Previous Feature 45s — Page 3

Al Dubin's 1927 hit, revived by The Streamliners with legendary big band vocalist, Rosemary Squires (as "Joanne"). Bristol-born Rosemary, also known as "Queen of the Jingles", was awarded an M.B.E. in 2004 for her services to music and charity and she recently celebrated her 82nd birthday.
[Written: Nov 2010]
 
 

Kappellmeister, Ray Charles (Offenberg) heard the song Cuando calienta el sol while on a Caribbean cruise. After English words were set to the melody, one of his choral groups recorded it. The song reached No.27 on Sydney's 2UE Top40 (8 July 1964) and was listed for six weeks.
 
See Take Me Along.

California duo, Jan & Dean's eleventh Australian single release dealt with the early skateboard craze. Previous big hits were surfing songs, Surf City, Honolulu Lulu and Ride the Wild Surf but off-season car race records Drag City and Dead Man's Curve were not as successful, locally.
 
 
--see also-- Surf City.

The singer-songwriter from Liverpool, England, recorded this as a B side for We Will Make Love on Oriole Records. The U.S. release on the Kapp label sold a million copies on the strength of the B side. The song appeared on Sydney hit parades (Top 8) in January and February 1958 and thereafter 7 weeks on the newly introduced 2UE Top40.
 

The sextet from Florida began with Snoopy vs the Red Baron and the songwriters were sued for borrowing the canine character from the comic strip, Peanuts. Long before Christmas, all was forgiven and The Royal Guardsmen recorded more "Snoopy" songs.

From Brooklyn, New York, the Farina brothers, Santo and Johnny, famous for Sleepwalk, Teardrop and Caravan adapted Jingle Bells to the "twist" dance craze at the time. The tune made No.28 on the 2UE Top40 (16 Dec 1961) and was listed for five weeks.
--See--Stage to Cimarron.

Following the success of Alan Sherman's Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! there appeared another, less successful rendition of Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" from La Gioconda. This one from comic actress, Sandra Gould who later played the part of the nosy neighbour, Gladys in the TV series Bewitched.
 
 

A rhythm and blues singer from Detroit best known for his 1957 release Reet Petite with Dick Jacobs Orchestra and Chorus who accompanied him on this later release Years From Now. In between, he had 15 single releases on local Brunswick and a similar number on both Brunswick and Coral until the end of 1969.
 

Elvis' fifth 45 rpm release in Australia, following two popular hits Heartbreak Hotel and I Want You, I Need You, I Love You. The song was written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton in August 1952. Presley recorded Hound Dog and the flip side Don't Be Cruel in New York on 2nd July 1956.
 
 

Steve Lawrence from Brooklyn, New York recorded for several record companies. This was his eleventh 45rpm single release in Australia and final for the W&G label, recorded by ABC-Paramount. Lawrence continued with United Artists. The song was written by Barry Mann and was listed for 4 weeks on the 2UE Top 40.
--See--Footsteps and
Pretty Blue Eyes.

Elmer Berstein's march from the United Artists film "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen had words by Al Stillman that were not heard in the film. Australian recording artist Lonnie Lee recorded the song in Sydney in 1963 for Festival Records' Leedon label. The single was his eleventh and followed a run of Top 40 hits from 1959.
 

The song published in 1905 has been an anthem for the New York Stock Exchange since the Great Depression. Buddy Holly recorded the song because his mother was fond of it. The track was recorded in his apartment on Fifth Avenue, New York less than a month before his death and was released posthumously.
--See--I'm Gonna Love You Too.

Cat Steven's third release following I Love My Dog and Matthew and Son. These three singles on Decca's subsidiary label, were the beginning of a recording career that would propel him to worldwide fame in the early 1970s with his multi million selling albums Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat.
 

The Australian Record Company secured distribution rights for the Roulette label in May 1963, reset the catalogue number and released R-001 (Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes) and R-002 (Two Faces Have I) in June. Pennsylvania-born Lou Christie who boasted a 3-octave vocal range, co-wrote the song with Twyla Herbert.
See Guitars and Bongos and
I'm Gonna Make You Mine.

David Clowney (a.k.a. Dave "Baby" Cortez, an organist from Detroit) recorded this self-composition for Chess Records. His first hit was The Happy Organ (1959 on Clock Records) followed by The Whistling Organ. Rinky Dink became well known as a theme for radio and television programmes here and overseas through the sixties.
 

