Previous Feature 45s — Page 15

Nina Simone was born in North Carolina and aspired to be a classical pianist. She was refused entry to music schools and made a living by playing cocktail music in clubs. To keep her job she was forced to sing to her own accompaniment and this launched her career as a jazz vocalist. Her recording of I Loves You Porgy became a hit in the US in 1959 and she was immediately signed to the Colpix label for her follow-up Chilly Winds.

Ron Story of the group 'The Travelers' formed 'Rick and the Ric-A-Shays' in 1963. In a similar style to that of Duane Eddy, they recorded an instrumental version of Running Bear, a 'Big Bopper' composition made famous by Johnny Preston. Rock 'n' roll songwriter, John Marascalco produced the recording and the Ric-A-Shays later recorded for Marascalco's record label, 'Lola'; their only notable release on this label was the single Turn On b/w Groovy.

Bruce Channel wrote this song with Margaret Cobb in 1959 and performed it for more than two years before recording it with Delbert McClinton on harmonica and Ray Torres on drums. It topped the Billboard charts in March 1962 and became a million seller. Not a Top40 hit in Sydney but it made prediction No.21 (24th March 1962). This recording inspired John Lennon's harmonica break in the Beatles song Love Me Do.

This was actually Jonny Heykens' first and only serenade (Opus 21) written in 1928. Heykens was a Dutch composer of light classical music and a violinist. The band of the Scots Dragoon Guards recorded it to follow their multi-million selling hit, Amazing Grace. Heyken's Second Serenade appeared 13 times on Sydney's weekly Top 40 and made No.3 on 15th October, 1972.

The 1968-69 world bantam weight champion boxer, Lionel Rose was born in rural Victoria in 1948. He was the first indigenous Australian to win a world title and he was also awarded an MBE in 1968. He recorded the Johnny Young composition I Thank You in 1969; Johnny Young and John L Sayers produced the recording. It made No.12 in Sydney on 4th March, 1970 and No.1 in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

The song was written by The Bee Gees and it became Ronnie Burn's third solo single. Ronnie was born in Victoria and began as a folk singer, later joining a Beatles sound-alike band called The Flies. In 1965, Ronnie decided to go solo and recorded the Peter, Paul and Mary song, Very Last Day. By the end of 1967, he was voted Australia's most popular male vocalist by Go-Set magazine. Coalman made No.7 in Sydney (2UE Top 40) on 15th February, 1967.

Sonny Bono and Cher LaPiere met in 1962 and became a vocal duo 'Caesar and Cleo' in 1964. In September of that year they began recording as 'Sonny and Cher' with their song Baby Don't Go on the Reprise label. In 1965 they recorded their million seller I Got You Babe for the Atco label. It was No.8 in Sydney for three weeks beginning 8th September, 1965 and it appeared for a total of 18 weeks in the Top 40.

The Surfaris was a quartet formed in 1962 in California. They wrote their first hit record the instrumental, Wipe Out in the recording studio straight after recording the flipside Surfer Joe, it became an international hit and was followed by a second instrumental Point Panic. Later in 1963 they recorded a Christmas single, A Surfer's Christmas List.

Danish born, balalaika playing yachtsman, Andy Sundström, came to Australia in 1962 and started recording for the Coronet label. He had the first single on our local CBS label, Northern Territory coupled with Theme from Black Orpheus. Later he collaborated with Leonard Teale on Australian folk tunes. They're Dancing Now was an American pop song by Helen Miller and Howard Greenfield originally recorded by 'The Sequins'.

Joe Dolce was born in Ohio U.S.A. and came to Australia in 1978, aged 30. He recorded Shaddap You Face in July 1980 in Melbourne. On November 19th it made No.1 on our charts and stayed in that position until the end of January 1981. It sold more than 300 thousand copies in Australia and was eventually an international million seller. It was released in the U.K in February 1981 where it made No.1 for 3 weeks.

