Forgotten Hits has saluted The Ides Of March nearly every year on March 15th for the past eleven years ... in fact, during that time, I think we've only missed two or three occasions to do so ... but this year happened to be one of those as this year March 15th also happened to be the night of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony ... so we ran our "For Your Consideration" piece spotlighting Billy Preston and Jeff Lynne as two worthy, long over-looked Hall Of Fame Candidates. (In fact, we'll be running some of your comments on this topic here on the web page tomorrow!)
But then we received this letter from one of our readers:
re: THE IDES OF MARCH: Beware of the Ides of March ... Hi Kent, Do you know anything about what happened about honoring the Ides of March with a street named "Ides of March Way"???? I thought the City of Berwyn, their hometown, was to honor them on March 15th with the honorary street ceremony. I think it was to be around Home Avenue or Riverside Drive. I checked their website and didn't see anything about it? When in doubt ask the master ... Carolyn I had almost forgotten about this ... and actually, I thought the ceremony was supposed to have taken place in January ... although holding the dedication ceremony on The Ides Of March really would have been a much more clever and appropriate idea. (Quite honestly, while I remember running the announcement about the street dedication in Berwyn late last year, I never really heard any more about it. Here it is again for those of you who may have missed it the first time around:
'60's FLASHBACK: A portion of Home Avenue (near Riverside Drive and right in front of Morton West High School ... where many of the Ides ... and yours truly ... attended High School back in the day ... is being renamed (and dedicated as) Ides Of March Way!!! (Now how cool is THAT?!?!?!?) We can't wait to see the official ceremony. Meanwhile, here's the announcement as it appears on The Ides Of March website: The boys of Berwyn will be forever remembered as car after car travel down Home Avenue. “The Ides of March,” a band formed in a home on Riverside Drive, will have a portion of Home Avenue dedicated as ‘The Ides of March Way’ early next year. The street dedication came as a surprise to band member Chuck Soumar last week. Richard Brom, a longtime friend of Soumar and other band members, told Soumar he submitted a letter to Berwyn Mayor Robert Lovero about the band and suggested a street be dedicated in the band’s honor. “I have known the band members since high school, and I am still amazed and impressed with their success,” Brom wrote. “I understand that demographics and musical tastes change. However, the lesson to be learned from the determination of these Morton High School graduates is timeless.” Lovero passed the letter along to 8th Ward Alderman Nora Laureto, who introduced the idea to the Berwyn City Council. Laureto spent time earlier this year working to dedicate Bob “Pappy” Kaufman Drive near the Commodore Barry Post 256 on Roosevelt Road earlier this year. “People still know them, and they’re still a draw in the area,” Laureto said. “They’ve given back to the community in so many ways.” Soumar was on hand for the Oct. 13 City Council meeting as the officials voted unanimously to move forward with the street sign dedication. The Public Works Department will place street signs on Home Avenue from Cermak Road to Riverside Drive for the road to honorarily become ‘The Ides of March Way.’ “To be honored by Berwyn in such a way is just exciting ... This is like icing on the cake for us,” Soumar said. “This is still home. Berwyn is still home for us.” It was the first time Soumar has been back to the Berwyn City Hall in nearly two decades. The previous trip was in 1990, when the band was was honored with the ‘Ides of March Day’ proclamation. Later that year, the band would play its first concert in nearly 17 years. The final concert before the band’s peaceful disbandment was Nov. 2, 1973, at in the Morton West High School gymnasium. After rehearsing once a week for eight hours a day for four months, the Ides were back on stage in Berwyn, headlining the city’s 1990 Summerfest. An audience of more than 20,000 came out to the concert in the Morton West parking lot, steps away from their last concert. “To come back 17 years later on those grounds again, it was meant to be,” Soumar said. “The place was packed. We were the Morton guys ... the Berwyn band.” Nearly 20 years later, the band has not stopped. The eight-man band includes all four original members — Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, Bob Bergland, and Mike Borch — and have added Soumar, John Larson, Dave Stahlberg, and Scott May since the band was created in 1964. Soumar was asked to join the band in 1969 as a 17-year-old senior at Morton West. “I was still playing on the football team and in the school band,” he said. “These were my buddies from high school band.” Forty years after Soumar joined the band and nearly 20 years after the reunion concert, the band performs more than 40 shows a year across the nation. They play hits from the ’60s and early ’70s, including “Vehicle,” which became the fastest selling single in Warner Bros. recording history in 1970.The song has gone on to be used in commercials for General Motors and was used by “American Idol” contestant Bo Bice during the show’s fourth season. “When he first sang ‘Vehicle,’ our Web site got more than 250,000 hits the next day,” Soumar said. “It’s just incredible the roller coaster ride that we’ve been on.” Along with performing around the country, the band has traveled back to Berwyn to play in its hometown for fundraisers for both the North Berwyn and South Berwyn school districts since reuniting in 1990. And while there may not be any new dates scheduled for the band to play again where it all began, Soumar said performing in Berwyn is always an option. “We’re still having fun with it ... If there was a 20th anniversary of the (Summerfest), we’d be there,” Soumar said. “That’s up to the powers that be but hopefully we’ll be back playing in Berwyn soon.” Congratulations to The Ides Of March!!! (We used to stand in the street and listen to these guys rehearse all the time back in the day ... it's still one of my favorite childhood memories!) kk
***
Now I was curious ... had the ceremony already taken place? Did we miss it? Had it been postponed?
I checked The Ides Of March Website, too, and there is not so much as a mention of this honor which, at one time, was "Front Page News" on the site. Nothing!!!
So I next took a drive out to Berwyn and cruised the area described above. (Since I, too, went to school there ... and used to listen to The Ides rehearse from out on the street ... I knew EXACTLY where "Ides Of March Way" was supposed to be ... but again, nothing! No special street signs ... no posters announcing a dedication ceremony ... Na-Da!)
So I called Marlene O'Malley (Rock On Chicago) and asked her what SHE knew about the dedication ceremony. She was surprised, too, to hear that nothing had ever happened with this ... so she contacted Jeannie Mikota, another Morton West graduate who has close ties to The Ides Of March and their website ... and this is what she had to say:
Hi Kent, Talked to Jeannie Mikota today ... and she said it will be on Home Avenue in front of the school between 22nd and 26th Street, and the ceremony will probably be sometime this summer, but it's not scheduled yet. So we didn't miss it! Glad I could help! Come on summer!!!!! Marlee As soon as we get more details, we'll be sure to let our readers know.
Meanwhile, in OTHER Ides Of March News, the band is ready to release their first album of COMPLETELY brand new material since 1973 on April 1st ... in fact, the CD Launch Party will be held in (of all places) Nashville, Tennessee, at The Hard Rock Cafe!!! (We have at least two dozen FH Readers down in the Nashville area and hope that some of you will be able to attend this very special event ... and report back to us!) If you've never seen The Ides Of March perform in concert, you're in for a real treat ... they're one of the most exciting, energetic bands on stage you'll ever see.
