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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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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The Exciters--Tell Him (1962)

     One of the great things about popular music is that so many variables that can bring one success. Talent is important, but so was just being in the right place at the right time. A corollary to that is one never knows who you might effect by YOUR career, no matter what you success level.
     The Exciters was a girl group which began their life as The Masterettes. Brenda Reid, Sylvia Wilbur, Lilian Walker, and Carol Johnson became The Exciters in 1962 when Wilbur left and was replaced by Reid's husband, Herb Rooney.  Their first hit, "Tell Him" was by far the biggest of their career, reaching #4 in late 62. The next year, they released, Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" which scraped the lower rungs of the chart in 1964, but later became the song which put Manford Mann on the map.
     This group also was highly influential for singer Dusty Springfield. According to the singer, she was headed to Nashville to make a country album with her group, The Springfields when they had a stop over in New York City. Back in the day, the record stores in the city would hang a speaker above the outside door. One evening, while walking by the Colony Record Store on Broadway, "Tell Him" was blaring on the speakers. Springfield was enthralled by the in your face directness of the style, which began a switch in Dusty's style, which defined her career. Not only that, but generations of female singer (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Duffy just to name a few) have been directly influenced by the singer, who had been inspired by the group from NYC.

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Sunday Morning Vault: The Crystals--He's A Rebel (1962)

     It's hard to think today how little control artists had in the first years of rock and roll. Stories about bad contracts and rip offs have always been a part of the landscape as unscrupulous record companies and managers took advantage of men and women who just wanted hear their records on the radio. 
     In the early 60s,  Barbara Alston, Mary Thomas, Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew, Myrna Girard, and Patrica "Patsy" Wright made up The Crystals. They signed with Phil Spector's Philles Records, and their first hit was 1961's, "There's No Other One (Like My Baby)". Another hit followed about 6 months later with, "Uptown".
      The potential third hit was written by Carole King and Jerry Goffin. "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)". It's subject matter kept many radio stations from playing it, and the song never reached the charts at all. This leads up to our featured song...
      By mid-1962, Spector was recording in LA much of the time, and had found Darlene Love and her group The Blossoms and began recording THEM under the name, "The Crystals". This song, which was released in the fall of 1962 was not actually recorded by the original Crystals. There are a couple of stories concerning this. One legend was that he was so enthusiastic about the song that he recorded it as soon as he heard it. The more likely story has that the original Crystals were based in New York and as there was a race to get the recording out as soon as possible, Spector didn't want to wait for the girls to travel cross country, so he used what he had.
    The song, written by Gene Pitney, which began a trend among girl groups to sing about the relationships between the girl and her tough guy boyfriend, went to number 1 in the fall of 1962. Phil Spector played fast and loose with both groups and the names associated with them for the next couple of years This clip which was filmed in 1965 is very ironic considering the real Crystals are lip syncing to a song they never recorded...

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The Contours--Do You Love Me (1962)

     The Contours started their life out as The Blenders in 1958. After a couple of years, a couple of new singers, and a change to The Contours, they were able to get a audition with Berry Gordy who was just forming Motown records. Gordy wasn't much impressed with them, and told them to come back and try again in a year. Luckily, one of new members, bass singer Hubert Johnson, was a cousin of Jackie Wilson's who secured them a second audition.  One never knows if Wilson had an influence on them getting signed, but considering they played the same songs the same way for Gordy, one has to wonder.
     The first single went nowhere, but magic happened when recording "Do You Love Me". It was originally intended for The Temptations, but couldn't achieve the rough r&b sound that Gordy was looking for. It was a number three hit, but a strong follow up was not to be had. Although they did well on the r&b charts through the mid-60's, they never were able to crack the top 40 again until 1988.  Part of this could be due to the fact that although given a 7 year contract, as Gordy's Motown machine started getting in gear, their rough and tumble sound never meshed well with the slick orchestrated sound that Gordy wanted out of his performers.
     After their contract finished, the group disbanded, but reformed in the 70's and been for the most part playing the oldies circuit ever since. A nice side note to this song was it's revival due to it's inclusion in the movie, "Dirty Dancing" in 1988, when it again reached the top 20.

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Shelley Fabares--Johnny Angel (1962)

    Shelley Fabares is best known as an actress. From 1958 to 1963, she played, "Mary Stone" on the "Donna Reed Show", and would go on to co-star with Elvis in three of his pictures, and would have greater fame on the TV show, "Coach", and with a long standing part on "One Day at A Time". By the early 60's, the phenomenon of taking teen television stars and putting them in a recording studio was in full swing and Shelley was no different.

     Darlene Love and the Blossoms were here back up group on the record. She later recalled how terrified she was because it was obvious to her that her back up group was so much better singers than she was and really wasn't excited at all about the prospect of being a singer.