A novelty record from Tash Howard and Murray Kenton, recorded in the U.S.A and popular in the Netherlands Top 20 was performed by "The Peels", a studio group. Two more "Peels" singles on the Karate label followed in the same year, Scrooey Mooey and Juanita Banana (Part II) b/w Rosita Tomato.
 

Dean was a 16 year old from Philadelphia discovered by Bob Marcucci of Chancellor Records. The recording was co-produced by his uncle and songwriter Joe Matt. His other singles were Girl in the White Convertible b/w False Love (Chancellor) and Fair Weather Friend (M.G.M.). He is currently singing in an acappella quartet Memory Lane in Philadelphia.
 

Bobby began his solo career at age 17 for Josie Records (U.S.A.) with his composition Do You Want to Dance and followed with Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes. Seven more singles were released in Australia on the Parlophone, Astor and Festival labels, ending with a remake of his initial hit, Do You Wanna Dance 1970 (Festival).

Ritchie Valens sound-alike, Eddy Quinteros, from Daly City near San Francisco, recorded this self composition for Brent Records late in 1959. It was the first of his three single releases on Brent in 1960. The W&G company in Australia eventually released the record on the Time label. A follow-up single Lindy Lou and an extended play Selections were released on Time later in 1962.

Famous for his million selling single Six Days on the Road, Dave Dudley from Wisconsin was the first on the EMI(Aust.) Stateside label when launched early in 1964. The song Taxi-Cab Driver was written by him, Bud Auge and Red Johnson and recorded for Golden Ring records in 1963.
 
 
 

After a string of dance records, including The Twist, Hucklebuck, Pony, Fly, Watusi, Hully Gully and Limbo, Chubby Checker recorded the Kal Mann and Dave Appell song about Mary Mac's roaming lover, Bob Needle who tried every mode of transport to return to Mary. The song was listed for 8 weeks on the 2UE Top40 and was the first single issued on the Parkway label in Australia.
--See also--
Limbo Rock; Reggae My Way; Black Cloud; The Hucklebuck.

A British instrumental group which gained world-wide fame with the million selling Telstar written by their producer, Joe Meek to commemorate the launch of the communications satellite linking Europe and America. Blackpool Rock was written by the group's leader and drummer Clem Cattini and was only mildly successful compared with earlier hits Globetrotter and Hot Pot.

A song based on traditional South Pacific rhythms and a related Tahitian dance, was recorded in 1958 as Vini Vini (Roche) by a Tahitian choral group. Bill Justis' English-language version with identical rhythm and melody was renamed Tamouré for the U.S. market and became a huge hit in Australia, topping our charts in May and June 1963.

Jimmy Dean from Texas, gained world-wide fame with his million-selling hit Big Bad John, about a tough but ill-fated miner. Seventeen of Dean's singles were issued in Australia on four different labels between 1958 and 1968, Little Black Book being the eleventh. It made No.12 on the 2UE Top40 (Sydney) for two consecutive weeks in November 1962.
 

In 1958 Ernie Maresca, Guy Villari, Sal Cuomo and Chuck Fassert recorded Barbara-Ann at Associated Studios, Manhattan. They called themselves the Regents after Villari's favourite cigarette brand and the Regent Studio at which they once recorded. Three years later Barbara-Ann was leased by Cousins Records to the Gee label, topping the charts in New York.
 

A high school vocal quintet from New Jersey whose debut single I Wanna Love Him So Bad was followed by this Red Bird release, written and produced by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Steve Venet. The group disbanded early in 1965 after two members quit. The Red Bird label was owned by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and distributed in Australia by the Astor record company.
 

Doris Troy from New York worked as a backing vocalist before her solo recording of Just One Look. She co-wrote the song with Greg Carroll under the nom de plume, Doris Payne. In the year following, the song became a hit for the British beat group, The Hollies. Doris landed a recording contract with the Beatles' Apple label in 1969 and in the seventies, she worked in live venues throughout Britain.
 

An early release on Leedon, a label created in Sydney by entrepreneur Lee Gordon. The recording came from Ace Records in the U.S.A. and was Huey Smith's second million seller, after Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu. Huey was a boogie woogie style pianist from New Orleans who began his recording career as a session pianist for Smiley Lewis, Lloyd Price and Little Richard.
 

Bob Luman's first local hit followed the earlier release Dreamy Doll. He was born and raised in Texas and recorded for the Imperial and Capitol labels before signing with Warner Brothers in 1959. Bob was serving in the U.S. army when Let's Think About Livin' was a hit. He moved to Nashville in 1962 where he recorded for the Hickory label.
See Boston Rocker and The Great Snow Man.

