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Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Just a little New Orleans music for you this evening. Gerri Hall was the lead singer for Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns in the late 50's and spent most of her career singing in and around the area. She never had a hit outside the Crescent City, but within the 9th Ward, she is a legend....
The story for this song begins in a seaside suburb of Rio de Janerio in 1962. Musicians Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes were writing about a girl they would see just about every day. The girl, later identified as 17 year old Helo Pinhero, would walk into the Veloso cafe-bar to buy cigarettes for her mother to the admiration of many of the men in the cafe, incluing Jobim and Moraes. The next year Jobim began a collaboration with tenor sax player Stan Getz, guitarist Joao Gilberto and Gilberto's wife Astrud.
Actually Astrud wasn't suppose to be a part of the proceedings at all, but while working on "The Girl from Ipanema" it was decided to record the vocals in English rather than Portuguese. Astrud was the only singer in their circle who could speak the language, so although she had never sung publicity or had any sort of vocal training, it was her voice that was put on the record.
The song not only became a hit for the trio, but it launched the career of the young Astrud and the song has become a true classic of mid-60s pop. Although amazingly reclusive (she hasn't done an interview in over 25 years), she had continued to record and tour up until 2002. You can read more on her webpage; http://www.astrudgilberto.com/
George Martin felt he had a hit on his hand, but no one seemed to want it. It was offered to pop singer Adam Faith and he turned it down. The young producer felt sure the new group from Liverpool, The Beatles, could have a hit with it, but they didn't like the song either. (Martin told Lennon/McCartney they could shelve it if they could write something better...they came up with 'Please Please Me') Manager Brian Epstein however had another group he had just signed who would be interested in recording the Mitch Murray song.
Gerry and the Pacemakers had to this point, the same kind of trajectory The Beatles had in Liverpool. Gerry Marsden formed the group along with his brother Fred, Les Chadwick, and Authur McMahon (who was replaced by Les Maguire in 1961) and at first was known as, 'Gerry and the Mars Bars' until the Mars company complained and the name was changed to 'Pacemakers'.
The group was the second to take Epstein as their manager, and he soon got them a contract with Columbia records. They took, "How Do You Do It?" and made it their first number in in the UK in March of 1963 and was knocked out of the spot later by the Beatles' first UK chart topper, "From Me To You". In fact, the Pacemakers hit the top their next two singles which firmly secured them as the fab four's top competition. They had three more top 10 singles in their homeland, but would never have another number one.
In the states, they had released all of their hits as well, but it wasn't until The Beatles knocked down the walls in early 64 that any success was made there. The Pacemakers' first hit in the US was, "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" in May of 64 and "How Do You Do It" was released in July of that year, reaching number 9. They were to reach the top 40 four more time, including another top 10, "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in 1965. But not too long after that, they began to fade, and by the end of the year they had disbanded. The group (minus Fred who passed in 2006) has continued to tour.
Gale Garnett was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and moved to Canada at the age of 11 in 1953. After high school, she chose to go into acting and singing. She got a parts in television shows of the early 60's, and made her New York club debut in 1963. Shortly afterward she was signed to RCA records.
The song "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" was her own composition and was the single lifted off her first album, "My Kind of Folk Songs". The single went to number 4 on the charts, and won a Grammy in 1965 for best Folk Recording. She spent the rest of the 60's and 70's touring and recording.
In the years since retiring from singing in the 80's, she continued to act, most notably in 2002's, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", and has also begun to write articles, essays, and book reviews. She has also written four novels since 1999.
It was just a few days before their next tour, and songwriter Bob Gaudio was headed to finish work on a new single for The Four Seasons. In the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City, it was not unusual at stop lights for the poor to come out and clean your windshield while you wait in exchange for some change. This time wasn't any different except this time a poor scruffy girl literally dressed in rags came to clean his windshield. When she finished, as the light turned green, Bob stuck his hand in his pocket to produce some change, but all he had were bills. Moving quickly to allow traffic to continue moving (this WAS New York City), he grabbed the smallest bill he could grab, a ten-dollar bill.
Only used to change, the young woman looked at him, astonished. As the look remained on her face as he drove off, it didn't leave his thoughts as he continued to work. By the time he reached the studio he had already been rolling lyrics around in his mind, and as he continued that day working on the song with Bob Crewe, it occurred to them that they might have a hit on their hands. The Four Seasons had fared better than many American groups during that early first wave of the British invasion, but had not had a number 1 hit since, "Walk Like a Man" over a year before.
