Friday, January 14, 2011

The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame

Yesterday The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame announced this year's list of Inductees ...

They are (in alphabetical order):

ABBA, Eric Clapton, Jackie DeShannon, The Diamonds, Bo Diddley, Dan Fogelberg,
Anne Murray, Willie Nelson, Pink Floyd, The Rascals, Paul Revere & the Raiders,
The Righteous Brothers, Dusty Springfield, James Taylor and Roger Williams

These 15 artists were selected from 53 nominees to join 124 inductees of past years.

The Hit Parade Hall of Fame will announce next year's candidates around the middle of Februrary. Fans are encouraged to visit the website and vote for their favorites.

Here Is A Complete List of Inductees to date:

Forgotten Hits congratulations ALL of the inductees of The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame ... and encourages our readers to visit the website and vote for their favorites ... this is a RARE case where your votes really do count and matter ... so please take advantage of this opportunity to vote for your favorites and see them recognized by this organization. (kk)


THE HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL:
All day long today The Drive (WDRV Chicago) will be taking us through
The History Of Rock And Roll.
With their stellar on-air staff, this should be some pretty interesting programming.
You can tune in here to Listen Live: Click here: 97.1fm Chicago - The Drive - WDRV


OLDIES LETTER OF THE WEEK
Talk about your Golden Oldies ...
This letter touched my heart this week so I wanted to share it with you!
Not "too old to cut the mustard"!!!
Yep! that was a song from "who knows when."
Hi!
This is grandma; or rather, great-grandma; checking in.
I really feel ancient after reading about other's first 45's. I had to scroll almost to the bottom before someone else remembered the early 50's as I do.
How I found your website -- I was looking for release dates of my records. Sometimes, I'm lucky but would like the Top Ten (or 40) Charts for 1951-54, if anyone can guide me there.
I lost my wonderful husband in February of 2009 and music was our life. We "courted" to all those wonderful hits in 1953-54. I'm in the process of making a memory album for our children, grand-children and great-grandchildren (7, to be exact). It's hard to hear them again but something I feel compelled to do. My only only regret is that I didn't do this while he was alive. We would have had so much fun remembering those times together. Altho, they were rough times. We only saw each other on weekends that year before we married. Miserable. The song titles certainly played our emotions.
Ames Brothers: And So I Waited Around, Undecided, The Man with the Banjo, Man, Man, is for the Woman Made, A Very Precious Love
Tony Bennett: Rags to Riches, There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight
Teresa Brewer: Ricochet, A Tear Fell, Till I Waltz Again With You, Bell Bottom Blues, If I Give My Heart To You
Nat King Cole: Blue Gardenia, Can't I
Perry Como: Wanted, No Other Love, Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes
Don Cornell: Heart of My Heart, Hold My Hand, I'm Blessed, I Can't Cry Anymore
Don Cornell, Alan Dale, Johnny Desmond: I Think I'll Fall in Love Today
Crewcuts: Crazy 'Bout You Baby, Sh-Boom
Don Cherry: For Now and Always, Too Long
June Christy: My Heart Belongs to Only You, You Took Advantage of Me
Rosemary Clooney: Mixed Emotions, Half as Much, Woman, Man (w/husband Jose)
Doris Day: Secret Love / Deadwood Stage, A Guy is a Guy, Sugarbush
Jimmy Dorsey: So Rare, June Night.
Tommy Dorsey: One Kiss, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Strangers, Music, Maestro Please
Rusty Draper: Free Home Demonstration, Gambler's Guitar
Eddie Fisher: The Hand of Fate, O Mein Papa, Wish You Were Here, Pretend,
Four Aces: I've Been Waiting a Lifetime, Just Squeeze Me, Wedding Bells, You Brought Me Love, Heart & Soul
Four Coins: Shangri-La, First in Line
Four Knights: I Was Meant for You, I Get So Lonely, I Couldn't Stay Away From You, They Tell Me
Four Lads: Istanbul, I Should Have Told You, I Just Don't Know, Golly
Gaylords: Tell Me You're Mine, Aye, Aye, Aye
Ronnie Gaylord: Oh, Am I Lonely, Cuddle Me
Bobby Hackett: Easy to Love, The Song is You
Hilltoppers: You Made up my Mind, Love Walked Right In, From the Vine Came the Grape, Wrapped up in a Dream, Poor Butterfly,
PeeWee Hunt: Oh
Eartha Kitt: Santa Baby
Roberta Lee: Hold Me,Thrill Me, Kiss Me,
