Richard Harris--MacArthur Park (1968)

     Richard Harris was a true artistic renaissance man. In the 1960's, Harris became one of the leading actors from the UK due to roles like, "The Guns of Navarone", "Mutiny on the Bounty", and "A Sporting Life" which netted him a nomination for a Golden Globe in 1963. In the 70's he was not only known for his hard partying ways, but for his role in the movie, "A Man Called Horse" and it's sequels. After spending much of the 80's cleaning his life up after too much alcohol and cocaine, he returned with several memorable role including, "The Field", "Unforgiven" and one of his last roles, playing the headmaster Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies. It was one movie in particular that would lead us to our feature song today.
     In 1967, Harris played the role of King Arthur in the movie adaptation of the Lerner and Lowe play, "Camelot". Despite winning five Academy Awards, was quite dull (at least to these eyes) except when the King was on the screen. His stage presence wasn't a surprise, but what came as a shock to many was how well he sang. Harris didn't actually "sing", but he had a way of talking through songs which came across as singing (much like another UK actor of the time, Rex Harrison), which was quite effective.
      Harris had met Jimmy Webb late in 1967 at a event in California. Out of the blue, the actor mentioned that he was interested in doing a musical project. Jimmy of course was aware of the movie "Camelot", but didn't take him seriously until receiving a telegram from London wanting to secure a time for him to come and begin recording. Harris had listened to Webb's material and had chosen "MacArthur Park", a song written about the songwriter's relationship with an old girlfriend (that relationship was also the impetus for, "By the time I get to Phoenix" as well) as the first song to record. It became a sprawling, four movement single clocking in over seven minutes. If you notice, the actor actually sings, "MacArthur's Park", this was despite Webb's attempts to get him to sing it correctly. After a few missed takes, he just allows him to sing it the way that we hear it today.
     It was one of the songs which made up the album, "A Tramp Shining", which is arguably the best album of Webb's material ever recorded. The single itself reached number 2 in the states during the summer of 1968, and was covered by Donna Summer in a disco version ten years later which reached the top of the charts.   

    

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The Fortunes--You've Got Your Troubles (1965)/ Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again (1971)

     During the mid-60's there were a host of British bands who took advantage of the walls knocked down by the Beatles' breakthrough in the states in 1964. These bands (and songs) were many times catchy tunes but  they might not have had a proper hearing except for the fact that by 1965 the popular US listeners were clamoring for anything from the UK.
     The Fortunes began their history as the Cliftones in 1963. They were signed to British Decca records that year and released a series of singles over the next two years that went nowhere. The first breakthrough for the group was also their charting song: "You've Got Your Troubles"

    The song reached #2 in the UK and #7 in the states. The two follow-ups "Here It Comes Again" (UK-#4, US #27) and "This Golden Ring" (UK #14, US#82) showed the band not able to continue it's successes, at least here in the state. A label change from Decca to United Artists in 1967 didn't help from the group's downhill slide.
     They spend the next couple of years floundering with different formulas, attempting to recapture past glories. It was a move to Capitol records in the early 70's that began to change things. Although not charting in the UK at all, "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling" was released in 1971 and reached #15 on the charts making them more than a one hit wonder, although because of the 6 years between hits, many don't realize that both songs are by the same group.
     The group continues to tour although it's lead singer Rod Allen, who was the only remaining original member of the band died in 2008. You can find more on them here:   http://www.thefortunes.co.uk/

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The Flying Machine--Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)

     In the late 60's there were two groups called, "The Flying Machine" that became footnotes in the history of rock/pop music. One of them was a group that James Taylor was a member of before going solo, and made mention of in one of his biggest hits, "Fire and Rain" ("sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"). The second one isn't known either other than it's one and only hit here in the US.
     The group was from Britain, but none of the members were of note before or after this song save for the bass player Stuart Colman who became a session musician and later a BBC Radio DJ. The song itself was written by award winning songwriter Tony Macaulay ("Baby, Now That I Found You", "Build Me Up Buttercup") and reached number 5 here in the states, but didn't even dent the charts in their home country. A follow up single, "Baby, Make It Soon", broke in the top 100, but by 1971 the group had packed it in.

