Previous Feature 45s — Page 16

Bob Luman was born and bred in Texas and began recording in 1957. In 1959 he signed to the Warner Bros. label and a number of his records was released while he was serving in the US army. His first hit was Let's Think About Living in 1960. Private Eye was released in 1961 making No.36 on 2UE's Top 40 on 14th October.
See Boston Rocker and The Great Snowman.

Frank Guida and Joseph Royster wrote this song, originally recorded by U.S. Bonds in 1960. Eddie Hodges, famous for his 1961 hit I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door revived New Orleans in 1965. Hodges was born in Mississippi and relocated to New York as a youngster. He started an acting career on stage and film and began recording in 1958, aged 11.

Moon Kim was popular in Korea in the 1940s but moved to the US with her Korean-American husband in the 1950s. She recorded an album for RCA with Joe Reisman's Orchestra in 1956 and first came to our notice that year with Kanda Kanda (A Singy Sangy Song). Later, two songs on the LP, Oriental Hop and I'm Dingy Dongy Over You were released on a single.

Neil Sedaka started as a classical pianist but later developed an interest in pop music. After many years writing songs with Howard Greenfield, he moved to Britain to start a partnership with Phil Cody. Their composition Bad Blood was a single released from the Polydor album Overnight Success. The single reached No.12 in Sydney (2UE Top 40) on 11th December 1975, his twelfth top 40 hit.

'The Invaders' was formed from 'The Downbeats', a group from Christchurch, New Zealand. After gaining popularity in Auckland late in 1962, they tried in Australia with a single I Wanna Be Your Man coupled with Cat's Eyes. It failed, but later in 1964 they topped our charts with She's a Mod. 'The Invaders' was the backing group for Roy Orbison during his tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1965.
See Till We Kissed

Wayne Cornell began in show business as a 14 year-old dancer with Bob Malcolm's Dance Group in Sydney. His first TV appearance was on Keith Walshe's 'Teen Time' and his first disc was the single Drum Majorette. But Wayne is probably more famous for his 1967 recording with 'The Delltones' of Glory Glory to South Sydney, the theme song of the South Sydney Rugby League team.

Sung by 'The Diamonds' over the opening credits of the MGM film of the same name, The Horizontal Lieutenant featured new lead singer Jim Malone who replaced Dave Somerville. The group was formed in Canada in the 1950s and they made their way to stardom in the U.S.A. in 1955. Their first Top 10 hit was Little Darlin' in 1957. In all they had 16 Billboard hits between 1956 and 1961.

This band started as a backing group for artists on the Stax label. In 1962 they were improvising an organ riff during downtime in the studio and it was recorded. The track was later named Green Onions and topped the R&B charts in America. In 1968 they had their first Top 40 hit in Australia, Soul-Limbo which made No.3 on the 2UE Top 40 dated 4th September, 1968.

Bing Crosby recorded many Christmas songs over a number of decades. His version of Silent Night was recorded in 1935 and on Christmas Day in 1941 he introduced Irving Berlin's White Christmas by singing it live on radio. Do You Hear What I Hear? has been listed in Billboard's Top 100 Christmas songs since 2013.

Joey Dee had a hit in 1961, The Peppermint Twist (Part 1) with his group 'The Starliters'. Let's Have a Party was a track lifted from his Dance, Dance, Dance album recorded in 1963 without 'The Starliters', instead assisted by a female vocal backing group, The Ronettes.

The Mystics were signed to Laurie records in 1958 and their first hit Hushabye was released in May 1959. Eight months later they recorded All Through the Night with 5 vocalists including Paul Simon (as Jerry Landis). The composer was Kal Mann who wrote the lyrics to many pop songs of the 50s and 60s.

Bill Clifton was born in the U.S.A and has been performing for 80 years. His first recording dates back to 1952. He recorded Beatle Crazy for Decca records in England in 1963 when 'The Beatles' were enjoying their first year of fame. The song was written by an Englishman, Geoff Stephens and Clifton sang it in a 'talking blues' style.