Hal David and Sherman Edwards wrote this, Sarah Vaughan's first million selling song. She began in 1943 with the Earl Hines Orchestra and went solo two years later. After establishing herself as a jazz vocalist, Sarah's popular music career began with a Mercury Records contract, signed late in 1953. Broken Hearted Melody made No.17 on Sydney's chart in November 1959.
 
 

A contender for the song title with the most words, in contrast to his one-word million seller Personality. Lloyd Price was born in Louisiana and scored his first hit, Lawdy Miss Clawdy for Specialty Records in 1952. His version of the 19th century folk song Stagger Lee was his first million seller, in 1959. Other hits that year were Where Were You; I'm Gonna Get Married and Come Into My Heart.

An Australian cover of Robbie Robertson's civil rights song originally recorded by his Canadian band Levon and the Hawks. Normie Rowe. a popular singer and television star from Melbourne, recorded the song as a B side for Pride and Joy. Both were produced by Pat Aulton and made No.11 for two weeks on the Sydney Top 40 in August 1966.
 
 

One of the novelty recordings from Norm Blagman and Sam Bobrick who composed and produced this side for RCA records in the U.S.A. and recorded it under the pseudonym The Big Loser and Friends. The disc received some radio airplay in Sydney when it was released but failed to make the hit charts. The accompaniment was arranged and conducted by Hudson Turner.
 

A novelty hit by Ed 'Kookie' Byrnes and Connie Stevens, stars of the television shows 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye respectively. The disc was intended to be the first release for Warner Brothers in Australia in May 1959 but copyright clearance could not be obtained. Kookie's comb was a little worn when the record was eventually issued and the disc failed to make Sydney's Top 40. See Sixteen Reasons and Mr. Songwriter

Jim Backus appeared in many films and television programs and was also a fine voice actor, most famously the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo. He recorded some novelty songs for Jubilee Records (U.S.A) in the 1950's including Delicious! and Cave Man (1959). On this disc he is assisted by a friend and the instrumental backing of Appleknocker and his Group.
 
 

The follow-up to their smash initial hit Walk Right In and one of five Astor releases for the American folk trio, "The Rooftop Singers" who recorded for Vanguard Records in the U.S.A. The other releases were Mama Don't Allow, Sail Away Ladies and Buddy Won't You Roll. Tom Cat was written by Sonny Geraci and group members Erik Darling, Bill Svanoe and the female vocalist Lynne Taylor.

Billy, Billy Went A-Walking was the follow-up to Clap Your Hands, which was a smash hit in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The group formed in Montreal in 1958 under the name "The Del-Tones" but due to copyright problems in the U.S. changed to "The Beau-Marks". The name came from the controversial surface-to-air missile, BOMARC which Canada deployed in 1959.
 

This California male quartet was well-known for hits 26 Miles (Santa Catalina), Big Man, Down by the Station and a couple of medleys sending up other pop groups. The Girl Without a Top was written by two of the group members who may have had an interest in topless bathing suits. The orchestra was conducted by Lincoln Mayorga, a high school friend and the pianist on their 1958 hit Big Man.
--See-- A Letter to The Beatles
--and-- Calcutta.

Suzie was born Maria Peereboom in Holland in 1946 and settled in Sweden in 1963. She signed a contract with the German record label, Vogue and had a hit in 1964 with a German version of Johnny Loves Me, before cover versions of Da Doo Ron Ron and Walking Back to Happiness later in the sixties. Down by the Riverside was recorded in Germany and was her only single release on Phono Vox in Australia.

A revival of the Brook Benton composition which was successfully recorded by Clyde McPhatter in 1958, A Lover's Question was the second of four Buddy Knox singles released on Reprise. Buddy Knox was a Texan who gained popularity with his 1957 hits Party Doll and Hula Love and other minor hits. He was signed to the Reprise label in 1965.
 
For more see Three-Eyed Man or
Somebody Touched Me.

Marty Allen was a warm-up act for many vocal performers of the fifties, including Nat King Cole, who brought him together with comedian Steve Rossi. Allen and Rossi performed for 11 years until they split in 1968. During that time they recorded for a number of labels including Red Bird, Roulette and Columbia. Little Sir Echo was backed with Hello, Dere, their well-known catch phrase, and was recorded by ABC Paramount.

American folk singer Burl Ives was popular on radio in the forties with his renditions of Foggy, Foggy Dew, Blue Tail Fly and Big Rock Candy Mountain. His first local hit record was Lavender Blue in 1949 after which he toured Down Under to record a 78rpm album of bush ballads and Australian folk songs. He revived his recording career in 1961 with a country song, A Little Bitty Tear. I'm the Boss was his eighth single for the local Festival label.

