIR CLASSIC RECORDING "OH SO WONDERFUL" 1965 - 1967: THE DON YOUNG FOUR (NEVER RECORDED WITH MY GROUP ) 1967 - 1968: THE UPPER HAND - SECOND LEAD SINGER & GUITAR, KEYBOARD AND SAX 1969 - PRESENT: STUDIO & SHOW MUSICIAN, JINGLE SINGER, LIVE PERFORMANCES. I HAVE PLAYED ON OVER 1000 RECORDS AND ALBUMS. IN 1973, I PLAYED ON THE VERY FIRST JAZZ ROCK FUSSION ALBUM "TIP OF THE ICEBERG" ON PROJECT 3 RECORDS. I RECENTLY PRODUCED BEN E. KING'S CD "I'VE BEEN AROUND". I LOVE TO PLAY OLDIES SHOWS AND HAVE RECENTLY APPEARED WITH THE DUPREES, THE FLAMINGOS AND KID KYLE. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY RECORD. P.S. NO ONE MENTIONED RICHARD CHAIMBERLAND (DR KILDARE) HE ALSO RECORDED IT. DON YOUNG Very Cool ... thanks, Don!!! As mentioned in the article, this song has come up a NUMBER of times in Forgotten Hits over the past several years ... purely by coincidence, here in Chicago (where YOUR version was the big HIT version of this tune), The Chicago Cubs had an outfielder at the same time named Don Young ... nobody actually thought that HE was the Don Young on the record ... it was just a funny happenstance! Thanks so much for writing in ... great to hear that you're still active in the music business these days ... feel free to stay in touch with us and we'll be happy to pass along your information to our readers. (kk)
re: RECORD COLLECTORS: Hi Kent, I was doing some searching on Ebay a few days ago and came across a listing that I thought some of the readers might find interesting. A seller had a 45 listed for sale and it was currently going for over $3,000. I had never heard of the song, singer, or label but the description called it the rarest Northern Soul label, and this was the rarest release from the label. He also had three other 45s on the same label that he had listed. I put it on my watch list to see what it would end up selling for. It sold for $10,223.00. That is an extremely high amount for a 45 to sell for on Ebay. The record was by J.D. Bryant on Shrine Records SR-108 "I Won't Be Coming Back" b/w "Walk On In." The other three Shrine Records he had listed sold for $752.00, $1,075.00, and $2,145.00 He purchased them all at an estate sale so he probably had very little invested. Christmas came a bit early for that seller this year! The auction ended on Sunday. You should still be able to access the listing for a short time for the J.D. Bryant 45 here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Rare-Northern-Soul-J-D-Bryant-Shrine-Records_W0QQitemZ290373261649QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item439b985951 Les Although I was a bit of a record collector for a while (and a mail order dealer for even longer!) I can honestly say that I never paid more than $150 for ANY record ... and I probably only did THAT once or twice ... OK, maybe THREE times ... but there are some REAL fanatics out there (including a number on THIS list) who think nothing about shelling out a fair piece of cash for that one elusive "link" that's missing from their collection. Perhaps we'll hear from some after this story runs! (kk) (I'll betcha Dave The Rave could tell some pretty fascinating stories that'll make your heads spin!!! lol)
Speaking of completing their collection, I just heard from Jack Levin, who tells me he's now down to the final six 45s missing from his VERY special birthday gift ... here's the scoop: The missing six singles are as follows: I'm Yours - Sonny & Cher With These Hands - Tom Jones The World Thru A Tear - Neil Sedaka Somebody New - The Rivieras Millions Of Roses - Steve Lawrence Blowin In The Wind - Steve Alaimo The 45s do not have to be original label or in mint condition. Just the artist & label need to be legible. Again, it's for my wife's 45th birthday next fall, the top 45 45s from the week of 9/7/65. I'm taking a few liberties with the odd 5 singles. Someone out there must have a spare copy of at least one of these. Thanks to all and Merry Xmas, Happy Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Festivus. I think that should cover everyone. Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets) C'mon, Gang ... let's help him complete his quest!!!
