The Drifters--Under the Boardwalk (1964)

     By 1964 The Drifters had been a mainstay on the charts having been there 26 times with four top ten hits. Ben E. King had been their lead singer until 1960 when he left for a solo career and was replaced in that position by Rudy Lewis. Lewis was the voice you heard singing such hits as, "Up On The Roof", and "On Broadway".      The group had planned to head to the studio once again in May of that year to record, "Under the Boardwalk", written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick. On the 21st of that month...

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The Dream Academy--Life in a Northern Town (1985)

     The story of The Dream Academy began with the meeting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes and keyboard player Gilbert Gabriel in the late 70's. They formed a duo called the Politics of Pop which emphasized different musical textures such as strings and woodwinds. They met and invited multi-instrumentalist Kate St. John to be a part of the group. With her addition, they changed the name to The Dream Academy and spent the next couple of years developing their sound. They were rejected by many record companies when Warner...

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The Dramatics--In The Rain (1972)

     Sometimes I'll post a blog because of specific reasons (i.e. death, retirement, new album, etc.), and today it's all about the rain. The Dramatics first big hit was 1971's, "Watcha See is Watcha Get". But today in Nashville is cloudy, wet, and cool. A perfect early fall day from my perspective, and my mind wandered to a song that to me is a lost classic. "In the Rain" hit the charts in February of 1972 and rose to number 5 on the charts, which made it the biggest hit for the group on the Hot 100 and their only number 1...

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Lamont Dozier--Trying To Hold On To My Woman (1973)

     Before getting started with today's post, I wanted to direct you to a blog that you might find interesting. For several months now, I've been reading Mike Descz's, "A Bit Like You and Me". It also takes a song a day, but his focus is on songs that are a bit more obscure than what we do here on the bus. It's a fun trip and hope you check it out.  ABitLikeYouAndMe.blogspot.com      Lamont Dozier was born in Detroit in 1941, and from 1957 to 61 recorded with groups like The Romeos and The Voice Masters...

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Joe South (1940--2012)

     Joe South, who passed away on September 5th had not been heard from very much since his heyday in the late 60's/early 70's. His style of songwriting and guitar playing which was filled with a  distinctly southern feel which still holds up very well today.       Born Joseph Alfred Souter in Atlanta Georgia, he started songwriting during the late 50's, penning the novelty song, "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor" in 1958, and a couple of songs for Gene Vincent. His first big hit as a songwriter...

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Joe Dowell--Wooden Heart (1961)

    Joe Dowell was from Indiana then moved with his family to Illinois where he went to college. During a semester break he drove to Nashville to look for a record company to record him. On his last day in the city, he was signed to Smash records not only because of his voice, and his clean cut look. After school was out in May of 1961 he went to record four songs.      The night before the recording session, producer Shelby Singleton was at the movies watching "G.I. Blues" which was Elvis' latest movie. He was...

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The Dovells--Bristol Stomp (1961)

     The group formed as the Brooktones in 1957. The Philadelphia based group consisted of Jerry Summers, Mark Stevens, Len Barry, Mike Dennis, Arnie Satin, and Danny Brooks. Their early songs attracted a small amount of attention in the city, but not enough to warrant a look from any record company, so in the summer of 1960 Jerry and Mike left to form The Gems.       Things began to change however late that year as Cameo/Parkway records brought in The Brooktones for an audition and did well enough...

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Sunday Morning Vault: Hal David (1921-2012)

     Yesterday we lost one of the great American lyricists of the last 50 years. Hal David with his songwriting partner Burt Bacharach defined 60's pop music. His timeless lyrics are still being sung by many an artist who's parents were children when they were first performed.      David dabbled in lyric writing, but was preparing for himself a career in journalism. He was writing for the New York Post, when a lucky break allow him an opportunity to write for big band leader Sammy Kaye. Several hits came...

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Carl Douglas--Kung Fu Fighting (1974)

     In the history of popular music, there are many examples of songs that make you scratch your head, laugh out loud, or both. Even better when said music can make you move. The 70's for some reason was full of stuff like this....and so we come to the story of Carl Douglas.      He spent his youth in his native Jamaica and California, then moving to England to study sound engineering. While there, he formed the group Big Stampede and even issued a couple of singles. From the mid-60's to early 70's he spent...

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