The pop quintet, Music Motor was formed in 1969 from two original members of The Swinging Blue Jeans namely, Ray Ennis and Les Braid, and three ex-members of other Liverpool groups. They recorded only this single for Deram, reverting to the name The Swinging Blue Jeans after it flopped. However, Happy, a Tony Romeo composition, reached No. 26 on Sydney's Top 40 on 13th May 1970, charting for a total of 7 weeks.

Tall, blonde, 18 year-old Russ Kruger, younger brother of fifties rocker, Johnny Rebb, recorded this old Freddy Cannon hit with Sydney band, The Atlantics. Russ toured with the band for three years and recorded a number of singles with them, notably Little Bit o' Soul and Splish Splash on Leedon, Keep Me Satisfied and Look at My Baby on Sunshine and My Way of Thinking, Move It Baby, Rainbow Ride and Money to Burn on Ramrod.

Gene McDaniels, from Missouri, U.S.A. signed to Liberty Records in 1959 and had two million selling hits A Hundred Pounds of Clay and A Tower of Strength released in 1961. Twelve singles were released locally, firstly Green Door in November 1960 on the London label and finally, Walk With a Winner on Liberty in 1965. Spanish Lace was listed for 15 weeks on Sydney's Top 40, peaking at No.13 on 12th January 1963.
--See Chip Chip--

An instrumental named after the express passenger train which commenced service between Sydney and Melbourne in April 1962 after standardisation of the gauge. The Joy Boys started as a backing group for popular Sydney vocalist, Col Joye, but soon established themselves as an instrumental band with Hen-Pecked/Istanbul in 1960. They released 13 more singles on the Festival label to 1964 and then 6 on the ATA label. Southern 'Rora was No.5 for two weeks in July 1962.
--more--

Four members of this English quintet worked for the RAF in Lincolnshire whence the group's name came. "Hedgehopping" referred to the V Bomber pilot's practice of flying low to avoid radar detection. Writer and producer Jonathan King invited them to record his protest song It's Good News Week in 1965 and it became a smash hit. The follow-up release Don't Push Me ran 7 weeks on Sydney's Top 40 and peaked at No.25 (2 Feb 1966).
 

The third of five local Philips releases for Brian Hyland from New York and one of more than 20 singles released locally on the London, ABC Paramount, Ampar, Kapp, Philips and MCA labels from 1960 to 1971. His 1960 smash hit Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini was followed by minor hits including Ginny Come Lately, Sealed With a Kiss and Warmed Over Kisses. The Joker Went Wild ran 6 weeks on Sydney's Top 40, highest position No.28 (19 Oct 1966).

Bobby Rydell's cover version of a Lennon-McCartney song which was a smash hit for English vocal duo, Peter and Gordon. Bobby played drums with "Rocco and the Saints" before recording his first (U.S.) hit in 1959, Kissin' Time. His local hits include Wild One, Volare, Sway, and an Australian version of Kissin' Time. In 1963 he recorded Forget Him in England with Tony Hatch and it inspired Paul McCartney to write She Loves You as an answer song.

--See The Cha-Cha-Cha.

Stonewall Jackson was a country singer and musician born in North Carolina. The first of his four releases on Coronet was the smash hit Waterloo. It was followed by Uncle Sam and Big John Bull in which we are assured in the double negative that Britain and America "ain't gonna fight no more". The other releases were Mary, Don't You Weep and Life of a Poor Boy. In 1971 a cover version of Lobo's Me and You and a Dog Named Boo was issued on local C.B.S.
 

One of a number of records released while Bob Luman was serving in the U.S. Army. It followed Let's Think About Living and Why, Why, Bye, Bye and was the fourth single released on local Warner Bros., the first being Dreamy Doll / Buttercup in July 1960. Luman began recording in 1957 for the Imperial label in the U.S. and later for Capitol before signing with Warner Bros. In the late sixties and seventies he had success as a country artist. He died in 1978 aged 41.
See Boston Rocker.

John (Booka) Hyland won a talent quest in 1959 and appeared in the Sydney-based TV programmes Teen Time and Six O'Clock Rock. His first release and only hit was Sweet Thing/I Dig Girls, followed by We've Got Something Going/Right Time on the Lee Gordon label. In 1961 Transistor/Is It Me? and an extended play Booka at the Police Boys Club, were released on Leedon. Sweet Thing ran four weeks on Sydney's 2UE Top 40 chart, peaking at no.33 on 20th Aug 1960.