By the time the song was done, it was Sunday and the regular studio was closed. The next day they were to be off on tour. Another single was in the can and scheduled for release, but Crewe and Gaudio was so convinced this song should be the one released, that they called the rest of the group in, called in production guys who they were not familiar with, and got access to the basement of a Manhattan demo studio to cut the single. The result was another #1 hit for The Four Seasons, and arguably the best single they ever recorded.
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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.
There is not a lot to add here about Bob Dylan that has not already been said. It is important to note however, that if you are under the age of 40, many of you might wonder what the fuss was really all about. After all, in all of his years he only had four songs in the top 10. His voice has been parodied to the point of exhaustion, and in interviews (like the latest one in Rolling Stone), he comes as a cross between a curmudgeon and a religious zealot.
Let me put it as succinctly as I can. There has been no one, over this enormous span of a career (now over 50 years) who writes like he can. Almost all of the songwriters in the rock era that we look to as great, has been influenced either directly or indirectly by Dylan's craft. You can take his voice or leave it (am not a great fan of his vocals overall), but you cannot challenge his way with a lyric. By the time The Beatles met him, he had already redefined folk music, written anthems that spoke to a generation, became disillusioned with folk music religiosity and with politics and had begun to turn inward.
If you hear a singer/songwriter who sings in an introspective manner, you can thank Dylan for that. John Lennon would remark years later that it was Bob's music which taught him that you could write songs that were personal. As strange as it seems, it was not conventional for songwriters to write directly about themselves. Dylan broke the mold for that.
Together, Dylan and The Beatles led music into the modern Rock era. The Beatles' music came from a fresh take on the Rhythm and Blues filtered Rock and Roll of the middle/late 50's. Dylan's rock came directly from Folk, which shocked many followers, but gained many more fans as the quality of his output never wavered.
And what an output that was! "The Freewheeling Bob Dylan" (1963), "The Times They Are A-Changing" (1964), "Another Side of Bob Dylan" (1964), "Bringing It All Back Home" (1965), "Highway 61 Revisited" (1965), "Blonde on Blonde" (1966), "John Wesley Harding" (1967), "Nashville Skyline" (1969). Most artists would give anything to have ONE album that was as good as any of these. Instead he gave us an entire decade's worth.
That is not to say that he sloughed off after that, however it is fair to say that he has had peaks and valleys over the last 40 years. For those who stopped paying attention after Nashville Skyline, it's worth noting (and listening to), his middle 70's output, including, "After the Flood" (1974), "Blood on the Tracks" (1975), and "Desire" (1976). I could list another ten albums that are essential listening after that. It's not like he's been coasting, but after a decade like the 60's...it's a hard act to follow....ask any of the Beatles.
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 however, Lewis died of a suspected heroin overdose. Instead of canceling the studio session, they asked a former member of the group, Johnny Moore to sing the lead.
The song was intended to be an uptempo, upbeat song. No one seems to be sure if the change was made intentionally, but the shift from major to minor (which WAS part of the song), along with the slowing down of the melody changed the feel entirely. It became the last top ten hit for the group although they continued hitting the charts up until 1967. They continue to perform today and you can see more about the group now, and their legacy here: http://www.thedrifters.co.uk/
Sisters Barbara and Rosa Hawkins along with school friend Joan Johnson began singing in the Calliope housing project in New Orleans. First known as Melltones, they caught the attention of singer Joe Jones who became their manager. By 1963, they went to New York for an audition and was signed by Leiber and Stoller signed them to Red Bird Records.
They were renamed "The Dixie Cups" and was assigned a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector which had originally been meant for The Ronettes. "Chapel Of Love" became their biggest hit, although it was not their only one having three more top 40 hits. it was also the first American song to reach the top 40 after the British Invasion, knocking off "Love Me Do" in the summer of 1964.
The sisters still continue to perform along with Athelgra Neville. You can see more of them at http://lpintop.tripod.com/thedixiecups/
Petula Clark had grown up in front of the British public. By the age of 12 she was being cast in films and not many years later was recording as well, being called, "The British Shirley Temple". As she grew into an adult her success began to shift to the UK charts and then to France and Germany where she sang in those languages to the delight of her listening public. She loved France to the point that she moved to Paris, married and in quick succession had two children by 1964.