The new album is called "Still 19" and will also be available on The Ides' website: Click here: The Ides Of March Flash Intro Their appearance at The Hard Rock Cafe is part of the "Tin Pan South" Music Festival, sponsored by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). This is a prestigious event and the world's largest songwriter's festival. The event is open to the public and promises to be a show to remember! Go to www.tinpansouth.com for more details.
By the way, we did a nice piece on The Ides and Shames Union, a brief incarnation of the band after they "merged" with Chicago's Cryan' Shames, on The Forgotten Hits Website last year on March 15th ... in fact, you can still check it out here: Click here: Forgotten Hits: The Ides and Shames Union
Tonight The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame will induct this year's class into their hallowed walls, bestowing the ultimate honor to acts like ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff and The Stooges. A lifetime achievement award will be presented to David Geffen, and long-overdue songwriters Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell will finally be recognized for the fine body of work they gave us during rock and roll's most formative years.
Now we've spent countless pages here in the past dissecting the ways and means of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee ... and while some of our readers have expressed concerns that this is the "weakest class of inductees yet", I have to disagree. We have long campaigned for ABBA, Genesis and The Hollies as amongst the artists most "Deserving and Denied" these past several years. In fact, since we first made an issue of this, we've seen The Dave Clark Five, John Mellencamp and The Ventures similarly enshrined ... ALL of these artists long overdue for this recognition they so rightly deserve.
Sure, there are plenty left ... Chicago, The Guess Who, Neil Diamond, The Moody Blues ... Hall and Oates, The Monkees, Chubby Checker, Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, Pat Boone, Linda Ronstadt, Three Dog Night, Tommy James and the Shondells (who has a couple of upcoming shows AT The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Museum, despite the fact that The Nominating Committee hasn't considered him worthy enough to actually INDUCT him!!!) ... the list goes on and on ... and if you've been reading Forgotten Hits for any length of time, you pretty much know the rest, so we don't really need to rehash it all here again today.
What we ARE going to do today is pick up the cause for two artists whose names don't typically jump to the head of the list when pointing out the complete injustice of who is selected for induction and who isn't even considered. However, I think that you will agree that, once you consider the track records of these two artists, there is NO way possible to deny that there's a more deserving pair for recognition. (I would just LOVE to hear The Committee's explanation as to why NEITHER of these great artists have never been so much as even nominated!)
So as our means of "Picking Up The Cause", we would like to submit the following two artists "For Your Consideration":
BILLY PRESTON:
Hand-picked by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ... by Little Richard and Ray Charles ... and handling sessions and / or tours featuring the likes of Aretha Franklin, Sly and the Family Stone, Bob Dylan and The Jackson Five ... every single one of whom is an inductee of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... how on EARTH can you deny Billy Preston a spot???
A few years back we shared a vintage video clip of a then eleven year old Billy Preston performing on The Nat King Cole Television Program ... he was already wowing audiences at this early age.
In the late '50's and early '60's, Preston toured the world as part of the back up band for artists like Little Richard and Ray Charles, earning a name for himself as an outstanding keyboardist. In Hamburg, Germany, he even crossed paths with The Beatles, striking up a friendship that would last for decades.
In the 1960's he performed as part of the "house band" on the hit television music series "Shindig" and sat in with legendary soul artists throughout the decade. In 1969, he was invited by The Beatles to sit in on their "Get Back" / "Let It Be" recording sessions and, for a short period of time anyway, The Fab Four set aside their personal differences and acted on their best behavior in front of their old friend from the Hamburg days. In fact, he even shared a label credit with The Beatles on their #1 Hit Record "Get Back", an otherwise unprecedented event in their long recording history.
As a virtual unknown to most of the folks in the audience that night, surrounded by musical legends and superstars on stage, Preston single-handedly stole the show at George Harrison's Concert For Bangla Desh, performing side-by-side with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. Click here: YouTube - Billy Preston - That's The Way God Planned It (The Concert For Bangladesh)
Within a couple of years, he was scoring his own hit records on the charts ... instrumental hits like "Outa Space" and "Space Race" made Billboard's Top Five ... and powerful vocal treatments like "Nothing From Nothing" and "Will It Go Round In Circles" went all the way to #1. He had another Top Five Hit with the haunting ballad "With You I'm Born Again", a duet with Syreeta ... and wrote Joe Cocker's Top Five Smash (and modern-day classic) "You Are So Beautiful". Meanwhile, he was still regularly doing session work and tours with The Rolling Stones, The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin and Sly and the Family Stone. Click here: YouTube - Billy Preston - Will it go Round in Circles 1973 live Midnight Special (Check out this Midnight Special clip ... at the very least, shouldn't Billy be inducted to "The Biggest 'Fro Of All-Time Hall Of Fame?!?!)
Sadly, Billy joins a VERY long list of worthy Hall Of Fame candidates who left us before they could enjoy the honor of their induction ... he passed away of kidney failure in 2006. The Hall seems much more focused on honoring the NEWEST artists as they become eligible, rather than recognizing the many, many artists who got us all here in the first place. (Recent discussion has centered on lowering the eligibility period from 25 to 20 years because there aren't enough exciting new names coming up every year anymore ... yet they continue to ignore literally HUNDREDS of deserving artists who helped to shape the very art form of rock and roll.)
When you talk about the "Deserving and Denied" list of artists who belong in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, please add Billy Preston's name to the list.
JEFF LYNNE:
When Jeff Lynne formed The Electric Light Orchestra in the early '70's, he merged rock and roll with the classics ... and, in the process, put his own personal stamp on a new chapter in Classic Rock.
Fittingly, their first big hit was a rousing rendition of the Chuck Berry classic "Roll Over Beethoven", fully orchestrated and developed around Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. There was NOTHING else like it on the radio ... and Lynne, the creative force and mastermind behind ELO continued to blend orchestrated pop for the next two decades, scoring hit after hit after hit with with rock classics like "Do Ya", "Can't Get It Out Of My Head", "Strange Magic", "Evil Woman", "Showdown", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Turn To Stone", "Sweet Talkin' Woman", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Shine A Little Love", "Don't Bring Me Down", "Hold On Tight" and "Rock And Roll Is King", all staples of FM Classic Rock today.
And he surrounded himself in some pretty good company, too ... Jeff Lynne is the ONLY member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys NOT inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. His bandmates George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty have long since been enshrined ... and Lynne went on to produce solo albums for Harrison, Orbison and Petty as well. In fact, when the surviving Beatles decided to put together the Anthology Series and lend their musical talents to a couple of shelved John Lennon tracks, it was Jeff Lynne who they brought in to produce these sessions. Click here: YouTube - Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care Click here: YouTube - The Beatles - Real Love [HD]
Lynne developed a very identifiable sound ... much like Phil Spector before him, you could immediately tell just by listening that you were hearing a Jeff Lynne production.
How is it even remotely possible that this man has not been recognized for the incredible body of work he has shared with music fans the whole world over?
Again, PLEASE put Jeff Lynne's name at the top of your list the next time you rattle off the artists most deserving and denied Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame recognition.
The other day I mentioned Scott Shannon's popular new feature on The True Oldies Channel.