 

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The Flying Machine--Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)

     In the late 60's there were two groups called, "The Flying Machine" that became footnotes in the history of rock/pop music. One of them was a group that James Taylor was a member of before going solo, and made mention of in one of his biggest hits, "Fire and Rain" ("sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground"). The second one isn't known either other than it's one and only hit here in the US.
     The group was from Britain, but none of the members were of note before or after this song save for the bass player Stuart Colman who became a session musician and later a BBC Radio DJ. The song itself was written by award winning songwriter Tony Macaulay ("Baby, Now That I Found You", "Build Me Up Buttercup") and reached number 5 here in the states, but didn't even dent the charts in their home country. A follow up single, "Baby, Make It Soon", broke in the top 100, but by 1971 the group had packed it in.

 

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Eddie Floyd--Knock On Wood (1966)

     Floyd was born in  Birmingham, AL and raised in Detroit. The founded the Falcons which included Mack Rice and later Wilson Pickett on lead vocals. After the group disbanded he was signed by Stax Records as a songwriter in 1965 and soon was teamed up with guitarist Steve Cropper to write some songs for Wilson Pickett. It was this collaboration that put him on the map as a writer. "Knock On Wood" was written the pair for Otis Redding, with Floyd providing the vocals on the demo. However, the result was so good that Stax released it as Floyd's first single with the label.
     He spent much of the rest of the decade writing for others and releasing his own material. His biggest hits on the charts was in 1968. "I've Never Found A Girl" (#2, r&b) and "Bring It On Home To Me" (#4, r&b, #17 pop). He continued to make r&b chart action into the mid-70's.
     "Knock On Wood" was successfully covered by several such as Otis Redding, David Bowie, and probably best known in a disco version by Amii Stewart.

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Flatt & Scruggs--The Ballad of Jed Clampett (1962)

     It might come as a surprise to many that I am not, nor ever have been, much of a television watcher. We all have our favorite media, and for me, the radio (and now the internet) has always been my preferred carrier of information and entertainment. Having said that, there are still some shows that have been favorites over the years no matter how many times  I've watched them, and one of them are The Beverly Hillbillies.

     The opening of the show is one of the more iconic songs in the history of television and was written by Paul Henning who was actually a producer and writer. The voice you hear on the song is that of Jerry Scoggins who had spent over a decade on TV and radio as a member of Gene Autry's Cass County Boys. By the early 60's however, he was working as a stockbroker when the call came for him to record this song.
     Of course, what made it not only a touchstone to early 60's television, but a great bluegrass number was the picking of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. Although very successful in bluegrass and county, this was the closest thing to a pop hit the group ever got, reaching #44 on the Hot 100 chart, however they would hit the charts again in 1968 with "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", which was used as the main theme for the movie, "Bonnie and Clyde". The song also reached #1 on the Country charts which was the first time a television theme had done that, and the only time other than Waylon Jennings, "Good Ole' Boys" from the series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" in 1980.

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The PC's LTD--Fast Man (Booty Man) (1969)

Lovers of obscure 45s will certainly want to listen to Fast Man by The PC's LTD at least once- that is if they can find it of course. It's a pretty underground release; Fran Records in Virginia originally published the record, though it seems that Fran also had some operations in Kentucky as well. The company was a division of Viv, and they had the same ear for funk that their parent company did.

Since it was recorded far from the glitter lights provided by the Stax Records company towers in Memphis, Fast Man certainly sounds unpolished. However, Norfolk isn't exactly known as a hotbed for recording studios, and true fans will appreciate the homemade sound. Even if it was a local release, the group stayed away from minimalism and experimentation. This was pure funk.

Trying to find information on The PC's LTD. is pretty difficult and even the exact date when the record was recorded is pretty elusive. It was probably cut sometime around 1969. Even if it's early, though, the track is hard hitting. Lovers of funk will appreciate the back beat syncopation and the remarkably smooth groves. It's easy to imagine that many top disc jockeys jumped at the chance to lay down this rare piece of wax when funk was at its height in the 1970s. It's a shame that The PC's LTD. don't seem to have cut any more records.

The A-Side: Fast Man (Booty Man)

While the track really is pretty funky, it's hard to figure out just what direction the combine wanted to take. It starts off with some raucous cheers that pick up again and again throughout the piece. After a minute or so, some smooth lyrics take over and mix with an accompaniment provided by a brass section that would have done Miles Davis proud. It's almost as if the band were a group of college students messing around with instruments. Then again, that's what makes the record so cool. It's still has its underground touch after all these years.