Les Paul & Mary Ford: It's a Lonesome Old Town, My Baby's Coming Home, Take Me in Your Arms
Tony Martin: Stranger in Paradise, For the Very First Time, Kiss of Fire, Here, Philosophy
Patience & Prudence: Tonight, You Belong to Me,
Georgie Shaw: Honeycomb, Till We Two are One,
Lu Ann Simms: Be Patient, My Darling, For Now and Always
Frank Sinatra: From Here to Eternity, I Love You
Jane Turzy: I Like It, Yes, You Are, I Can't Get You Out of My Heart
Slim Whitman: Darlin' Don't Cry, North Wind
June Valli: Mystery Street, Don't Forget to Write ...
(and we did write about three times a week to each other; usually about the same thing. Miserable without you and sure could use some sleep! Weekends weren't for sleeping much!) And our co-worker's thoughts on our marrying. As a matter of fact, a circle letter he wrote me inspired me to do these albums and include some of our love letters, pictures and history about the early 50's. Ah! wonderful love.
We loved anything Billy May played - Our favorite orchestra.
Romance, Gone with the Wind, Easy Street, Unforgettable, Land of the Sky Blue Water, Diane, The Breeze & I, There is No Greater Love, My Silent Love ... and many more. We could always tell when he was the back-up orchestra for singers.
On the crazier side ...
Red Buttons: The Ho-Ho Song / Strange Things are Happening
Stan Freberg: Try, Dear John & Marsha Letter, Little Blue Riding Hood, St George & Dragonet
Andy Griffith: What It Was, Was Football, Romeo & Juliet
Homer & Jethro: Hey Schmoo, You, Ewe,You, Hound Dog in the Window, Poor Ole Koo-Liger
Johnny Standley: It's in the Book I & II
I DO have a 45 by each Elvis and by Haley. Possibly, the last ones we bought might be Nancy Sinatra "These Boots" or Tommy Sands "Sing, Boy Sing" or The Ritchie Family "Brazil" or Andy Williams "Lonely Street" and "Don't Go to Strangers".
As for earlier ones, it might be
Frank Chacksfield: Limelight / Terry's Theme
Rosemary Clooney: Botch-a-Me
Les Paul & Mary Ford: How High the Moon, Meet Mr. Callahan, I'm Confessin
Georgia Gibbs: Seven Lonely Days / If You Take My Heart Away
Frankie Laine: Your Cheatin' Heart, High Noon, That's My Desire
George Morgan: Be Sure You Know / Whistle, My Love
Patti Page: Doggie in the Window, Retreat / Come What May, All My Love, With My Eyes Wide Open
Dinah Shore: Delicado
Jo Stafford: Jambalaya / Early Autumn, Shrimp Boats / Love, Mystery & Adventure
Kay Starr: So Tired, Wheel of Fortune, Fool, Fool, Fool / Kay's Lament
Slim Whitman: Bandera Waltz / End of the World
Hugo Winterhalter: Blue Tango / Gypsy Trail
Faron Young's "Have I Waited Too Long" / "Tattle Tale Tears"
Is there going to be anyone out there that remembers any of these????
bpg42
Wow, that's QUITE a list!!! Seems like the song titles and artists are all fresh in your mind. (I'm guessing you're reading from the labels of the 45's currently in your collection ... as such, I'd like to recommend Joel Whitburn's book "Pop Hits, 1940 - 1954" ... this would certainly more than cover the era you're interested in. The book acts as a chart RECAP of the hits of the day, telling you the name of the artists and listing ALL of their hit songs, along with that song's peak position in Billboard Magazine. It also provides a great "check list" for other records you may wish to add to your collection:
Click here: Joel Whitburn's Record Research Music & Billboard Charts Data
For actual Top Ten Lists, 1951 - 1954, may I suggest: Click here: Cash Box Top Singles
Here you'll find weekly charts of The Top 40 Songs (or more) for each and every week ... you can relive the entire era exactly as it happened! It's put together by our good friend Randy Price, a regular Forgotten Hits contributor.
Here's another link that'll give you the biggest hits for each of those years:
Click here: Top 100 Songs / Top 100 Hits
Any and ALL of these links are guaranteed to provide you with hours and hours of searching through the archives (and your memory bank!!!)
Please stay in touch with us from time to time and check out the website when you can. We really don't cover much in the way of early '50's music from the pre-rock era, it's true ... but I just LOVE your love for this music ... and that's what ALL of us are here for! Your letter really touched my heart and I hope you'll stay in touch with us ... and other music fans just like yourself. (By the way, we just recently featured "Tonight You Belong To Me" by Patience and Prudence on our web page!!!) kk
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