American country singer, Jim Reeves was best known in Australia for his hits Bimbo in 1954 and He'll Have to Go in 1960. He was killed in an airplane accident in 1964 in which he was the pilot. There were a number of posthumous record releases including a song written by Ned Miller, Snow Flake which Reeves recorded for RCA in 1959. The single was lifted from his 1966 album Distant Drums.

The Beau Brummels were formed in San Francisco in 1964 and took their name from the famous 19th century English dandy. Their first single was Laugh, Laugh showing the influence of the English group 'The Zombies'. Also composed in a minor key by the group's lead guitarist, Ron Elliott, Just a Little followed and made the Sydney Top 40 in 1965, peaking at No.20 on 28th July.

Australian vocalist Marty Rhone made his TV debut in Sydney at age 13 and four years later was signed to Spin Records. His first single was the Nat King Cole classic, Nature Boy. After many unsuccessful releases, his break came when he appeared in the musical 'Godspell' and TV soapies 'Number 96' and "Class of '75". Denim and Lace was his first Top 40 hit, making No.5, (25th September, 1975).

This girl group from the USA started as 'The Starlets' in 1960, changing their name to 'The Angels' in 1961 and scoring a Top 20 hit on Billboard with Til. They signed to Mercury's subsidiary label, 'Smash' in 1962 and scored a Billboard number 1 hit with My Boyfriend's Back which became a million seller. In Sydney it made No.38 on the 2SM Top 100 on 11th October, 1963.

'Blue Mountain' records was a subsidiary of Island, specialising in reggae pop of the early 70s. Greyhound was a Jamaican reggae band formed in the late 60s by Danny Smith and Eddie Notes. Recording under a number of different names, they finally settled on 'Greyhound' in 1971. They revived old songs such as Pete Seeger's 'Black and White' and Bobby Darin's 'Dream Lover', giving each a reggae beat.

Formed in 1959 by Freddie Garrety, this British group scored a few Top 5 hits in Britain in 1963. During their stage performances, Freddie Garrity performed a comic dance, 'The Freddie' which became popular, particularly in the USA as a result of the group's Billboard hit Do the Freddie. The group disbanded in 1969, their last recording being the Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook song Get Around Downtown Girl.

English singer, Mark Wynter recorded his first single in 1960, a cover version of the Safari's Image of a Girl. In 1961 he recorded the Bill Crompton, Morgan Jones song, Dream Girl which became the UK's entry in Eurovision for that year, coming in at fourth place. In Australia, his version shared chart honours with a local version by Bryan Davies which was No.1 in Sydney on 22nd July, 1961.

Mike Berry and the Outlaws was a British group put together by record producer Joe Meek in 1960. Their first single was a cover version of Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles. To follow, they recorded Geoff Goddard's Tribute to Buddy Holly and it made No.24 in Britain in November 1961, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also popular in parts of the USA and was applauded by Buddy Holly's family.

The song Just One Look was written by Greg Carroll and Doris Troy (aka Doris Payne) in 1963. Troy's original version made No.10 in America and Linda Ronstadt revived the song in 1978. Ronstadt gained fame as the vocalist in the folk-rock trio, 'Stone Poneys' and in 1969 she went solo. In the seventies she revived many popular songs. Her version of Just One Look made No.26 in Sydney on 24th January, 1979.

The Turtles was a sextet formed in 1965 from a surf music group called 'The Crossfires' who had some success in 1963 with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. With the newly formed record label 'White Whale', the Turtles recorded their first single. The A side was a folk-rock version of Bob Dylan's song It Ain't Me Babe. It made No.8 in the USA, No.3 in Canada and No.31 on the 2UE Top 40 in Sydney on 6th October, 1965.