OK ... HERE'S a great question for our Forgotten Hits Readers ... what's the most you EVER spent for a record ... and why? And which one are you STILL trying to get your hands on? We'll compile all your answers and put them together in a special issue in a few weeks ... who knows, maybe somebody ELSE on the list has EXACTLY what you've been looking for ... or vice-versa!!! Should make for some interesting reading ... so get your stories (and want lists) in NOW!!! (kk)
re: A FOOL SUCH AS I: It appears that I was wrong about the Ink Spots or Bill Kenny ever recording "A Fool Such As I". I could not find any reference to it in my research. I know my Dad played the record of "A Fool Such As I" a lot, but now I am wondering just whose version it was? I could find no reference to the Ink Spots ever recording this song, but Elvis did. It was on RCA 447-0625 in 1959. Also, I could not find any reference to Tommy Edwards recording this, and could not find his you tube performance of the song either. In my research, I also discovered that Bill Haley & the Comets recorded "A Fool Such As I" also in 59, on Decca 9-30873. I've never heard that version. Any chance you can provide a link to that version? I recorded it on my Oldies CD in 2002. Here is a link to that: http://www.4shared.com/file/163378152/57a2de46/A_Fool_Such_As_I.html Also, strangely enough, Bob Dylan recorded it in 73. Keep up the great work on forgotten hits. Bob Hughes E-Mail: BobHughes13@mchsi.com Web Site: www.BobHughesMusic.net I wasn't familiar with the Bill Haley version ... but we featured Bob Dylan's version of "A Fool Such As I" eons ago ... I've always personally liked this one as it sounds SO unlike anything else that Dylan ever recorded. (It was a minor chart hit, too, peaking at #47 in Cash Box Magazine.) Hank Snow did the original version and it went to #4 on Billboard's Country Chart back in 1953. Elvis' is probably the BEST known version simply due to massive airplay. We've pretty much determined that The Ink Spots did NOT record this song ... and featured the Tommy Edwards version on the website back on November 22nd. (It's still posted there if you'd care to give it a listen ... just scroll back to that date!) And now all of you fans out there who STILL can't get enough of this great song can check out the Bob Hughes version, too, thanks to the link provided above! (kk)
re: THE MAUDS: Jimy Rogers and The Mauds have been ALL over the Chicago music scene lately ... check out THESE stats!!! The Mauds performed live at Bob Stroud's (WDRV) Rock n' Roll Roots CD signing / concert at Borders in Mt. Prospect on Nov. 14 with members of the Cryan Shames, the New Colony Six and the Shadows of Knight. It was a great event with a huge turnout and lots of great music. Video of Hold On - click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dggSwqSS0sc Videos are now up on the Mauds website from the Chicago Music Scene book-signing concert: http://www.themauds.com/videos.htm Jimy appeared at Dick Biondi's annual Toy Drive last week and was interviewed live on WLS radio, and they played our live version of White Christmas, which will be available at our December shows on a CD "single" with Merry Christmas Baby, both recorded live last year at our Holiday show. You can hear White Christmas now on the Mauds website here: http://www.themauds.com/music.htm The Mauds were also featured in the Chicago Tribune article about the new book, The Chicago Music Scene, by Dean Milano. Photos and the history of the scene include The Mauds and the Gand's band Graced Lightning. The book is available at Gand Music and Sound; 780 Frontage Rd.; Northfield, IL And we've got some more shows coming up, too!!! Join us for the opening of a new venue, Mark's House of Rock 'n' Roll, this Saturday, December 5, at 322 N. Milwaukee in Wheeling from 9:00 p.m. - Midnight Coming up: Blue Road is back @ Blue Bayou on Saturday, December 12, 3734 N Southport Ave., Chicago, and don't miss the Blue Road Holiday Party on Saturday, December 19, at Gabe's Backstage Lounge, 214 Greenbay Rd., in Highwood. Congratulations, guys ... great to hear that things are going so well. (kk)
... and, speaking of congratulations ...
re: CONGRATULATIONS: A quick round of congratulations to Cheryl Carey of Fort Montgomery, New York ... winner of the brand new Davie Allan CD "Retrophonic"!!! Thanks to everybody who entered in our little give-away!!! And special thanks to Davie Allan for donating an autographed copy for one lucky Forgotten Hits Winner!!! (kk)
Be sure to join us tomorrow in Forgotten Hits ... We've got a VERY Special "HELPING OUT OUR READERS" Segment coming up ... And then later this week, "THE TRIALS, TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A SURF MUSIC LEGEND", written by our bloggin' buddy JOE KLEIN.