The B-Side: Stick Man

The B-side track is actually a bit more polished. Soulful vocals abound on Stick Man, though purists will probably say that the song starts off a bit clumsy. Once it reaches the first sorrowful guitar solo, though, fans are sure to fall in love with the track. Some might question whether or not this group actually started out playing the blues, since the guitar riffs seem to be pulled straight out of a twelve-bar lament. Then again, people can speculate whatever they want since so little information is available on the group.

Jason Kane is an avid vinyl collector with a passion for older music. Jason writes about every vinyl, from LPs and Singles to equipment like speakers and Music Hall Turntables. 

 

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The Five Americans--Western Union (1967)

     The Five Americans were a band out of Oklahoma and was signed by a small label out of Dallas called Abnak/Jetstar and produced several regional hits in the mid-60's. A couple of those songs, "I See the Light" (1966) and "Evol-Not Love" (1966) made it to the charts. It was a riff by guitarist Mike Raybon however, that provided the foundation for their biggest hit. "Western Union" had a instrumental hook (the sound of the guitar aping a telegraph), and a vocal one (the dit-dit-dits that one hears throughout the song).
     The song reached number 5 in the spring/summer of 1967 and it's followup, "Sound Of Love" also reached the top 40, but subsequent songs never got close to the top 40 again and the group disbanded in 1969. Guitarist Mike Raybon had another song in the top 100 with the Tyler, Texas band, Gladstone, then returned to college and is working in education. The keyboard player, John Durrill, was the only one to become a music lifer writing and performing. He is probably best known for writing, "Dark Lady" for Cher in 1974.

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The Fireballs--Sugar Shack (1963)

     The Fireballs began as an instrumental group out of Raton, New Mexico and recorded out of the same studio (Norman Petty's NorVaJak ) in Clovis that Buddy Holly began his breakout success. The original band consisted of George Tomsco (Lead guitar), Chuck Tharpe (vocals), Stan Lark (Bass), Eric Budd (Drums) and Dan Trammel (Rhythm guitar). Although having a vocalist, they made their early success with instrumentals built around Tomsco's guitar playing. "Torquay" (1959), "Bulldog" (1960), and "Quite A Party" (1961) all made their way to the top 40. There was a break where Tharpe, Trammel, and Budd left the group and was replaced by Doug Roberts (drums) and a singer employed by Petty Studio's named Jimmy Gilmer.
     Gilmer was from Chicago, but grew up in Amarillo Texas where he studied at the Musical Arts Conservatory. He started a rockabilly band called the Jimmy Gilmer Combo who's drummer, Gary Swaffert also played for the Norman Petty Trio, and who first introduced the two of them. Petty encouraged Jimmy to come to Clovis and cut some sides, which he did to little success, but the producer thought a great deal of his voice and when the three musicians left The Fireballs, Gilmer was asked to come along.
     It was Petty's idea to sell the group as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, and soon after recording "Sugar Shack", the group signed a record deal with Dot Records. The song itself was written by Keith McCormack who at the time was a member of another influential instrumental group, "The Tag-a-Longs" who was working out of Petty's studio. Interestingly enough, when Gilmer left the band at the end of the of the 60's McCormack became the lead singer.
     "Sugar Shack" reached number 1 in the fall of 1963 and had two more top ten hits through the decade. The group continues to tour today and can be found on the net at, http://www.fireballs-original.com/. Gilmer moved to Nashville to work in production and artist management which he still does today.

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The Fifth Dimension--Wedding Bell Blues (1969)

