Don Gibson--Oh, Lonesome Me (1958)

     Don Gibson was born in Shelby, North Carolina in a poor family, and had dropped out of school by the second grade. He began playing the guitar as a young teenager and progressed to the point that with a few other local musicians formed the group, Sons of the Soil who recorded a side or two in 1948, but broke up the next year. In 1950 he formed a new group called, King Cotton Kinfolk who spent the early 50's signed to RCA then Columbia developing his sound and his songwriting abilities.
     In 1955, he had written a song called, "Sweet Dreams" which caught the attention of a friend who worked for Acuff-Rose Publishing. He was offered a contract, but Gibson only signed with the provision that he would be given a chance to record. The song was recorded by Faron Young who took it to number 3 on the country charts, and several years later would become a signature song for Patsy Cline.
     This hit opened up the chance again to record with RCA. His recording was another self penned song, "Oh Lonesome Me" which not only became a number one hit on the country charts, but reached number seven on the top 100 as well. This began a long career for Gibson which duel country/pop hits into the early 60's and a force on the country charts through the late 70s. Besides the two hits mentioned he also wrote, "I Can't Stop Loving You" which became a massive hit for Ray Charles in the early 60s. He passed away in 2003 of natural causes.

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Bobby Freeman--Do You Want To Dance (1958)

     With rock music approaching 60 years and going through several generations, it's always a joy to not only discover new music, but to find songs that I thought had been original to an artist, just to find out it wasn't at all....
     Back in the early 90's, I went through a renaissance of sorts with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. There had always been an appreciation for the hits, (I still think 'Don't Worry Baby' was one of the greatest pop songs of the rock era) but knew little else. Immersing myself in the beautiful harmonies and pop genius of Brian, the pure clear tenor of Carl, and the underrated gifts of Dennis, "Do You Want To Dance" became one of my favorites of their early period. It was the highest charting song which Dennis was the lead singer, and it led me back to the original
     Bobby Freeman had been a professional since the age of fourteen in 1955 with a group called The Romancers. Just three years later he wrote and recorded this song, which climbed to #5 on the pop charts and #2 on the R&B. For the next six years he has varying success until the top ten hit, "Do the Swim" which was written and produced by a young (20) Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone. It was his last major recording although he continued to write and record well into the 1970's. He still resides in his native San Francisco.

 

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Connie Francis--Who's Sorry Now (1958)

    Connie Francis looked down at the letter in her hand. It was an acceptance letter from New York University offering her a four year scholarship. She was ready to turn her back on what was thought at one time to have been a promising singing career to pursue something a bit more stable. Her contract with MGM was almost up...8 solo singles, and one duet with Marvin Rainwater which had just scraped into the top 100 at #93. It seemed that at the age of 19 her entertainment career was ending before it even really began.
     Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero had been performing since the age of four, playing the accordion and singing. She had even had a reoccurring part on the NBC children's show, "Startime Kids" from 1953 to 1955. During this time she made an appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. It was here that Godfrey suggested she change her name to Connie Francis, and also to ditch the accordion. She did both with no hesitation.
     She signed a recording contract with MGM records for 10 records. The first 8 were flops, and then there was the duet with Rainwater which did better, but not enough for the company to choose to renew their contract with her.
     So she had pretty much decided to move on. She had graduated from Belleville (N.J.) High School in 1955 as a salutatorian and NYU was ready to offer her a free ride. To add to her disappointment, her dad kept pestering her about recording a song that he remembered called, "Who's Sorry Now". Francis hated the song, thinking it was too old for teens her age. Her dad on the other hand, remembered that it had been a hit with his generation, and in a contemporary setting, he thought teens could dance to it as well.
     This disagreement went well into the recording session on October 2, 1957. Connie had been set up to record several songs with one being chosen for release. The first three were recorded and even while the tape was running, the daughter and father were arguing about the song. With almost no time left, she put down the master of the song. When released, it did what the previous 9 songs had done. What could not have been predicted however was on Jan. 1, 1958, Dick Clark played the song on American Bandstand. By the summer the song had sold over a million copies and Connie Francis was a star, with the song finally peaking at #4 on the charts.
     It was the beginning of a very successful stretch for the singer having a total of 26 songs in the top 40 from 1958-1964 including two number 1's: "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" (1962) and "My Heart Has a Mind Of It's Own" (1960).

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The Four Preps--26 Miles (Santa Catalina) (1958)

     I guess it was a carry-over from my parents who were a bit older than my peers' (Dad was 43, Mom 39 when I was born), but the music that floated around my house was more the music of the late40's, early/middle 50's than rock and roll. Because of that, I've always have had an affinity for that kind of music as well. One of the song's that has never left my memory was one by the Four Preps.
     Like many groups of that era, they met in High School. Hollywood High School in this case. Bruce Belland, Ed Cobb, Marv Ingram, and Glen Lawson were signed to a record deal in 1956 after a talent scout heard them at a school talent show. They had a minor hit that year with a song called, "Dreamy Eyes" early in 1957, but the rest of that year consisted of them finding the right material as the next six singles stiffed.
     1958 opened strong for them however as "26 Miles" was released and became their biggest hit, reaching #2 on the charts. The song began as lead singer Belland broke his ankle, and while recovering began to fool around a bit with a ukulele. He began playing four chords which eventually became the opening and basis for the song. Bruce and Glen Lawson wrote the lyrics.
     It's follow up, "Big Man" almost did as well that same year, reaching number 3. They continued to chart, although not with the same success up until 1964. The group continues to tour today with Bruce Belland continuing to sing lead and can be found here: http://thefourpreps.com/

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Bobby Day--Rock-In Robin (1958)

     Remember having the 45 of this when it came out in 1972 by Michael Jackson. It reached number 2 that year, but at the time I had no idea that it was a cover....
     Bobby Day had some minor success with The Hollywood Flames, Bob & Earl (he was the original Bob), and the Satellites. He also had some success in the late 50's with writing. "Over and Over" became a bit hit with the Dave Clark Five,  and the Jackson Five had a top 20 hit with, "Little Bitty Pretty One" in 1972
     It was Rockin Robin though that gave Day his fame. His version reached number 2 in the fall of 1958. He wasn't a one hit wonder per se, but he never reached the top 40 again (although his original version of 'Over and Over' was the flip side of 'Robin' and reached 41st).