Each afternoon he features a suggestion from one of his listeners for "The Cheezy Easy-Listening Song Of The Day" ... songs that originally charted on Billboard's Soft Rock / Easy Listening Chart but then somehow crossed over to the popular Top 40 Rock And Roll Stations, too ... and, for better or for worse, became part of our social consciousness in the process.
You know the kind of songs I'm talking about: Honey ... Dominique ... Ringo ... It Must Be Him ... 1900 Yesterday ... these are just a few of the songs we've heard him feature recently. Well, Scott, here's a GREAT suggestion for this feature if you haven't already done it.
***
The first week of January, 1969, saw a pretty impressive Top 40 on The Billboard Chart:
Motown held down FIVE of the top seven songs in the country: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye was #1; "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder was #2; "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations was the #3 record in the nation ... and The Temptations and The Supremes also held down the #6 and #7 spots with "Cloud Nine" and "Love Child" respectively.
Top 40 Classics like "Soulful Strut" (Young-Holt Unlimited), "Stormy" (The Classics IV), "Hooked On A Feeling" (B.J. Thomas), "Crimson and Clover" (Tommy James and the Shondells), "Son-Of-A-Preacher Man" (Dusty Springfield), "Everyday People" (Sly and the Family Stone), "Hey Jude" (The Beatles) and "The Worst That Could Happen" (by The Brooklyn Bridge) were all making their way up or down the charts.
Heavier tunes like "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "Going Up The Country" by Canned Heat and "Touch Me" by The Doors were ALSO sharing space in The National Top 40 that week. So what the heck were Rene and Rene doing at #14 with "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero"?!?!?!
Fact is, it's a really pretty song ... and there's a pretty good chance the melody for this one will stick in your head and drive you crazy all day long.
It's just another Cheezy Easy-Listening Song that managed to find a spot on the pop charts thanks to sounding like nothing else that was out at the time! And clearly people bought it ... it peaked at #14 in January of 1969!
***
Rene and Rene ... those really ARE their names, by the way ... were a Mexican-American duo out of Laredo, Texas. They had one other record that made The Top 40 in Cash Box Magazine back in 1964 ("Angelito" reached #38 in Cash Box and stopped at #43 in Billboard) but "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero" is the one that really caught on, peaking at #14 and spending a total of twelve weeks on The Billboard Chart. Rene Ornelas and Rene Herrera never hit The Top 100 again.
The duo first teamed up in the early '50's as part of a vocal quartet called The Quarter Notes. (Incredibly the other half of the quartet were a couple of guys name Juan ... Juan Orfila and Juan Garza-Gongora ... so you actually had two Renes and two Juans up on stage performing!) They landed a record deal with both Deluxe and Dot Records and had a few hits on the Spanish stations but weren't very successful crossing over to the pop charts.
The Quarter Notes split up in 1962 but the two Renes stayed together and continued to record and perform. Rene Ornelas told Wayne Jancik (in his book "One Hit Wonders") that they often had to record a pop song on one side of the record and a Spanish song on the other in order to maintain their audience while still trying to break new ground.
Once "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero" (which means "The More I Love You") became a hit, Rene and Rene found themselves touring with The Beach Boys and The Grass Roots and were even a part of Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars for a while.
Rene Herrera quit in 1972 but Ornelas stayed in the music industry, eventually writing or arranging music for the likes of Herb Alpert, Vikki Carr, Trini Lopez, Jose Feliciano, Peter Nero and Lawrence Welk. As of 1990 (when Jancik's book was first published), he was still out there performing as a solo act, now calling himself Rene Rene as a means of cashing in on their past success!!! Also in 1990, Ornelas and Herrera were inducted into The Tejano Music Hall of Fame in San Antonio, TX. (Not bad for a One Hit Wonder act!!!)
re: TOMMY JAMES: Tune in to The True Oldies Channel today and you'll hear Tommy James playing the role of Guest Disc Jockey!!! Tommy's new book "Me, The Mob And The Music" is all the rage right now ... in fact, they're already discussing movie rights to this thing ... and, according to Scott Shannon, Tommy will be playin' ... and sayin' ... whatever he wants to this afternoon. It's MUST listening ... so here's a "Listen Live" link: Click here: WPLJ-HD2
The TOC Website says that Tommy'll be on from 10 am - 3 pm (I'm assuming that means EASTERN time ... but maybe not, since those are the EXACT hours that Scott Shannon's program airs here in Chicago) ... so tune in early just in case and give it a listen. If you're a Tommy James fan ... and who isn't ... I think you'll really enjoy today's broadcast. And, if you're a Tommy James fan ... you might want to check out OUR special mailing on Tommy ... it went out "By Request Only" last night. Wanna get your hands on a copy? Then just drop me an email at forgottenhits@aol.com ... and ask us to send it to you!!!
Here's just a "Sneak Peek" ...
Hi Kent; I don’t recall if you’ve reviewed Tommy James new book, “Me, the Mob and the Music” or not. When I heard that he signed with Roulette in the mid 60’s, I knew that they would rob him blind ... and they did. He tells the story of Morris Levy and the control the mob had at Roulette Records as well as most of the east coast record business, the artists and some of the big name dj’s. The fact that the mob beat Jimmy Rodgers (as James points out in the book) to a pulp was well known in the business. The talk in the trade was that Mario Lanza may have also met the same fate. The Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons story also admits that they were owned by the Philly mob (which we in the business were also well aware of!) The promotion men from some but not all of those east coast record companies used to look like they came from a Soprano TV audition. What I can’t help but wonder is IF the mob still owns the rights to the Four Seasons music (and they may not) are they still getting part of the action? Clark Weber The mob ties to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons becomes an integral part of the story in "Jersey Boys", the AMAZING musical devoted to their legacy. Morris Levy seems to be one of the most notorious, talked-about "business men" of this era. (Check out the film "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", the Frankie Lymon story, for more horror stories!!!) Like I said, LOTS of buzz about Tommy's book ... and I give him a lot of credit for being bold enough to tell it. (Artie Wayne told me that Tommy confided in him that there's really only one of these guys left ... and he's about 83 years old and doesn't pose all that much of a threat anymore ... Tommy's still in pretty good shape ... he probably figures he can out-run him if he needs to!!! lol) kk
By the way, the music that Tommy is making today is every bit as good as the music we all grew up loving in the '60's and early '70's ... check out his website for information about all of his recent releases. Click here: Tommy James and The Shondells Official Website
(Collectors' Choice has just issued a number of "Two-Fer" CD's, too ... and recently, a "Complete Singles" collection also hit the marketplace.) Click here: CCMusic Results - tommy james
Tommy James was HUGE here in Chicago ... TEN of his records made The Chicagoland Top Ten, including seven that went all the way to #1. Clark Weber was there at the very start of Tommy's career ... (of course he also tells the story about how he didn't think James was going to make it in HIS book "Rock And Roll Radio: The Fun Years, 1955 - 1975".) Turns out WLS was instrumental in breaking a number of hits for Tommy James and the Shondells ... and they even had special "exclusives" from the band! Fascinating stuff ... and, quite honestly, BOTH of these books belong on your bookshelves! (kk)
re: CORRECTLY INTERPRETITNG THE QUESTION: The other day we delved into the question of which British artist(s) first charted here in America (as well as who first hit #1 here in The States). We explained at the time that the REAL answer to these questions can be determined by what criteria you establish and how that criteria specifically relates to the question at hand.