     By 1969, the Fifth Dimension was riding high. Having had 8 straight top 40 hits, they had also made a major songwriting star our of Laura Nyro. In making the album, "The Age of Aquarius", they returned to Nyro once more on a song that could have written about their two lead singers....
     The roots of what became The Fifth Dimension started back in 1963, when singers Lamonte McLemore and Marlyn McCoo hooked up with friends Harry Elston and Floyd Butler to form the Hi-Fi's. They sang at local clubs and even opened for Ray Charles on tour in 1964. However, tensions within the group caused a break-up a year later, with Elston and Butler leaving to form the group, the Friends of Distinction who was to have a big hit with "Grazin in the Grass" in 1969.
    McLemore brought in Florence LaRue and an old friend from St. Louis, Ron Townson, who suggested his cousin, Billy Davis Jr. to round out the group sound. Beginning as The Versatiles in 1966, they soon changed their name to The Fifth Dimension and auditioned for Marc Gordon who  was heading up Motown in LA. Although the demo tape was turned down for the Soul label, Gordon was impressed enough to become their manager, and brought them to the attention of Johnny Rivers who was starting up a new label, Soul City Records.
     The groups first hit was a cover of The Mamas and Papas' song, "Go Where You Want to Go" in late 1966 and not too long after, they hit number 1 with the Jimmy Webb song, "Up, Up and Away". This began a string of ten top forty hits which extended to the end of the decade. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary from this was the young songwriter Laura Nyro. Three of those ten hits belonged to her, "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", and "Wedding Bell Blues"
    During the making of "The Age of Aquarius" (recorded and released in 69), it was joked that the Nyro song, "Wedding Bell Blues" would fit for Marlyn and Billy. The two were engaged to be married, but it had not taken place yet. Nyro wrote the song from the perspective of a lover who was impatient for her man (Bill) to hurry up and ask her to marry. McCoo and Davis did tie the knot later in 69 and stayed with the group until leaving for a career as a duo in 1975.
     The song became their second number one hit and because of the circumstances became tied to Marlyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., who after 43 years are still married and still singing together....

   

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Ferrante & Teicher--Exdous (1960)

     Much of the time movie soundtracks have been relegated to writing pop songs which can also be used as a marketing tool. This has been a part of the movie going experience almost since the dawn of "talkies". There has however, in my opinion a shift in how an orchestra is used. Orchestrated music is still part of many a movie soundtrack, but very rarely can it be found on the charts. Even in the mid to late 70's, a top arraignment from a film would find it's way to the top 20 (Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Rocky). This brings us to two of music's greats when it came to this kind of thing.
     Arthur Ferrante and Louis Teicher met while studying at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Upon graduation, they both became members of the faculty. They began their career as a performing duo in 1947 in some of the night clubs in New York, but it was during the 50's they became known for their classical renditions of popular songs. This style kept them on the album charts all during the 1950's. This spilled over into the early 60's as several of their songs were released as singles and worked their way up the charts. The biggest success in that arena was the theme from Exodus.
      The 1960 movie itself was based on the book of the same name by Leon Uris. Directed by Otto Preminger and loaded with an all-star cast which included Paul Newman and Eva Marie-Saint, When award time came, it was the soundtrack which brought home the hardware, which included an Oscar and a Grammy to composer Ernest Gold
     Ferrante & Teicher reached #2 on the charts that year with their rendition of the movie's theme, and although most of their singles never reached farther than the low rungs of the charts, they did reach the top ten two more times. "Tonight" from "West Side Story" in 1961, and "Midnight Cowboy" in 1969. When it came to album sales and popular instrumental music from the 50's into the 80's, Ferrante & Teicher was the standard that all aspired too.

     

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Jose Feliciano--Light My Fire (1968)

     If my memory serves me correct, this was the first version of "Light My Fire" to catch my ears, having come out in the summer of 1968, and the Doors' original coming out more than a year before that. Although the songwriting credits were given to the entire group it was mainly Robbie Krieger's song with Ray Manzarek's providing the iconic organ open. It not only became their first hit, but a number one which set the tone for the band's short but influential career.
     At the same time, Jose Feliciano's light was beginning to shine as well. The blind from birth guitarist had recorded a group of critically acclaimed albums for RCA: "The Voice and Guitar of Jose Feliciano" and "A Bag Full of Soul", and a series of Spanish albums. He had begun to make waves in Europe and Latin America, when he went into the studio to record the album, "Feliciano!". The album broke through in the US in a big way, with the single, "Light My Fire" reaching #3 in the states ad #1 in several countries around the world. The album and single both received a Grammy in 1969.

    

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Don Fardon--(The Lament of the Cherokee) Indian Reservation (1968)

     For those of a certain age, we connect this song with the Raiders' version from 1970. However it was a top 40 hit two years prior.
     The song itself had it's beginnings with songwriter John Loudermilk and his song called, "The Pale Faced Indian" written in 1959. It was recorded by Marvin Rainwater that same year, but the song went nowhere. The song was much more country oriented, and in listening to it one can hear additional lyrics that are not heard in the two more popular versions.
     Don Maughn was a struggling singer out of Coventry, England who started a group called The Sorrows in 1963. The group never had much more than a cult following at home, so after three years of several underrated singles, the band went their separate ways. There was a move to Germany and a name change to Don Fardon as he attempted a solo career. This proved successful as he became known for blue eyed soul covers. Fardon and producer Micki Dallon took Loudermilk's song and gave it more of a straightforward pop/soul treatment. It was this version that became the template for The Raiders version in 1970.
     Fardon moved back to Britain and now, along with his wife are the owners of several pubs in Warwickshire area.

