4-15-68 - WQXI - Atlanta, Georgia
As could be guessed, Atlanta's top 40 station's list in 1968 was top heavy on RNB music. In fact, I doubt you will see another top 40 survey in this year's FH feature to have so many soul records in its top 20 list.
It is doubtful many of you have even heard the #1 song here by Ollie & the Nightengales. Beginning as a top gospel group in Memphis, this group soon found its way to recording secular music for Stax Records, like other gospel bands of the era. Their "I Got a Sure Thing" knocked the Wicked Pickett off the top this week in 1968 in the ATL.
This survey featured QXI's album of various hits for sale. Alike last week's KIMN album, both (and many others) were on the Take 6 label and featured some of the same recent hits on them -- but no bonus 45s.
-- Clark Besch
Ollie and the Nightingales (originally The Dixie Nightingales) got as high as #73 on Billboard's Top 100 Pop Singles Chart. It's not a bad song ... just not necessarily what one would consider #1 material when stacked alongside some of these other major '60's R&B artists. (Talk about your reverse discrimination ... it looks like The Beatles, Johnny Rivers, Simon and Garfunkel, The Rascals and Bobby Goldsboro are the only white faces in this week's Top 20!)
THIS WEEK IN '68:
4/15/68: Aretha Franklin records “Think” … it will
reach #7 on the pop charts a couple of months later
4/19/68: John Lennon and George Harrison leave
Rishikesh, India, two weeks earlier than originally planned, disillusioned with
their studies under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
(Paul and Ringo had already returned home earlier.) Soon after all four Beatles would renounce
their association with The Maharishi.
4/20/68: The Rolling
Stones record “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
Deep Purple perform in
concert for the first time in Jastrup, Denmark.
Four months later their version of “Hush” will debut on the US Charts.
4/21/68: Tom Jones performs “It’s Not Unusual” and
“Delilah” on The Ed Sullivan Show. (Despite
extensive checking, I could not find official documentation as to just how many
socks he had stuffed in his pants for this performance.)