Billy Sherrill and Larry Butler wrote Lullaby of Love, adapted from Brahms: 'Wiegenlied' Opus 49 No.4. The writers were inspired by 'The Toys' hit A Lover's Concerto. 'The Poppies' was a trio of girls from Jackson, Mississippi, including Dorothy Moore who had a hit in the 70s with the song Misty Blue. In Australia, 'The Poppies' released only two singles, the other also on Epic in 1966 was He's Ready.

Joey Scarbury was a recording artist in the 60s amd 70s without much success until he started working with record producer and composer, Mike Post. With Scarbury in mind, Mike Post and Stephen Geyer wrote Believe It or Not for the sci-fi TV series The Greatest American Hero. The recording made No.2 on Billboard in August 1981 and No.1 in Sydney on 14 April 1982.

Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian songwriter and singer best known for his 60s folk-type compositions For Lovin' Me and Early Mornin' Rain. In the 70s he had success as a vocalist with If You Could Read My Mind and Sundown. His first hit in Canada was (Remember Me) I'm the One which made No.3 in Toronto on 9th July, 1962. The flipside was Daisy Doo.

Bobby Bare's first hit was The All American Boy, incorrectly credited to Bill Parsons. Barry de Vorzon, famous as the writer of Just Married for Marty Robbins and Dreamin' for Johnny Burnette, wrote Book of Love. Neither a hit in America nor in Australia; in Sydney it was prediction No.52 of the "Eighty Top 40 Predictions" on 2UE's chart dated 29th April 1961.

After the Berlin wall was constructed in 1961, Wayne Shanklin adapted his earlier composition Toot Toot Amore to tell the sad story of separated loved ones, kept apart by Cold War politics. Shanklin's wife, Tony Fisher recorded the song and West of the Wall was No.1 on Sydney's 2UE Top 40 on 7th July, 1962, remaining in the Top 10 for 6 weeks.

Country singer, Carl Smith was born in Tennessee in 1927. He was signed to Columbia Records in 1950 and gained success on the US Country Music Charts with his recordings in 1951 and 1952. Carl Smith wrote Ten Thousand Drums with Mel Tillis and it made No.47 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Sydney it made Prediction No.26 for the 2UE Top 40 on the 19th September, 1959.

A parody of pop songs with nonsense words, Who Put the Bomp was written and performed by Barry Mann. He had success as the writer of She Say for 'The Diamonds' and I Love How You Love Me for 'The Paris Sisters'. With his wife, Cynthia Weil he was inducted into the 'Songwriters Hall of Fame'. In Sydney, Who Put the Bomp peaked at No.16 on the 2GB Big 60 chart dated 16th September, 1961.

'Ricky Knight and the Crusaders' formed in Kingston-Upon-Hull in England in 1960 and three years later they renamed themselves 'The Hullaballoos' after the place where they formed. They were signed to the American record label Roulette in 1964 by Hugo and Luigi who also managed their appearance in blonde-dyed, long hair. They had two Billboard hits, Did You Ever and a revival of the Buddy Holly hit, I'm Gonna Love You Too.

Marcia Hines was born in America and came to Australia aged 16 to appear in the stage play 'Hair'. In 1974 she signed to Robie Porter's 'Wizard' record label and in the following year, her first single Fire and Rain was a Top 40 hit. In February 1978 she released her first live album Marcia - Live Across Australia which included Robie Porter's song, Shining. The song was later released on the second single from the album.

The song, written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross for the 1955 musical 'Damn Yankees', was originally a hit for Eddie Fisher; Peggy Lee recorded it in August 1959. Peggy Lee was a popular jazz vocalist who sang with Benny Goodman's band in the 1940s. She had many hits including Mañana, Lover and Fever. In Sydney, Heart made No.29 on the 2UE Top 40 on 14th May, 1960.

Ivo Robić was born in Yugoslavia in 1923 and began recording in 1949. He released more than 60 single 78 rpm records. In February 1959 he recorded Morgen with The Song Masters and Bert Kaempfert's Orchestra. In September 1959, the song made No.13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in Sydney it made No.3 on the 2UE Top 40 charts dated 14th and 21st November 1959.