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The Fantastic Johnny C--Boogaloo Down Broadway (1967)

        Johnny Corley had not been out of the military for long. The Greenwood, South Carolina native was looking for a place to settle and decided on Norristown, PA which was less than 20 miles outside of Philadelphia. Johnny loved to sing which soon caught the notice of the members of Macedonia Bapitst Church where he had started attending. He was soon in the church choir and many were taking note of his vocal talents. One of those members was studio producer, Jessie James. James talked him in to recording some demos of songs the producer had written. After those turned out well, they decided, with James a manager and writer, to give secular music a try.
     Very early on, James was able to snag Corley (now given the moniker, 'The Fantastic Johnny C") a spot on American Bandstand singing one of the producer's compositions called, "Boogaloo Down Broadway". The performance on AB attracted the attention of record label Phil-LA Soul. The song was released in the fall of 1967 and stormed up the top 100 and the r&b charts. Although he had a couple more songs make chart appearances in 1968, and Corley continued to record into the early 70's, this was the song that brought him attention. You'll hear more than a passing resemblance to Wilson Pickett (at least to my ears).

     

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Georgie Fame--The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde (1968)

     The movie "Bonnie and Clyde" was released in 1967 to mixed reviews, which could be divided up between the younger generation of film critic and the old guard. Directed by Arthur Penn, the film had one of the bloodiest endings of a movie up to that time, and was panned as glorifying violence. Looking back it DID contain a lot of gratuitous blood , but it was also a very well done movie with great performances by it's stars Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Both received Oscar nominations as well as Estelle Parsons (who won), Gene Hackman, and  Michael J. Pollard.

    Songwriters Mitch Murray and Pete Callender saw the movie and were surprised that it deserved a hit song written about it. The soundtrack is full of bluegrass numbers and period pieces, but nothing that would have made top 40 fodder (although it DID bring the song, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" into public prominence). They looked around for a singer to pitch the song too, and CBS Records had just signed Jazz/R&B singer, Georgie Fame and was looking for some material. The writers added a bit a jazzy break to it, and Fame recorded it.
     Fame wasn't crazy about the song, but it turned out to be his first (and last) top 5 hit in the US, and continued a streak of hits in the UK.

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Bent Fabric and His Piano--Alley Cat (1962)

     Our family has always loved music, and can never remember a time where I was not surrounded by it. Mom had a lovely alto voice and loved church music. By the 1960's, Dad's voice had been roughened by alcohol and cigarettes, but as he strummed on his guitar you could still hear the clear influence of Jimmie Rogers and Hank Williams Sr. I was never much influenced by country, but hearing both of them singing so much, it allowed me to feel free about expressing myself musically. My Dad's brother Ray was also an excellent guitarist as well, and when the families would get together inevitably the instruments wold be broken out, everyone would relax around the two men and singing would break out until the late hours of the night.
     For me however, the focus of those gatherings was my Aunt Mae. Mae was Ray's wife and a fantastic piano player. I was not a big kid, but even as a teenager, she seemed small and almost frail as she would get behind the upright piano in the basement of their house and play along for a set or two of songs. Watching her play was a joy as she alternatively went from power on pop songs of her day, to graceful and sensitive on slower, more expressive pieces. Her encouragement and support is the sole reason that I continue to perform and write music today. The happyness and joy that she showed when she played has been passed down to another generation every time I get behind the keys.
     For some reason, of all of the songs she used to play, the one I remember the most was a song called, "Alley Cat". In my limited experience as a kid, I figured it was was "an oldie", of course, any song that was conceived before being born at the time was thought of as "old". But something about this song always piqued my interest, and for a time could even play it myself. Come to find out as my interest in music grew, that the song was actually fairly new...
     "Alley Cat" was the creation of a Dutch pianist named, Bent Fabricius-Bjerre. After World War two, he formed a jazz combo which would record on their own label (Metronome Records) and play throughout Dennmark during the 1950's. In 1961 he recorded a song called, "Omkring et Flygel", which means, "Around a Piano". The next year, Atco Records picked it up and it soon became a worldwide hit. He still lives in Denmark at the age of 88. His last recording was in 2005.