I thought of another good example the other day ... and wanted to share it with our readers.
One of the most-often repeated pieces of '60's trivia is that despite being one of the most successful recording artists of the '60's ... and despite being THE most successful instrumental artist of the '60's ... Herb Alpert didn't hit #1 for the first time until he SANG a song ... taking "This Guy's In Love With You" to the top of the charts in 1968.
Now for the most part, that's a true statement ... depending on how you twist the question. The truth is, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass sold MILLIONS of albums in the '60's (including a particular favorite of mine that we're especially partial to here in Forgotten Hits!!!) And SIX of those albums went all the way to #1 on Billboard's Album Chart ... including FIVE before his 1968 single topped the charts ... so it's not entirely true that he NEVER had a #1 Record prior to singing a song.
Likewise, Alpert's version of "A Taste Of Honey' DID top The Cash Box Singles Chart in 1965 (despite stopping at #7 on the Billboard chart.) So again, you would have to phrase your question to specifically state that Herb Alpert never had a #1 Record on The Billboard Singles Chart before "This Guy's In Love With You", thus eliminating both the Cash Box factor and the album chart factor.
But the truth is you'd have to be even more specific than THAT ... because Alpert reached #1 on Billboard's Easy Listening Singles Chart THREE TIMES before "This Guy's In Love With You" topped their pop chart: "A Taste Of Honey" (#1 for five weeks in 1965); "Casino Royale" (#1 for two weeks in 1967); and "A Banda (#1 for two weeks in 1967). When "This Guy's In Love With You" also topped Billboard's Easy Listening Singles Chart, it stayed there for an incredible TEN WEEKS in 1968!
And, for the record, just in case you were wondering, Alpert FINALLY topped The Billboard Pop Singles Chart with an instrumental in 1979 when "Rise" reached the summit. (kk)
And, speaking of The Billboard Charts ...
re: THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:
>>>My guess is that if we REALLY dug deep enough, we could probably find several such British Artists charting here BEFORE Vera Lynn, too. It's really all a matter of going back far enough. After all, Billboard started publishing their music charts in the late 1890's!!! Joel Whitburn??? (kk)
Actually, Billboard started publishing music charts in 1940. The listings in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories book for the years before that were from a variety of different sources.
– Randy Price
The very first issue of Billboard Magazine was published in 1894 ... and Randy's right ... their focus on music didn't come until much later. (Wikipedia says they published their very first "Hit Parade" Chart on January 4th, 1936 ... and their first official MUSIC Chart on July 20, 1940. Prior to that I believe they did keep track of sheet music sales, which was a popular way of sharing music back in the day. We've covered numerous times before that this was an era where the SONG was considered far more important than the artist(s) who recorded it ... and it was VERY common for a number of artists to cut the same tracks ... a popular song was, after all, a popular song. Since I had some time on my hands last night, I went through Joel Whitburn's Pop Hits Book, 1940 - 1954, checking for any and all British Artists who made the chart during that time period. Here's what I came up with:
As I suspected, several other British Artists placed hits on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart prior to Vera Lynn hitting #1 with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" in 1952 ... but she WAS the first British Artist to OFFICIALLY hit #1 here in The States as mentioned by FH Reader (and music historian) Gary Theroux. (I found one other British #1 Record attributed to Ray Noble ... his version of "Linda", a song written about the future Linda McCartney, hit #1 in 1947 ... but that was on Billboard's Disc Jockey Chart ... it peaked at #2 on their Best Sellers Chart ... and, since we disqualified Laurie London's hit "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" for peaking at #1 on Billboard's DJ Chart, we have to do the same thing here ... and give SOLE credit to Vera Lynn as having the very first #1 Record in America by a British Artist in Billboard.)
That being said, here are the OTHER British Artists we found listed in Joel Whitburn's book "Billboard Pop Hits, 1940-1954", listing the artist (alphabetically), the year of their first hit song on the U.S. Chart (chronologically), along with the title of that tune:
1940 - RAY NOBLE - A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square
1944 - DAVID ROSE - Holiday For Strings
1948 - GRACIE FIELDS - Now Is The Hour / DICK JAMES - You Can't Be True, Dear / VERA LYNN - You Can't Be True, Dear / SCALA'S PRIMO BANJO AND ACCORDIO ORCHESTRA - Underneath The Arches
1949 - SAM BROWNE - A Tree In The Meadow / REGGIE GOFF - I Love You So Much It Hurts / EDDIE MILLER - She Wore A Yellow Ribbon / JAY AND BEENY LEE NICHOLS - The Pussycat Song / ANNE SHELTON - Be Mine
1952 - ALAN DEAN - Luna Rossa
1953 - FRANK CHACKSFIELD - Limelight
1954 - EDDIE CALVERT - Oh Mein Papa / DAVID WHITFIELD - Cara Mia (Hey Scott, THERE'S one for your next Remakes Weekend!!!)
During this same timeframe (1940 - 1954) we found Canadian Artists (The Crew Cuts, The Four Lads, Guy Lombardo, Gisele MacKenzie, Dick Todd and others), Artists from Spain (Xavier Cugat), Germany (Will Glahe, Henri Rene), France (Ray Bloch), Argentina (Dick Hayman), Italy (Mantovani, Ralph Marterie), Venezuela (Edmundo Ros), Portugal (Carmen Miranda) and even Russia (Al Jolson, Jan Savitt and The Hour Of Charm Choir) scoring a spot on The Billboard Best Selling Singles Chart ... quite a mixed bag of music hitting our shores.
What does all of this mean? Well, breaking down Fred Rhian's original question to these specifics and criteria, and utilizing Billboard Pop Singles Best Sellers Chart Information dating back to 1940, we can now state that the first record to chart in America by a British Artist was "A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square" by Ray Noble ... and the first #1 Record in America by a British Artist was "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn (1952). Concentrating on The Rock Era, 1955 - 1962, I've got to go with Skiffle King Lonnie Donegan and his Top Ten Hit "Rock Island Line" (1956) as the first "rock" record to hit our charts here in the States ... while the first #1 Record by a British Act goes to Mr. Acker Bilk with his instrumental hit "Stranger On The Shore" and the first #1 Record by a British GROUP goes to The Tornadoes for "Telstar." (Betch by now you're sorry you ever even asked the question, right Fred?!?!? lol)
Meanwhile, here's a copy of the very first Billboard Magazine ever published:
re: EL CHICANO: Earlier this week we told you about the passing of Bobby Espinosa ... and mentioned that we did a feature on the band several years ago that included comments from both Bobby Espinosa and Freddie Sanchez. At the time, I couldn't locate this piece in The Forgotten Hits Archives ... but I did come across it the other day and wanted to share it with you (especially since we have SO many new readers on the list.) The circumstances around this particular piece are especially interesting since it was the participation of two of our long-time FH Readers that made this happened ... and, therefore, that much more exciting. Here it is again for those who may have missed it ... and for all of your enjoyment:
'60's FLASHBACK: El Chicano first came up in Forgotten Hits when we featured their version of "Brown Eyed Girl" as part of our "Most Over-Played Oldies" Poll back in 2003. We were then reminded of another one of their great tracks, "Tell Her She's Lovely", which we featured again the other day. (Despite this being a #28 hit in 1973, you rarely if ever hear this one on the radio anymore.) All this attention prompted us to do a follow-up feature on the band ... and, for some assistance on this project, we went to our FH field representative BRITINVLVR (who just happens to be an authority on all things L.A. (as in both Los Angeles AND Latin / American ... or, at the very least, Mexican / American), who files this report: (btw, VERY cool, Suzanne!)