 

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Danny and the Juniors--At the Hop (1957/58)

      Danny Rapp, Frank Maffei, Joe Terranova, and Dave White  had been singing together since their teen years in Philadelphia in the early 50's. They did the usual high school dances (under the name Juvenairs) and such until they were heard by John Madera who had an interested in rock and roll from the management side. Madera was impressed and introduced them to Artie Singer who was a vocal teacher, and also head of Singular Records.
     Singer liked one of the songs that  White had written called, "At the Bop". The word bop had gone out of fashion by that time and Singer changed it to "Hop". Him and White rewrote parts of the song into the form we know it today. Singer also shortened the name of the group to The Juniors. After recording, it was taken to the Philly DJ's. During this time, Dick Clark heard the song and was impressed, but at the time had no openings for the group to play on his TV show, "American Bandstand".
     As luck would have it however, soon afterward, Little Anthony and the Imperials canceled out on a show, and Clark asked the Juniors to fill in. It became an immediate regional hit, and since the cash strapped Spector records couldn't afford nationwide distribution, it was leased out to ABC-Paramount who put it out across the country. The result was a number one hit for seven weeks in late 1957/early 1958.
     The group continues to tour today except for Rapp who passed away in 1983. Saxophonist Lennie Baker left the group in the 60's to form the nostalgia group, "Sha Na Na". You can see more about them here: http://www.dannyandthejuniors.com/ 

   

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The Crests--16 Candles (1958)

     The Crests were formed in 1955 by J.T. Carter and included Talmadge Gough, Harold Torres, and Patricia Van Dross (the older sister of singer Luther Vandross). The next year, when vocalist Johnny Mastrangelo (later known as Johnny Maestro) joined the group, they began to take shape. They had a minor hit  with, "Sweetest One" in the summer of 1957 on the Joyce label, it was late in 1959 however that their fortunes began to change.
     "16 Candles" was written by Luther Dixon and Allyson R. Khent, and was the number 2 hit in the country for two weeks during the winter of 1958/59. It began a two year run on the charts which scored them four trips to the top 40 until Maestro left to pursue a solo career.
     The song was revived again by it's use in the John Hughes movie, "Sixteen Candles" with Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.

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Sunday Morning Vault: Eddie Cochran--Summertime Blues (1958)

     When we think of the pillars of rock and roll, Eddie Cochran doesn't immediately come to mind, but the timing of his career, his rebel attitude, and his tragic, early death, had a profound influence on the early days of what was to become rock music.
     Cochran had been charting hits since 1957, but it was his appearance in the 1956 movie, "The Girl Can't Help It" with and the song "Twenty Flight Rock" that got his career off the ground. He didn't write that song, but many a young guitar player picked it up. In Britain, it was that song that impressed a young John Lennon to invite Paul McCartney to join The Quarrymen. The success of that song in the movie led Liberty records to sign him to a contract and his first song on the charts was a top 20 hit, "Sittin' In The Balcony"
     "Summertime Blues' was released in the late summer of 1958, and was his only top 10 hit and has been covered by a multitude of pop, rock, and country artists.  Eddie released only one album in late 1957,  and it showed that Liberty was attempting to turn him into a middle of the road pop star, much like what Col. Tom Parker did to Elvis a few years later. His death in 1960 kept any of that from fully taking hold, and preserved his status as a rock and roll rebel. That status, especially in  the UK made him a hero to more than a few early British rock heroes and made Cochran along with Chuck Berry direct descendents of the early rock of The Who and The Beatles.    

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Eddie Cochran--Summertime Blues (1958)

    No one disputes the fact that Elvis blew open the doors for all "Rock and Roll" artists in the mid-50's. However, I believe that Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, had a much deeper influence on the post-Beatle era of musician. Their guitar playing and experimental work in the studio opened the door to many a young guitarist (especially in England). Holly and Cochran were close friends, both enjoyed working in the studio rather than touring. Eddie was badly shaken when his friend died in a plane crash in 1959, and was determined to dial down his having to travel so much so he could just work on making music. However, the times demanded that he be on the road to make enough money to continue, which led him to make a tour to Great Britain where he died in an auto accident  in April of 1960.
 
     His best known work is, "Summertime Blues" which came out in July of 1958 and was written by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. It has been covered many times, most notably by The Who in 1970, and Alan Jackson in 1994.

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Bobby Day--Rockin Robin (1958)

     I remember hearing Michael Jackson's version of  'Rockin Robin' for the first time in 1972. It occurred to me at that time that the argument on who's the best teen singer was moot.  (yes, there were arguments on who was the best. Donny Osmond, David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman??) Although not realizing it at the time it also introduced me to Bobby Day, at least as a songwriter. Day only reached the top 40 once with this song, but several have covered his R&B influenced music. The Dave Clark Five had a hit with, "Over and Over" and, "Little Bitty Pretty One" was covered by several. ....

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Sunday Morning Vault: The Applejacks--Mexican Hat Rock (1958)

The Applejacks were a studio group led by Philadelphia native Dave Appell. The had three songs on the top 100 with this one being the first, and the highest rated (#16)....everyone enjoy their Sunday....

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