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Shelley Fabares--Johnny Angel (1962)

     Many of you will remember Shelley Fabares depending on your age. She began as a full time actress at the age of 14 playing Mary Stone on the ABC hit series, "The Donna Reed Show", where she stayed from 1958 to 1963 (the show itself lasted three more seasons). She co-starred alongside Elvis Presley in three of his movies, "Girl Happy" (1965), "Spinout" (1966), and "Clambake" (1967). The 70's were spent doing a lot of one appearance guest spots on many television shows and was probably best remembered as playing Brian Piccolo's wife Joy in the movie, "Brian's Song" (1971). 1978 she began a re-occurring role on the series, "One Day at A Time" as Francene Webster. For those who are even younger still, you might have seen her on the series, "Coach" (1989-1997) as Christine Armstrong.
     As studios in the late 50's/early 60's were looking for fresh photogenic faces to not only market to TV and films, but to also record them in the studio. Some of these attempts were better than others, and very few of them had more than a couple of hits. Although her top 40 presence was limited to this song and it's follow up, "Johnny Loves Me" her talents as a singer have held up better than many of her contemporaries.
     Fabares wasn't crazy about the idea of recording as she didn't see herself as a singer. Having Darlene Love and her group the Blossoms, along with a well placed echo chamber helped a bit, but she recalled later that she was very much intimidated by Love and the other back up singers. Like other TV teen stars before (and after) her, television was used to promote the new single and by mid spring of 1962, it had reached the #1 position.

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Every Mother's Son--Come On Down To My Boat (1967)

     Every Mother's Son is centered around the brother duo of Dennis and Lary Larden. They began as in folk music as many in that time period did. That sensibility, along with the desire of their record company to push them as a "non-hippie" alternative (MGM Records), produced a wonderful piece of pop music.
     Written by Wes Farrell and Jerry Goldstein, "Come On Down To My Boat" went to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1967. Within the next year the group reached the charts another three times, although never coming close to the heights of their debut. Dennis went from here to become a guitarist and composer for Rick Nelson and his Stone Canyon Band.

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Betty Everett--The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) (1964)

     Betty Everett was born in Greenwood, Mississippi and moved to Chicago at the age of 18 to pursue a musical career. She recorded a few sides for some local labels before being picked up by an independent label which was making some waves in the industry: Vee-Jay Records.
     Her second single for the label was a song that Dee Dee Warwick had recorded earlier in 1963. "You're No Good" climbed up to #51 and was the definitive version until Linda Ronstadt hit the top position on the charts with it in 1974.
     This song was originally known as, "It's In His Kiss" and had already been rejected by Shirelles when Merry Clayton (known for her later duet work with Mick Jagger on the song, "Gimmie Shelter") recorded it in late 1963. A couple of months later, Warner Brothers enlisted Regina King to record the song and it's released was scheduled a couple of week's before Everett's. The head of Vee-Jay, didn't want any business taken away from their artist, so they changed the name of the song label to, "The Shoop-Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)".
     The song, backed by The Opals, reached #6 on the charts in April of 1964. Betty would have an even bigger hit later that year on a duet with Jerry Butler and, "Let It Be Me" which made it to #5. She would have a presence on the chart for the rest of the 60's and even had some action on the R&B charts up through the early/mid 70's.

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Dee Dee Warwick--You're No Good (1963)

Before we get started, please allow me to thank so many of you who have provided support for my family over the last couple of months. It's been a trying time filled with some joys and some sadness, especially with death of my Mom. However, after taking some time off from all musical endeavors it's time to get back to what I love doing...listening and writing about music. Thanks for supporting the blog AND the radio show.
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     Dee Dee Warwick was born in 1942 and was the youngest daughter of Mancel and Lee Warwick. She began singing gospel with her sister Dionne and her Aunt Cissy Houston in their church in New Jersey. The three eventually formed the group, The Gospelaires. After a performance in 1959, her and Dionne were contracted to do session work in the area. They did backing vocals for many acts out of the New York area, but also worked on their own solo career. Dee Dee's first single on the charts was this song written by Clint Ballard Jr and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It never cracked the top 100 for Dee Dee, but was a hit the next year for Betty Everett and was a No. 1 song for Linda Ronstadt in 1974. Dee Dee had a number of successes, especially on  the R&B charts, but was never able to fully come out from behind her sister's shadow.   

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