Hello Kent! So happy to oblige regarding information on El Chicano. I may have mentioned that I had a yearning to read about the roots of Mexican / American / Southern Californian music. In doing so, I found a book called "Land Of A Thousand Dances - Chicano Rock 'n' Roll From Southern California", written by David Reyes and Tom Waldman. Very good reading on the local bands from my area.
I also did a search on the web and found this link: Welcome to the El Chicano Official Website (EDITOR'S NOTE: This website link seems to now be disabled. However, I DID find THIS link while resurrecting this piece: Click here: EL CHICANO MUSIC : EL CHICANO VIVE) By the way, this new website mentions a memorial service for Bobby Espinoza in L.A. coming up on March 20th ... perhaps some of our LA-Area Readers would like to attend. More details can be found on the El Chicano Website. (kk)
When researching this band, I came to the conclusion that they are much like a Mexican - American Plastic Ono Band or Steely Dan ... there was a revolving door policy for all the personnel, except for Bobby Espinoza, who played the organ. The members from the first album were:The before mentioned, Bobby Espinoza, organ; Andre Baeza, congas; Freddie Sanchez, bass; Micky Lespron, guitar and John DeLuna, drums.
Other members of the band over the years have been: Ersi Arvisu, lead vocals; Rudy Regalado, timbales; Max Garduno, congas; Danny Lamonte, drums; Brian Magness, bass; Joe Perrerida, bass; Jerry Salas, lead vocal & guitar; Rudy and Steve Salas (from Tierra), guitar and lead vocals, respectively.
I attempted to get into contact with Bobby to find out some information that wasn't in the usual places I research, but was told by his management that he and the original guitarist, Micky Lespon are currently working on a new album. I am informed they will soon be back on the road with the new material as well as their old hits.Because of their East L.A. roots, these guys were huge here. They, along with Tierra, Tower of Power and Malo, still play around here. They played quite often at a venue I have sang at, The Hop. You can still hear their hits on the oldies stations here. You know, their version of "Brown Eyed Girl" is the one I heard before Van Morrison's. "La, la, la ... ay, que vida!"
Suzanne even tried to get in contact with the folks involved with El Chicano for yet another exclusive Forgotten Hits interview ... here is some of the correspondence that transpired:
Dear Fred Sanchez: I have a friend who lives in Chicago who writes articles on the Internet that focus on artists and bands who had huge hits from the 60's and 70's nationwide that aren't heard on the every day rotation of most "Oldies" or "Classic Rock" stations. The purpose of these articles is to enlighten the young and to let the older music lover reminisce about the wonderful songs that made up the soundtrack of our lives. His readers are from all across the United States.
Since I live in the LA area and was raised in Boyle Hts / E.L.A., I am always eager to talk and / or write about the many talented musicians from our neighborhood. My friend asked me to find out what I can about El Chicano. I have to say that I never had the chance to see El Chicano live, although our family had their records and I heard their music most of my life.
I read their history on the official website, and I also read what was written by David Reyes & Tom Waldman in their book, "Land Of A Thousand Dances - Chicano Rock 'n' Roll From Southern California." I was wondering if I can get more information on Bobby Espinosa and wondered if he would be interested in exchanging some emails. Anything I would submit for Kent Kotal's Forgotten Hits article would be only with Bobby's approval.
I see that the band has a new project in the works. I was also wondering if they're touring at this time or will be soon. If so, I would very much like to be put on a mailing list so I can attend one or more of their shows.
Thank you so much for your attention. And please don't hesitate to contact me. Yours Sincerely, Suzanne (I also left a voice message for Fred, so hopefully we'll get a response. I already have all the personal of the original line-up and some of the guest artists who worked with them over the years. I also know they made quite an impact in Japan recently.)
In fact, she DID get a response ... and here it is:
Dear Suzanne, Thank you so much for taking the time and the interest in sending us your message. El Chicano is currently working in the studio and at this time is not touring. We will be posting a schedule in the near future on our website. Concerning Bobby Espinosa, we will pass along your request. At this time we feel the information on our website is current and can be written about directly from the site. Once again thanks for getting in touch. Sincerely, Fred Sanchez / Mgr. El Chicano
In a completely unrelated coincidence, we happened across this little piece of information supplied by FH list member BEATLEPRINCESS, who just HAPPENED to be taking a class with a Professor Gerald Wilson ... it never ceases to amaze me how all this music stuff is somehow connected ... it truly is a small world ... and the bigger the coincidence, the cooler the story!!!
Omigod! I never heard of El Chicano until I took a Development of Jazz class this past Winter Quarter with Professor Gerald Wilson. It turns out that he was the one that wrote "Viva Tirado" and El Chicano covered it in the 70s (he said that they had an extra hour of studio time and he was there and asked them to fiddle around the studio with his composition) and later it was covered by Latino rapper Kid Frost in the 90s. FYI: "Viva Tirado" was on the final exam and I got 100% on it =) - Beatle Princess
So, we sent the comments received from BEATLE PRINCESS to BRITINVLVR who then forwarded them on to her contacts at El Chicano ... again, truth is stranger than fiction sometimes!!!
Thank you so much, for your little note ... it was very interesting, especially the part about Professor Gerald Wilson. Yes, that was correct, he did write our hit "Viva Tirado" but we never met him before that at anytime. We did the song without any help from him. I think we only met him one time after it became a hit. We did some kind of musical show together ... I'm not sure? Once again thanks for your thoughts, please feel free to keep in touch. Sincerely, El Chicano
(As a follow-up measure, we also invited BEATLEPRINCESS to offer Forgotten Hits as a forum for her professor to discuss his involvement with the song, the band and the recording):
How Cool! Thanks for hooking me up with El Chicano and clarifying the links between them and my professor. Unfortunately, the class I had with Gerald Wilson is over now and I'm not sure if he's teaching this quarter. However, a couple of friends and I might go to his performance at the Jazz Bakery where he'll be launching off their new Big Band Mondays series, on April 7th. I'll try to get a comment from him if I go :) I hope it won't be too late! - BeatlePrincess
LOL ... As you can see, we've gone WAY past April 7th, 2003 on this one! Special thanks again to BritInvLvr and BeatlePrincess for their help on this one and the lucky happenstance that it provided!
