Today, August 7th, marks the day in 1961 when a Forgotten Hit song by Barry Mann debuted on Billboard’s Top100 that asked the Musical Question
“Who Put the Bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp” along with the “ram in the rama lama ding dong!”
It was Mann’s only hit, but one that became a Top Ten Song in 1961!
Why?
I think because it was just a Really Fun Nonsensical song that poked a little fun at lyrics of some of the other Hit Songs of that era!
And, it is Fun to sing along with! Go ahead! Join in! It’s right here!
CB ( which stands for "Uggah Chuckah Bucka in the Bucky Bah Buck Buck” and “Chuck Buella Buella is a Ding Dong!” ) "Who Put The Bomp" may have been the only hit song Barry Mann had as an artist,But Mr. Mann (don'tcha just love that!) was no stranger to the pop charts ... Not by ANY means! Barry Mann wrote or cowrote dozens and dozens of songs (many of them with his wife, Cynthia Weil)that became hits for other artists ... Hits like: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "Soul And Inspiration" for The Righteous Brothers"We Gotta Get Out Of The Place" for The Animals"On Broadway" for The Drifters"Walkin' In The Rain" by The Ronettes and Jay and the Americans"Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton"Blame It On The Bossa Nova" by Eydie Gorme"My Dad" for Paul Petersen"Kicks" and "Hungry" for Paul Revere and the Raiders"Rock And Roll Lullaby" for B.J. Thomas"Patches" by Dickey Lee... and SO many more So while "Who Put The Bomp" could be classified as a novelty hit ...And it WAS a hit ...There was a WHOLE lot more to Barry's abilities than this! (kk) We've had a couple of other major milestones this past week, too ... Maybe not as big as "Who Put The Bomp" ... but ... well, YOU can be the judge of that!!! August 4th marked the 64th Anniversary of the very first HOT 100 Chart in Billboard Magazine. You can read their salute to their own anniversary here ... https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/hot-100-64-years-fun-facts-ricky-nelson-lizzo-1235122282/#recipient
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Now while we've been pretty vocal about how Billboard's lack of acknowledgement to all the early hits of the rock era that cameBEFORE August 4th, 1958, and are now continuously being ignored, there is absolutely NO doubt as to the lasting impact the premier of this Hot 100 Chart has had on the industry. It is, without question, the BENCHMARK by which ALL of the hits have been measured ever since. Tying into that whole concept of "Will you still need me ... when I'm 64" ... I personally have little use for the charts today and theway they're calculated ... but then again our focus here in Forgotten Hits has always been more of the rock and roll / pop music era of 1955 - 1985. (We recently expanded that thru 1989 to better coincide with the new Record Research book that tabulates the hits for this time period.) And, speaking of Record Research, they're running a special sale in honor of this 64th anniversary ... 
The full two pages of the "Hot 100" of August 4, 1958, are shown in Billboard Best Sellers & Hot 100 Charts: 1950s. The Top 10 of the same chart appears in America's Greatest Hits 1940-2015. All Charts Books are 15% off in celebration of the man who inspired so many others to have a heart for the charts.
August 4th and the Beginning of Record Research - A Memory from Joel ...“It was a cool, rainy evening in September of 1965, when I began researching my records. From my shelves of Billboard magazines, I pulled out the issue dated August 4, 1958, and turned to the first-ever “Hot 100” chart. I opened a sealed pack of 3” x 5” cards, took out a card, a ballpoint pen and wrote “Nelson, Ricky” on the top line, “8/4/58” on the second, “Poor Little Fool” on the third and “1” on the fourth. My first card was the first #1 hit on the “Hot 100.” I catalogued every artist and song on that chart on individual cards. I followed those songs, chart after chart, circling the highest positions that they reached, later dubbing these their ‘peak positions.’ With every new song entry that I added to the cards I had already created, my fervor grew for researching and collecting. On each card, I was building an artist’s history on the “Hot 100” chart. These cards would be a guide as to what was missing from my collection of 45s. From that night, I was compelled to chronicle the charts.
“At that time, I did not know any other Billboard subscribers or anyone who shared my definite obsession for collecting records. I could not imagine that my ‘record researching’ would ever be seen by eyes other than mine. It was the love of sports that led to my discovery of Billboard.