     The results on this record however are pleasant. She is covered in reverb just in case, but is isn't bad at all. The public seemed to like it as well as "Johnny Angel" hit #1 in April of 1962. She never had another hit, and was soon concentrating on a film and television career which saw her greater success

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Mr. Acker Blik--Stranger on the Shore (1962)

      The late 50's brought a renaissance of traditional jazz to almost all of Europe. Bernard Bilk, known to his fans as Mr. Acker Blik was one who rode the crest of that wave. His velvety smooth clarinet sound, and his stage look, (Bowler hat, goatee and striped waistcoat) hit No. 1 in the US with "Stranger on the Shore", his first charting song in 1962. There were several other hits before the British Invasion came and overtook the charts. He started on the cabaret circuit during that time and at the age of 82, is still touring.
     

   

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Tony Bennett--I Left My Heart In San Fransicso (1962)

     In every area of life there are those who defy the odds that other succumb to. Tony Bennett turns 85 today and shows no signs of slowing down. I don't think it would be overstating the fact that his career has been more successful the last 10 years than at any point in his life.

     He came up in the early 50's as a crooner who's success began to wane during the British Invasion. As opposed to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin however, his career trajectory took a quicker dive, and by the end of the 70's he found himself without a manager, no recording contracts, his second marriage was failing, was in trouble with the IRS,  and was not performing outside of Las Vegas. To add to this, he had developed a cocaine habit.

      Enter his son Danny....

       Danny Bennett at the time was with a struggling country-rock band, 'Quacky Duck and His Barnyard Friends" (you can look it up..). Late in 1979, his dad called and asked for help. The elder Bennett's life was a mess and was desperate to not only resurrect his career, but straighten his life out. Danny was taking stock of his life as well, and after a promising start in 1974, his musical career was on a downhill slide as well. He came to realize during this time that the business side of music was something that was of interest to him. So Danny agreed to become his dad's manager.

     Over the next six years, Tony moved back to New York while Danny worked on getting his dad's finances straight with the IRS and began to put a plan in place to get him back in the spotlight. It was Danny's belief that an audience of younger fans were out there. No one of the "MTV" generation had heard the style of music that his dad was singing, and believed it would be well received. The plan was not to change a thing, for Tony to continue to wear his tuxedos, to continue to sing from The Great American Songbook, and just be himself.

     To make this plan happen, he reunited Bennett with his old pianist and musical director, Ralph Sharon. The move to New York was to detach from the "Vegas" image.  By 1986 he was signed to a new contract with Columbia. Then a re-introduction to television via David Letterman, Conan O'Brian, various non musical shows (like The Simpsons), and most notability MTV. The response was nothing short of amazing as a generation of teenagers who were for the most part at least two generations separated from the style of music that was popular during Bennett's early years. The masterful work by Danny, and the tireless work on the road that Tony has put in not only revived his career, but has made him a wealthy man. Happy Birthday to an American musical icon..... 

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Bobby Vinton--Roses Are Red (My Love) (1962)

     Bobby Vinton feared the end of his singing career was done before it had even got started. After getting his college degree from Duquesne University in music composition, he did a two year stint in the military serving as a Chaplain's assistant. Upon his discharge, Vinton got a contract from Epic records as a band leader. However after a couple of albums and several flopped singles, the record company was ready to let him go. 

     "Roses Are Red (My Love)" was written by Al Byron and Paul Evans. It had been submitted to Epic records and rejected. Vinton found the song in the reject pile and liked what he heard. However the record company was not ready to support a rejected song or an artist they were ready to let go. Deciding to promote it himself, Bobby bought 1,000 copies of the single, and hired a young woman to hand deliver each single with a dozen roses. The gimmick gave the record the boost it needed and it soon reached No. 1 for four weeks in 1962 and began a successful career that had hits on the top 40 up until 1974. ....

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Johnny Angel & the Halos --(If I Had) One More Tomorrow (1962)

     In this lifelong study of all things rock, I find myself in admiration of many of these northeast groups who realize that music is a great profession even when your time on the charts has long gone away. Johnny Angel & the Halos out of the Pittsburgh area had their moment in regional popularity back in the late 50's/early 60's. I do not have their whole story, and would like to know more about them. But if you were interested you can find their webpage and phone number to book them for your meeting/wedding/reunion etc. They have day jobs, and several of them seem to be doing very well for themselves, but it's obvious the passion and love is on the weekend, when they not only relive their youth, but still touch people today with their music. And for those of us who love to perform....life doesn't get a lot better than that.

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Ray Charles--I Can't Stop Loving You (1962)

      By 1962, Ray Charles was on top of him game commercially. After basically inventing soul music in the 1950's with Atlantic Records, he moved to ABC-Paramount in 1959 and began a streak of songs that became signature for him. "Georgia on my Mind" began the streak in 1960, then "Hit the Road Jack" in 1961 (The movie "Ray" gives the impression that he wrote that 'Jack', but it was actually written by songwriter Percy Mayfield). He wanted to move in a more country direction and with, "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music", not only showed his brilliance, but also brought an audience to the music as well.

     "I Can't Stop Loving You" was written by Don Gibson and recorded in December of 1957 as a B-side to "Oh, Lonesome Me", which garnered him  a two sided country hit. This clip is from 1969...

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