re: FIRST 45's: Thanks to all the new readers who discovered The Forgotten Hits Website this past weekend, we've posted several new "First 45's" stories ... be sure to check them all out (THREE pages worth now!!!) here: Click here: Forgotten Hits - Home Meanwhile, I couldn't resist posting this one ... 'cause it gave me an excuse to feature this song!!! (lol) kk My first 45 was a gift from my sister when I was about 7 years old (1962). It was a song called "Mama Look A Boo-Boo" and the artist was Calypso Jack & his Calypso Cavaliers. This must have been a cover version by a children's record label, as I remember it being a bright colored label. But the song was also done by Harry Belafonte. I remember as a kid being fascinated for some reason by the first line - " I wonder why nobody don't like me, or is it the fact that I'm ugly?" The brunt of the song is a man being teased by his children. They think he's so ugly they are calling him a Boo-Boo. Needless to say, as I got older my taste in music improved considerably. But, as I built my collection of over 1400 45 RPM records, I still was a sucker for many of the novelty songs that were played on the radio. Bob Earnest Clearwater, FL (grew up in Pittsburgh, PA)
No ... not THAT one ... but your mind DOES instinctively go to Ringo Starr at the mere mention of the name, doesn't it???
One of the LEAST likely records to make it all the way to #1 in 1964 has got to be "Ringo" by Lorne Greene. Amongst all the latest hits from The British Invasion Artists, huge Motown acts and the piercing falsettos of The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons, this record just seemed to come out of nowhere and mosey its way on up to the top of the charts.
In fact, I heard Scott Shannon play "Ringo" as the "Cheezy-Easy Listening Song Of The Day" yesterday ... a hot new feature on The True Oldies Channel. (From what I've heard, the oldies fans are loving it ... nominating their own favorite candidates for the unlikeliest of hits during the rock era. It's actually a lot of fun ... but don't be fooled ... Scott's also taking on a little bit of grief over this feature, much as WE did when we promoted our "Guaranteed Gaggers" segment a while back ... from music fans who state that ALL music is GOOD music ... and we should appreciate it for what it is rather than belittle it and show any disrespect to these artists.)
In this respect, we have both made our positions perfectly clear: in NO way are we making fun of this music ... pretty much EVERY track featured in this segment was a HUGE hit, meaning that an AWFUL lot of people bought it and loved it at the time. And the very fact that he's playing it at ALL ... at a time when more and more of these songs have disappeared from the airwaves completely ... is actually a TRIBUTE to these otherwise ignored songs and artists. (Although personally, I really do believe that I could live a full life from this point forward without EVER hearing "Dominique" by The Singing Nun again!!! lol)
Now I will admit that when "Ringo" first came out in the Fall of 1964, I am one of the ones who bought it ... and I played the heck out of that 45. (I bought the "Bonanza" album, too, featuring ALL of the "Singing Cartwrights"!!! I was eleven years old at the time and we were still in the era of only three television channels ... so I watched "Bonanza" just like everybody else in the country did!!! And if this music choice sounds odd to you, then let's not forget that MY first two 45's were "Itsy Bitsy Teenie-Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" and "Speedy Gonzales"!!!)
For the record, we have already established a number of times in this column that I wasn't the BRIGHTEST eleven year old kid in the world ... but despite this fact, I have spent most of my life believing that I was, in some fashion, one step ahead of the rest of the world ... and, as such, when "Ringo" was first released, I was convinced that I was "in on the joke" ... I mean, let's face it ... releasing a song called "Ringo" at the absolute height of Beatlemania was pure genius, right??? ... so there just HAD to be some sort of a subliminal tie-in!
So when Lorne Greene spoke the final line ... about "the tiniest star above the name of 'Ringo'" ... I just KNEW that THAT was it ... Star ... Ringo ... Ringo Starr!!! Of Course!!!
Wink-Wink ... nudge-nudge ... I GOT it!!!
Of course what he REALLY said was "the TARNISHED star above the name" ... and it had absolutely NOTHING at all whatsoever to do with The Beatles ... and, quite honestly, what the heck would Pa Cartwright know about these things anyway?!?!
But then, a few weeks later, a guy named Larry Finnegan ... who had already scored a pretty big hit with the song "Dear One" a few years earlier ... released a song called "The OTHER Ringo" ... and I felt immediately vindicated ... somebody ELSE got the joke, too!!!
Larry's song died a quick death (although it DID chart here in Chicago for one whole week at #28 on The WLS Silver Dollar Survey) ... and has most likely been forgotten by nearly EVERYBODY who ever even heard it ... but not me!
Which means that we've just GOTTA feature it here today as yet another incredible, long Forgotten Hit!!!
re: MORE ON THE "FIRST BRITS": Last week we did our best to answer the following question from one of our readers: >>>I heard Scott Shannon state the other day on The True Oldies Channel that the Tornadoes' Telstar is the first British song to ever reach no. 1 on the U.S. charts. Could you tell us what British song first charted on Billboard without hitting no. 1? I'd be very interested to know. Thank you. (Fred Rhian / Lafayette, CA) Here is how we answered Fred's question: >>>The Tornadoes have always been singled out for beating The Beatles to #1 here in America. Confining ourselves strictly to The Rock Era (which, in this case, locks us into the period of 1955 - 1962, BEFORE "Telstar" hit the top spot on the charts), I can come up with a couple of pretty good candidates for the first British Pop Chart Hits on our shores. British Skiffle King Lonnie Donegan reached #8 with his version of "Rock Island Line" way back in 1956 here in The States. Donegan seems to be the artist most-often singled out as inspiring the whole British skiffle craze, which launched the rock and roll craze that begat The British Invasion. (How is it possible that THIS guy is not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?!?!? Talk about your MAJOR "Early Influences"!!!) Donegan and Elvis pretty much turned Great Britain's teenagers on their ears back in 1956, inspiring HUNDREDS of kids to pick up a banjo, guitar, washboard or tea chest (prior to graduating to bass guitar, drums and keyboards), putting together a band and having a go that this hot new sound. Donegan hit The U.S. Top Five a few years later with the novelty hit "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor (On The Bedpost Overnight)". In between a few other British acts hit our charts as well. In 1957, Liverpool-born Russ Hamilton hit #7 in Billboard with "Rainbow". A year later, 14 year old Laurie London (that's a GUY, by the way) reached #1 on Billboard's DeeJay Chart with his version of "He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands)" ... but the record OFFICIALLY stopped at #2 on The Top 100 Chart ... so he just missed the distinction of having the very first British #1 Record on the American Charts. Frankie Vaughn (ALSO born in Liverpool) hit #22 with a long-Forgotten Hit called "Judy" in 1958. It would be his only U.S. Hit ... but back home in Jolly Ol' England he reached The British Top 40 an incredible THIRTY times!!! Even British Superstar Cliff Richard (second only to Elvis in the Biggest Solo Male Artist Category) first hit The U.S. Charts in 1959 with "Living Doll", a #30 Billboard Hit. Before his big '70's comeback (with hits like "Devil Woman", "We Don't Talk Anymore", "Dreaming", "A Little In Love" and his big duet with Olivia Newton-John, "Suddenly"), Cliff also found minor success here with the hits "Lucky Lips" (#62, 1963), "It's All In The Game" (#25, 1964), "I Only Have Eyes For You" (#109, 1964) and "Bachelor Boy" (#99, 1964). By comparison, Richard hit The British Chart 105 times between 1958 and 1990. Crooner Matt Monro had a couple of U.S. Top 40 Hits, the first of which, "My Kind Of Girl" reached #18 in 1961. And finally, The Springfields (featuring a young Dusty Springfield and her brother Tom ... two years before Dusty's solo career took off) had a Top 20 Smash with their version of "Silver Threads And Golden Needles". So the REAL answer to your question as to which British Artists first made an impact on The U.S. Charts prior to The Beatles and The Tornadoes is ... quite a few!!! History has been rewritten in such a way as to make it appear that The Beatles kicked off the whole revolution ... and, as to massive impact, this very well may be true ... but, as you can see, several OTHER artists found a receptive audience here, too, prior to The Fab Four first landing on our shores back in 1964. (kk)
Now, with all that being said, we recently received a few OTHER suggestions from some of our readers as to British Artists who had an early impact on The American Charts ...