I was 12 years old, waiting with my mother for the Greyhound bus back to Menomonee Falls. It was a special treat when Mom would venture with one of us six kids to Milwaukee for a day of shopping at Gimbels. Next to our bus stop was the magazine stand where I first spied Billboard. Scanning the magazine from back to front, I was captivated by an ad for baseball card vending machines. I loved collecting baseball cards, seeing the color photos on one side and the organized player statistics on the back, and ultimately, completing a set. Mom graciously purchased the Billboard. Back home I studied the issue, cover to cover, with the music charts overwhelming my curiosity. My hard-earned newspaper delivery wages would not be spent on a baseball card vending machine but on a subscription to Billboard magazine.
“Fast forward a dozen years or so: my attention to baseball was surpassed by my playing of basketball on the semi-pro Menomonee Falls Badgers; I worked in sales in Milwaukee and spent my lunch hours at record shops not far from that bus stop; and the best part, I was married to Fran and we had a baby girl. And on that fateful night, the “Hot 100” was electric with the sounds of the British Invasion, Motown, Surf Music, Folk Rock, Girl Groups and more. How could I know that what I was jotting down to satisfy my own curiosity would be shared worldwide and endlessly referenced — and, that five decades later, my compulsion to create data would still be going strong as the longest tenured licensee in Billboard history.
And so, the story continues …”
More fun Hot 100 reading here:
And long-time FH Reader Ed Kelly tells us about a very special anniversary in HIS life ...
And one that ALSO touched the hearts of millions of fans around the country ...
Friday, August 5th, marked the 65th Anniversary of American
Bandstand ... and we are celebrating throughout the year.
The show pulled 20
million viewers a day, aired 5 days a week, 2-1/2 hours everyday.
The
best and only book I recommend is Bandstand Diaries. You can purchase a copy
at Bandstanddiaries.com.
AB aired in 1952 in Philadelphia and nationally beginning in 1957.
Thank you, Kent.
Ed Kelly
And Ed was one of those Bandstand dancers we watched on TV every week!
(And I'll betcha they played "Who Put The Bomp" more than a time or two along the way!!!) kk
I also got this from FH Reader Mike Wolstein ...
Hi, Kent -
I may have missed this entry by a few days, but better late ...
I just realized that on August 3rd, 1987, 35 years ago, I discovered a brand new "sound" in Chicago radio, which lasted for quite some time, while going through some changes in its later life. It was quite different from what were used to
hearing.
At 5 PM that afternoon, WMET 95.5-FM changed formats, and the "new sound" was kind of interesting.
I may have missed this entry by a few days, but better late ...
I just realized that on August 3rd, 1987, 35 years ago, I discovered a brand new "sound" in Chicago radio, which lasted for quite some time, while going through some changes in its later life. It was quite different from what were used to
hearing.
At 5 PM that afternoon, WMET 95.5-FM changed formats, and the "new sound" was kind of interesting.
The station was called WNUA (NU Age), and the format was made up of new agey-style
music, some "smooth jazz", and it was a cool place to learn about music you'd rarely hear, if at all, on "pop"
radio.
The first piece they played was by David Sanborn, the second by Milwaukee jazz singer Al Jarreau; the one that really got me hooked was the third piece, by a cool Canadian a capella group called The Nylons, who I saw live many times. I was hooked.
Incidentally, one of the DJs was a fellow named Rick O'Dell. ;-)
After a while, the format changed a bit, and they eventually disappeared. It was an interesting venture into pop music.
Mike
The first piece they played was by David Sanborn, the second by Milwaukee jazz singer Al Jarreau; the one that really got me hooked was the third piece, by a cool Canadian a capella group called The Nylons, who I saw live many times. I was hooked.
Incidentally, one of the DJs was a fellow named Rick O'Dell. ;-)
After a while, the format changed a bit, and they eventually disappeared. It was an interesting venture into pop music.
Mike
And, of course, Rick O'Dell today programs Me-TV-FM's great line-up of music.
DON'TCHA JUST LOVE IT WHEN ALL THIS STUFF JUST COMES TOGETHER!!!
kk