TV host and Gold Logie winner, Jimmy Hannan recorded Hokey Pokey Stomp as a follow-up single release to his 1963 hit Beach Ball. It made No.21 on the 2UE Top 40 dated 10th April 1964.
See Chang the Magic Dragon

'The Equals' formed in Britain in 1964. Baby, Come Back was written by group member, Eddy Grant and was originally released as a B-side in June 1967. It was re-released in 1968 and topped the British charts. In Sydney it made No.13 on 2UE Top 40, 18th September, 1968.

Joe Barry started his recording career in Louisiana in 1958 and scored a national hit with I'm a Fool to Care in 1961. The following single Teardrops in My Heart / For You, Sunshine made No.63 on the Billboard Hot 100 (28 Aug 1961). Both singles failed to chart in Australia.

Paul Francis Webster and Sammy Fain wrote The Deadwood Stage for the movie 'Calamity Jane' in 1953. It was originally released as the B side to Secret Love (in Australia, on a Philips 10 inch 78 rpm single in July 1954). Coronet Records reissued it on a 45 in 1957.

Jamie Horton recorded under her real name, Gayla Peevy until she recorded this single for Joy Records in 1959. It was issued as the B-side of My Little Marine which made No.84 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 1st February, 1960. Later in 1960 she made the Australian charts with her cover version of the Connie Francis hit, Robot Man.

I Wanna Be Loved By You was introduced by Helen Kane in the 1928 stage musical 'Good Boy'. In 1958, Marilyn Monroe recorded it for the film 'Some Like It Hot' in which she starred with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The recording was released in Australia shortly before the film but it failed to chart.

Two brothers from Louisiana, U.S.A. began recording in 1954 as Rusty and Doug. In 1961 they had a Billboard hit with Louisiana Man which was later recorded by a number of artists including Rick Nelson and Gene Pitney. In 1964 they released another of their own compositions, Malinda.

A British duo, Chad and Jeremy formed in 1962 and had only one hit in Britain with Yesterday's Gone. They were more popular in the U.S.A. where they had 11 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, A Summer Song their biggest, making No.7 on 17th October, 1964. In the same week, in Sydney it made No.68 on the 2SM Top 100.

Jamie Redfern was born in Liverpool, England and with his family, emigrated to Australia. He was seen on Melbourne television from 1964 and eventually became a regular on 'Young Talent Time'. His first hits were oldies including Rainbow on the River which was originally recorded in the U.S.A by Bobby Breen (age 9) in 1936. Redfern's version made No.6 on 24th December, 1972.

Bobby Day began as an R&B recording artist in 1949 with his group 'The Hollywood Flames' and later as a solo rock and roll singer and songwriter. He wrote Little Bitty Pretty One for Thurston Harris in 1957 and Over and Over for the flipside of his own smash hit, Rock-In' Robin which peaked on the 2UE Top 40 at number 9 on 14th November, 1958.

Canadian singer and songwriter, Paul Anka was of Middle Eastern descent. His first record, I Confess was released in 1956 and less than a year later he had a world-wide smash hit with Diana. Four years later and after many more hits he released another self composition Tonight, My Love, Tonight which made No.21 on Sydney's 2UE Top 40 chart dated 20th May 1961.

Carl Dobkins Jr. released his first record in the U.S.A. in 1957 for the Fraternity label at the age of 16. He switched to Decca and had a No.3 Billboard hit with My Heart Is an Open Book in 1959. In Sydney, Dobkins had three Top 40 hits, the last being Exclusively Yours which peaked at No.24 on radio 2UE's chart on 9th July, 1960.

Billy Jo Spears was a country singer from Texas, USA. Her first recording was released in 1953 when she was 15. It would be another 15 years before her first commercially successful recording Mr. Walker, It's All Over. In 1975 Blanket on the Ground was number 1 on the U.S. Country Charts.

Another Jerry Fuller song recorded by Rick Nelson. This not as big as the others which included Travelin' Man, Young World, A Wonder Like You and It's Up to You. Rick Nelson had 17 Top 40 hits in Sydney between 1958 and 1964 and one more in 1972. Congratulations failed to make the charts.

Cathy Carroll started at age 13 appearing on American TV variety shows and later as a backing girl for The Earls and the 4 Evers before recording for Warner Bros. Her one and only Billboard hit Poor Little Puppet peaked at No.91 on the Hot 100 on 18th August, 1962. In Sydney the recording was listed on the 80 predictions for the 2UE Top 40 at No.38 (22 Jul 1962).