Long before The Tornadoes' "Telstar," Vera Lynn -- England's most popular female singer during World War II -- became the first British artist to hit #1 in the U.S., thanks to her moving rendition of "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" (London 1227). Recorded in England with a huge chorus of soldiers, sailors and airmen, her emotional farewell in song spent nine weeks at the top of Billboard's charts in 1952, selling over two million copies. Gary Theroux Hi Kent! Some great work lately, especially the features on Sam Cooke and the old Cameo / Parkway recording studio fire. If Scott Shannon has stated that The Tornadoes had the first Billboard #1 by a British artist, then I’m not so sure that he is correct. I believe that Acker Bilk’s "Stranger On The Shore" was #1 in the spring of '62, which is several months before Telstar was #1 for The Tornadoes. Your summary of other Brits who charted pre-British invasion was pretty good. Fred Rhian, who asked the question, might be interested in knowing that there were others. The following are British (or British based) artists, who made the Billboard Top 20 chart inthe late 50’s or early 60’s, though they are not necessarily of the “rock” genre. Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen with “Midnight In Moscow”, peaked at #2 in early '62. Chris Barber’s Jazz Band with "Petite Fleur", peaked at #5 in early '59. The Caravelles with "You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry", peaked at #3 in late '63. Frank Ifield with "I Remember You", peaked at #5 in the fall of '62. Rolf Harris with "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport", peaked at #3 in the summer of '63. Hayley Mills with "Let’s Get Together", peaked at #8 in the fall of '61. Cyril Stapleton with "The Children’s Marching Song", peaked at #13 in early '59. Most of these artists only charted once in the US, though they had lots of charts success in the UK. Mike Ogilvie Mississauga, ON Canada I think the key to all these different answers lies in the way you interpret the question ... and, to a degree, are willing to manipulate your answer. Since Fred's original question asked "Which British song first charted on Billboard without hitting no. 1?", we zeroed in on "The Rock Era", 1955 - 1962. That's because the years typically covered here in Forgotten Hits are 1955 - 1979 ... and, since he prompted this question in the first plance, we figured that these would ALSO be the years that Scott Shannon would be most likely to cover on the True Oldies Channel. Since "Telstar" reached #1 in Billboard in December of 1962 ... and Fred wanted to know what British song hit the U.S. Charts BEFORE "Telstar" hit #1 ... we locked ourselves into a very specific timeframe in coming up with our answer(s).
So, while Gary Theroux is correct when he states that Vera Lynn hit #1 in Billboard in 1952, this pre-dates the specific area we elected to cover.
And while Mike Ogilvie is correct in stating that all these British artists had hits on the U.S. charts, many of these came AFTER "Telstar" ... and ALL of them came after "Rock Island Line" by Lonnie Donegan, the record WE decided to go with, from 1956, at the dawn of The Rock And Roll Era.
Now Laurie London DID hit #1 on Billboard's DeeJay Chart ... and Mr. Acker Bilk DID hit #1 with "Stranger On The Shore" BEFORE The Tornadoes reached #1 with "Telstar" seven months later ... but my GUESS is (since I didn't hear Scott Shannon's original statement) that what Scott REALLY said was that The Tornadoes were the first British GROUP to hit #1 in America ... because that's the way this particular "trivia question" is typically phrased.
A technicality? Yes ... but once you strip it down to these specifics, you can see that the correct answer CHANGES depending on your interpretation of the question ... and the specific criteria applied to your answer ... meaning that yes, there are several right answers ... depending on the EXACT question!!! (lol)
Fred's specific question DIDN'T specify whether the correct answer would be a group or a solo artist ... he just wanted to know which record by a British artist was the first to chart in America ... and my guess is (without doing ANY research) that if we REALLY dug deep enough, we could probably find several such British Artists charting here BEFORE Vera Lynn, too. It's really all a matter of going back far enough. After all, Billboard started publishing their music charts in the late 1890's!!! Joel Whitburn??? Fred Bronson??? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (kk)
BTW: Scott Shannon later confirmed with me that he DID specifically say "which British GROUP hit #1 on The U.S. Charts before The Beatles" ... which is EXACTLY what I figured. (kk)KENT ... YOU ARE 100% CORRECT ... I DID SAY "GROUP" ... SCOTT SHANNON
And, speaking of Scott Shannon ...