The song was written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller (as Elmo Glick) and Kent Harris who wrote an earlier song on which this was based. The Coasters was an R&B and early rock 'n' roll group beginning with Atco Records in 1956. Their first hit was Searchin' and they followed with Yakety Yak and Charlie Brown. In July 1960, they recorded Shoppin' For Clothes.

Digby Richards was born in country NSW, Australia in 1940. At 17 years old he was invited to be the lead singer of the R'Jays. In 1959 the band was signed to Festival Records and they recorded I Wanna Love You written by Dig's younger brother, Doug. After ten weeks on the 2UE Top 40, it reached its peak at No.8 on 26th September 1959. Digby went on to have twelve Top 40 hits including five in the 1970s.

Canadian born Paul Anka studied music theory and piano as a youngster. In 1956 he met Don Costa at ABC Records and auditioned with his own song, Diana. It became one of the best selling hits by any Canadian. The hits continued and he wrote songs for other artists. Kissin' on the Phone followed Dance On Little Girl and made No.35 on Billboard. In Sydney it made prediction No.5 on 2UE Top 40 (23 September 1961).

From Birmingham, England, The Rockin' Berries began recording with Decca in 1963 then switched to Pye. The band recorded the Carole King and Gerry Goffin song He's in Town in 1964 and recorded another American song, Poor Man's Son the following year with counter vocals by Clive Lea and Geoffrey Turton. It spent five weeks at No.33 on Sydney's 2UE Top 40 in July and August, 1965.

A group of studio musicians brought together by Super K Productions and called 'The Ohio Express' varied over the years. The group that recorded Mercy was headed by Joey Levine who co-wrote the song with Stephen Feldman. It was one of the four Top 40 hits in Sydney which also included Yummy, Yummy, Yummy; Down at Lulu's and Chewy Chewy. On the 2UE Top 40, Mercy made No.16 on 25th June, 1969.

Freddy Fender began in the 1950s playing Tex-Mex music under his real name, Baldemar Huerta. In 1959 he took his stage name from his Fender guitar. He recorded Before the Next Teardrop Falls in 1974, singing in both English and Spanish. It became a million seller and made No.1 on Billboard. In Sydney it was No.4 for two weeks on the 2UE Top 40, 24th and 31st July 1975.

Gene Pitney's first Top 40 single was the self-penned (I Wanna) Love My Life Away; it made No.39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in Sydney it climbed to No.15 on 2UE's Top 40 on 18th March, 1961. At the same time other artists had hits with his compositions Today's Teardrops, Rubber Ball and Hello Mary Lou. Pitney had a total of 17 Top 40 singles in Sydney, the last in 1975.

A popular song in 1923, written by Billy Rose and Con Conrad and inspired by a comic strip at the time. There were a number of versions in the 1920's and a revival by the Andrews Sisters in 1958. The Andrews Sisters, Patty, Maxene and LaVerne began recording in the 1930s and had enormous success on their own and on recordings with male vocalists in the 1940s, in particular with Bing Crosby.

The trumpeter, famous for the bridge section on Little Band of Gold by James Gilreath, was John Mahalic who recorded an instrumental version of Kerry Mills and Thurland Chattaway's 1907 composition Red Wing in 1963. Kerry Mills adapted the tune from The Happy Farmer Op.68 No.10, a piano piece by Robert Schumann from his Album for the Young.

The song was written by Americans, Bob Hilliard (famous for lyrics of Dear Hearts and Gentle People ) and Mort Garson (later famous for Our Day Will Come). It was successfully recorded in England by Frankie Vaughan. This earlier version is by Steve Allen, writer, musician, comedian and TV host who recorded it with Mort Garson's Orchestra and Chorus.