Her record company brought her some material by way of composer Tony Hatch. She was not impressed with any of the material he brought, but while tinkering around on her piano he started playing the chords to a song he had just begun writing based on a first time trip he had taken to New York City. Clark heard it and told him that if he could write lyrics for the song that was as good as the melody that she would record it. The song became her signature, and her first hit in the United States. It also became a launching point for the career of Hatch as he composed a string of 15 straight top 40 hits for the US market as well.
With the tidal wave of British music that reached our shores in 1964, it's easy to assume that all it took was an accent and a record contract to make it to the US charts. However, there were more than a few UK bands who seemingly had the goods, but couldn't make the connection with record buyers. The Applejacks were made up of Al Jackson on lead vocals, Martin Baggott on lead guitar, Don Gould on organ, Phil Cash on rhythm guitar, Gerry Freeman on drums, and Megan Davies on bass (quite unusual for that day with a woman in the group). They had a very solid sound, very much like The Beatles of the same vintage. In fact, one of their singles, "Like Dreamers Do" was a Lennon/McCartney composition. They had a couple of top 30 hits in the UK and no real action in the states and after a couple of years of issuing singles that went nowhere, they got a gig on a cruise ship for the rest of the decade before Davies left the band and went into nursing.
There were many sounds emanating from our house growing up. My mom liked hymns and religious music along with the pop singers of her day, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, etc.. Dad however was old school country. When you mentioned, "The King" to him, you had to be talking Hank Williams Sr., not Elvis. The singers that mom like didn't do much for him...except one. Dad LOVED Dean Martin. The only show I remember growing up that was must-see TV for him was his variety show on Friday nights on NBC. Looking back over all of these years it was easy to see why, Dean was everything my daddy wanted to be in life, successful and wealthy, all of it with this laid back persona that dazzled the guys and charmed the ladies. Sinatra recorded this song in 1948, but Martin made it his own as it was the first song to at least temporary knock the Beatles from their stranglehold on the pop charts in the summer of 1964.
As we meander around the history or Rock and Roll, it becomes evident that just like in other areas of entertainment that imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery. In popular music, it also becomes a millstone around the neck of artists and record companies. There is ONLY one Elvis, The Beatles, Stones, Claption...etc.., however billions of dollars are wasted on finding their version of the icon while other artists are languishing.
Which brings us to the American Beetles. I don't know much about these guys other then someone's attempt (band members? Manager? Record Company) to package them as the American equivalent of the fab four right down to the "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's". On the packaging of one of the 45's you can even see them in a pose exactly like their British counterparts. Ironically, the music in these two singles are not bad, and they do a passable job of sounding like a British invasion band, but something more on the lines of Herman's Hermits than The Beatles.
My imagination runs wild with guys like this, because there are so many questions to ask. For now, we'll just enjoy the music and wonder who in the world thought this was a good idea....
The Adorables were two sets of sisters, Pat and Diane Lewis, and Jackie and Betty Winston. They cut four singles for Golden World label between 1964 and 65, and all four went nowhere. They broke up and Pat began to embark on a solo career when all of Golden World was sold to Motown, the masters, singers, songwriters and all. Pat at this point joined The Andantes which was Motown's premier female backing group, she later was a part of the Hot Buttered Soul Unlimited group which backed Isaac Hayes during his most successful years.
"Daddy Please" was the first single they cut for Golden World in 1964 , and it is something to hear. A sharp instrumental and the great voice of Pat Lewis... If you want to hear your favorite oldies and those more obscure, just click the live365 banner on the right and give us a listen.
Entire books have been written about Satchmo and his mark on popular music in the 20th Century....and it's Sunday morning and should be a time for kicking back, staying quiet and relaxing...so am going to do all three. Happy Sunday everyone!
Ginny Arnell. had sung duets with Gene Pitney in the late 50's/early 60's with some success and began a solo career a few years later. She had one hit in 1963 with, "Dumb Head" and was poised as a bright light in the girl group sub-genre. However her best work came in 64-66 which coincided with the British Invasion. None of her singles even cracked the top 100, including the song your going to hear. "I Wish I Knew What Dress To Wear" is one of the best examples (and what i consider a classic) of the girl group era. Hope you like it as well....