re: THE ROCK AND ROLL REMAKES WEEKEND: Man, you put some effort into THIS project, didn't you?!? You've come up with some GREAT suggestions and, while I didn't hear ALL of the remakes that Scott Shannon featured, you've certainly given him a lengthy list of choices for future Remakes Weekends. This is the kind of programming that really interests us die-hard oldies music fans ... thanks to Kent Kotal and Forgotten Hits and Scott Shannon and The True Oldies Channel for digging just a little bit deeper than the music most OTHER oldies stations tend to play. Ed Sanders Thanks, Ed! Funny thing is, I've probably come up with at least two dozen MORE since we put this list together ... so yes, we can keep this feature going for some time to come. (And, from what I understand, it is one of the listeners' favorites on The True Oldies Channel ... so we are happy to have been able to contribute in some small way to that success!) Hope most of you got a chance to tune in and listen a little bit this past weekend! (kk)
Wow, Kent ... I think I could dedicate the entire weekend to reading the stories, articles, links that I've missed and still have more catching up to do. How you do all this is simply amazing! Thanks for your 'labor of love.' Have a great 2010! Fred Vail / Treasure Isle "Music City, USA" Yeah, even taking some time off earlier this month still left PLENTY of reading and catching up for our readers ... hopefully some of you used that time to check out some of the articles you missed the first time around ... or enjoyed enough to read again. Thanks again to EVERYBODY out there for their continued support! (kk)
Hi Scott & The Gang, I VERY MUCH appreciated the Remake Weekend! It was very informative, with historical tidbits of the remade songs and original obscure recordings. By my count, the number of remade songs that you broadcast was well over 50. And playing the songs at the top and bottom of the hour was also appreciated as well as the supplemental oldies site "Forgotten Hits." THANKS AGAIN from the Oldies Nation! John M. Huntsville, AL
Kent: Hal "Baby" Moore was a big time jock on KIMN in Denver in the 60's and is doing mornings on Cruising Oldies 950 here in Denver. Not sure if he's signed up with you yet, but I put a bug in his ear. Hope you're well. Wild Bill Cody Hal: Don't know if you're signed up for Forgotton Hits or not, but it's free and you get killer emails about Oldies Tunes weekly. Check out this week's edition about Oldies Remakes and let me know what you think. Kent Kotal is the guy that puts it all together and he loves any input you might have. Wild Bill Thanks, Bill ... actually yes, Hal IS on the list ... although we don't hear from him very often. (Too bad, too, 'cause can you imagine the volume of information HE could give our readers?!?!?) Thanks for the kind words. Glad you're all enjoying what we do here in Forgotten Hits! kk
Wow, Scott. A wonderful job. What a lot of work you and the staff put into preparing the weekend. Fascinating stories -- and lots of new material. Together, your features and Kent Kotal's stories make a great historical archive going forward for music fans everywhere. Thanks for all the effort and for sharing it all. Don
Loved the tie-in between your website and The True Oldies Channel on the Rock And Roll Remakes Weekend ... very informative (and so much to read! I'll be back for sure!) What else have you guys got cooked up ... any more "specialty weekends" on the horizon? Margaret
Actually, we DO have a couple more "specialty weekends" in the works ... and, as soon as I get the official word on when Scott is planning to run them, you can be sure that we will pass this information along to our readers as well. Glad you enjoyed this feature! (kk)
>>>After recording their #1 Hit "Wild Thing", Troggs' lead singer Reg Presley reportedly said, "This is either gonna be the biggest bomb or the biggest hit ever." Incredibly, by the time The Troggs' version was released as a single in 1966, it is believed that at least FIVE other versions of the song had already been recorded and released, with NONE of them garnering any attention. (kk)
Kent, Re: "Wild Thing": Lead singer Reg Presley told me in an interview a few years back that after The Troggs recorded "Wild Thing", everyone in the group went back to their respective day jobs. Reg was working construction and a few weeks later, he was up on the roof of a house with a bunch of other guys and "Wild Thing" came on the radio. The announcer said, "Here's a new smash hit from a new group, The Troggs". Reg says he put down his tools, climbed down the ladder and quit his construction job then and there. These days, he spends most of his time investigating crop circles in England. Doug Thompson (Toronto)
Hello Kent ~Please, please, PLEASE add my name and email address to any list you have. I just moments ago checked out your web site for the first time! Holy Cow! Between you and Scott Shannon my head is about to explode! This amazing music - - all this information. The wonderful REMAKES weekend. All I have to say is WOW and THANK YOU so much for what you and Scott Shannon do! Nancy
YOU DO A HELLUVA JOB, KENT! Thanks for all the posts!
Charlie Gracie, Jr.
Hi Kent!
Great work as always! One note to add to Sedaka's own remake of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" is that the 1976 version's strings were arranged by Richard Carpenter. (Before the fiasco that turned into a PR nightmare of Richard firing Sedaka as their opening act for upstaging them!) I personally always longed to hear Karen sing the slow ballad version in her lower register and was very excited to see it on the album track list for "A Kind of Hush" LP, but was disappointed to hear a version that appeared to channel the Partridge Family more than anything else.
Chip Cogswell
First Choice PROductions
Burleson, Texas
Cool ... I did not know that! Thanks, Chip! (kk)
Hi, Kent, Loved your Friday feature on Remake Weekend songs. One interesting aside: With all the versions and permutations of "Muskrat Love" out there, there's one more folks should know about -- and it's actually my favorite version, from the magnificent (and underappreciated) Lani Hall (formerly of Brasil '66), who offers new lyrics that she and her husband wrote -- a much more sultry arrangement, in my opinion. Her version removes all of the animal references but not animal instincts! It's renamed "Sundown" and is the title song of her 1972 "Sundown Lady" album. Oh, and that's her husband, Herb Alpert, accompanying her on the song. He also arranged and produced it all, one of my all-time favorite albums. Enjoy: http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Sundown/1WMiyp Thanks for all your work, for sharing all your knowledge and for producing a "living history" that's preserving a landmark musical era before those who created it are no longer around to share their stories. Don Thanks for the kind words, Don ... and for sharing this track. No, I was NOT familiar with this version. "Muskrat Love" has always been considered a pretty syrupy song ... I first heard it thanks to the America version (which petered out at #67 in Billboard in The Fall of 1973 ... yet. incredibly, despite that poor Billboard showing, the record actually went to #33 in Cash Box Magazine!) Even so, I was still QUITE surprised to see The Captain and Tennille ressurect this song a few years later ... and even MORE shocked to see it go all the way to #2 in Cash Box and top our charts here in Chicago ... pretty much EVERYBODY I knew HATED this song ... and it was the butt of quite a few jokes ... but NONE quite as "biting" as the Big Daddy track that Dr. Demento used to play on his program. "Hamster Love" gives a whole new meaning to the term "bad taste" ... pun intended!!! (kk)
By the way, I just about fell out of my chair Saturday Night when I signed on to AOL to check mail and saw THIS headline on the Sign-On Screen:
Aretha Wasn't The First To Sing R-E-S-P-E-C-T That's right, Franklin's popular song is really a C-O-V-E-R ... and it was first sung by a man 2 years earlier. 20 hits you didn't know were covers Some people have a negative reaction when they hear a cover version of one of their favorite songs. On the other hand, there are other covers that are so identified with the artist, many people don't even realize someone else did it before. Here are examples of cover songs where we've discovered, recovered and uncovered the original versions. The article goes on to single out several of the songs covered this past weekend on both Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel Rock And Roll Remakes Weekend AND right here on The Forgotten Hits Web Page:
In addition to "Respect", the article also mentions "Hound Dog" by Elvis, "Twist And Shout" by The Beatles, The Isley Brothers and The Top Notes ... and "Wild Thing" by The Wild Ones and The Troggs!!!
Not sure whether to chalk this all up to "Great Minds Think Alike" ... "Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery" ... or simply the fact that we now provide a great deal of inspiration when it comes to all things musical!!! (lol)
I THINK SOMEBODY OVER AT AOL IS EITHER LISTENING ... OR READING ... THAT'S JUST TOO MUCH OF A COINCIDENCE! SCOTT SHANNON
Speaking of which ...
I just saw a posting on a site called SITELOGR, which tracks how many visitors EVERY website in the world receives ... and I am proud to announce that ... as of last week anyway ... The Forgotten Hits Website was the #3,039,424 most-viewed website in the world!!! (lol) Of course, we had THOUSANDS of new visitors this past weekend, thanks to The True Oldies Channel / Rock And Roll Remakes Weekend tie-in ... so I'm guessing that we MUST have moved up in stature to AT LEAST #3,039,420 by now!!! Too funny! (kk)