Born in Sydney, Gino Cunico was only 12 when he was invited to sing on 'Brian Henderson's Bandstand' and 'The Johnny O'Keefe Show'. He gained the reputation of fashion plate with his choice of fine clothes. His first disc was Aw Please Daddy and later he formed 'The Affair' and joined 'The Executives' as a male vocalist. He left Australia in 1969 to go to America and was signed to Arista Records.

The song was written and recorded by orchestra leader Ted Weems in the 1930s. The Cherokees was initially an instrumental band formed in Melbourne in 1961 from some members of Johnny Chester's backing band. After five single releases on various labels they finally hit with Oh, Monah which made No.12 on the 2UE Top 40 dated 1st February 1967.

Our interest in outer space and visits by aliens inspired the song Little Blue Man. Fred Ebb and Paul Klein wrote the song and it was originally recorded as a B side by Betty Johnson in October 1957. English singer, Petula Clark, accompanied by Peter Knight's orchestra covered it for the Nixa label as a B side to Baby Lover. The song peaked at No.15 on the 2UE Top 40 of 15th June, 1958.

A Letter to The Beatles was one of many songs in 1964 with reference to 'The Beatles'. Recorded in February 1964 with session musicians including Leon Russell and Hal Blaine, it included some bars from The Beatles' song I Want to Hold Your Hand.

For more on The Four Preps, see:
Down by the Station,
Calcutta,
The Girl Without a Top.

The song 4,003,221 Tears From Now was written by American songwriters, Artie Wayne and Ben Raleigh who also wrote Midnight Mary and Queen for Tonight. It was recorded in 1963 by Kerri Downs in the U.S.A. for Epic Records. Judy Stone covered the song in Australia and it peaked at No.8 on the 2UE Top 40 dated 8th May, 1964.

See Born a Woman

Miss X was Joyce Blair, sister of the famous dancer Lionel Blair. The song was written by Leslie Bricusse who also wrote What Kind of Fool Am I, Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice. The song S-E-X came at the same time as the scandal involving prostitute Christine Keeler, 'The Profumo Affair' that brought down the UK government. The master number of the recording, (SIN 138 IQ) included Christine Keeler's IQ score.

After singing with his brother Dorsey for many years, Johnny Burnette started recording for Liberty Records; he had two hits in 1960, namely Dreamin' and You're Sixteen. In April 1961, he toured Australia with Connie Francis and performed at The Sydney Stadium. The Fool of the Year was written by David Gates who later formed the group 'Bread'. See Damn the Defiant! and I Wanna Thank Your Folks.

Mack the Knife, also known as The Theme from The Threepenny Opera was composed in Germany in the 1920s. In 1956 it topped our hit parades with Louis Armstrong's vocal version and a haunting instrumental version by the Dick Hyman Trio. Bobby Darin released a version on an EP in September 1959 which made No.7 on the 2UE Top 40. Later it appeared as the B side of a single coupled with Beyond the Sea.
See If a Man Answers and Baby Face.

Bobby Vee was from North Dakota, U.S.A. His recording, Walkin' With My Angel was his sixth entry on our 2UE Top 40, making No.14 on 10th February, 1962. The other side, Run to Him was a bigger hit and entered 2UE's chart a month earlier. Both songs were written by Gerry Goffin and they were once voted the most nostalgic songs of the 60s. Bobby Vee went on to have four more Top 40 hits.

This American recording was only a hit in Australia: Debbie Stuart's pop version of Talk Back Trembling Lips spent two weeks at No.25 on the 2UE Top 40 in October 1963. At the same time Adrian Ussher's Australian cover version was No.1 on 2UE's "Country and Western Hit Parade". The song was written by John D. Loudermilk who composed many country songs for himself and other artists.

Dominic Frontiere wrote the tune for the American comedy/drama film Popi and he recorded the original version with his orchestra. Ferrante and Teicher were American pianists who started recording in 1951 and had hits with Theme from The Apartment, Exodus and Tonight in the early 1960s. The single release of Popi was lifted from their Midnight Cowboy album.