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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.
Frankie Ford is what we would call a lifer. He began singing in talent shows and the like from the age of five and has never looked back. He was the adoptive son of Vincent and Anna Guzzo of Gretna Louisiana from an early age showed an assertiveness and charisma that served him well all of his life and foresaw his life as an entertainer.
He was signed to Ace records and his first song, "Cheatin Woman" became a local hit. It was it's follow up, "Sea Cruise" which hit big nationally. The song which was sung over a pre-recorded track by Huey "Piano" Smith (who wrote it) went to number 14 in the spring of 1959 and made Frankie a star.
He reached the bottom reaches of the chart over the next two years (the highest charting was, "Seventeen" in 1961 at #72), until his going into the Army in 1962 put an end to his life on the hot 100. He continued to entertain while in the military and on his release, sang on a fairly long list of local record labels throughout the next 30 years. He continues to live in the town where he grew up and tours up to 200 dates a year. You can find him at: http://www.frankieford.com/ff-main1.htm
The song, "I Only Have Eyes for You" has been a touchstone song for many generations dating back to it's origins in 1934. Written for the movie "Dames" starring Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, then later used in the movie the following year, "The Lady in Red" starring Barbara Stanwick and Gene Raymond. The song was recorded by Peggy Lee in 1950, but it was this version by The Flamingos that has become the standard version.
The song later became a hit for Art Garfunkel in October of 1975 and have been used in TV shows as recent as the supernatural thriller, "666 Park Avenue" and "Glee" and movies such as the 2003 movie, "Something's Gotta Give" with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
The Falcons hold a place in the history of r&b not only with their big hit, "You're So Fine" in 1959, but also for it's members who went on to further the history of 60's soul.
The group began in the mid-50's out of Detroit, and in 1957 made the changes that would set up their first major success. First, Joe Stubbs, brother of Levi who would make his own mark with The Four Tops joined the group, then later Mack Rice came along. Mack would later come to fame as the man who wrote and was the first to record, "Mustang Sally" in 1965.
It was these two men who along with Eddie Floyd, Lance Finne, Robert Ward and Willie Schofield who comprised the line up that broke on the charts in 59. A year after this song, Stubbs left and was replaced by Wilson Pickett who stayed until leaving in 1963 for a very successful solo career.
Another interesting side note about the group. When Pickett left the group, the rest of the band decided it was time for all to go and the group disbanded. However another Detroit group, The Fabulous Playboys, took the name, "The Falcons" and had a hit of their own in 1966 ("Standing On Guard").
One more thing...the musical group who backed the vocalists during the Wilson Pickett years were known as "The Ohio Untouchables" who in the late 60's changed their name and began a switch over in sound to a harder funk sound. "The Ohio Players" because one of the top funk/r&b groups of the 1970's.
Marketing departments get paid for making whatever product they are selling seem appealing. There is no regard to quality of the product...some might be good, some are not so good, but it's not really the point I suppose, the fact that your interested in buying is the whole point. In the recording industry, marketing has played a major role in the industry. Overall there are more important factors (like talent), however, for the course of one single, there are times where a gimmick is all it takes.
Tommy Facenda was a member of Gene Vincent's backing group, The Blue Caps. He was a guitar player, but in the band was known more as one of the guys who provided hand claps on the records. In fact, him and fellow member Paul Peek were known as "The Clapper Boys" After about a year with the group he left to attempt a solo career in 1958.
His first single, "Little Baby" received no attention, and he moved from his home in Virginia to New York City to jump start things. It was here he met Frank Guida of Legrand Records Guida asked him to record a novelty song called, "High School USA". There is a part to the song where a list of local high schools were to be add. For each major city the song would be released, a set of schools would be overdubbed so it would sound as if it were a local record. In all 28 different versions of the song was released. All versions were counted together on the charts, and the single reached #28 on the top 100.
Facenda never had another hit, and after a stint in the military his career was effectively over. He worked as a firefighter in his hometown of Portsmouth, Virgina, but did tour with The Blue Caps in the early 1980's. The version heard here is the national one which actually very few people had ever heard.
In the wake of Elvis Presley's success, record companies attempted to find their own gold mine. In doing so however, it was obvious that many knew little of what the core of this new "rock and roll" really was. First of all, this new market of teen buyers was still foreign in many ways to marketers. In previous days, pop records were made to the taste of adults, but as time went on the post-war era, teenagers were becoming more dominant in the marketplace, which began a search for a music to call their own. Secondly, those who had a bit of a clue about what the kids wanted, did NOT want anyone as dangerous as an Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis, or someone who was as flamboyant as a Little Richard. In other words, a singer that you could bring home to meet mom. The success of Pat Boone suggested to the suits who ran these companies, that you could have someone who was good looking, could sing and had a more wholesome image.
Looking back now over 50 years later and we see that although this short term strategy was proven successful on the charts, artistically the results were mixed. Of course, for many of these older guys, none of them believed rock and roll was going to be around forever, so short term gain was all that was expected anyway.
Fabian Anthony Forte was born in Philadelphia in 1943, and was discovered by Bob Marcucci and Peter DeAngelis on the recommendation of Frankie Avalon and was signed to Chancellor Records. One has to remember that because American Bandstand was being broadcast out of Philly at the time (and on everyday no less), there was a fierce competition among record labels citywide to provide good looking men (especially), who could carry a tune who could be promoted on the show. This formula worked well for about a year (1959) before the hits began to dry up.
Although he released songs until 1963, his career on the charts was over by the end of 1960. He became the poster boy for those who criticize the, "looks first--talent second" artists of the late 50's/early 60's, mainly due to his testimony in Congress during the payola scandal. In those probes he admitted to the world that his voice had received a substantial amount of electronic doctoring to improve his voice. Although he voice wasn't very good, he was far from the only artist who had their voices enhanced. A listen to many of the singers of that day shows that the echo chamber was a friend to many.
After the music had run it's course, he attempted to follow Avalon's footsteps into films. Although his short term was not close to his friends, he managed to have a nice career throughout the 60's and into the early 70's.
When talking about the first wave of innovators in Rock and Roll, the first few come easy: Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and Fats Domino. Two others who I believe should be categorized in that group would be Don and Phil Everly.
Close harmony singing in thirds was common in country music in the 50's. Artists like The Louvin Brothers, The Osborne Brothers, and Jim & Jessie, used it to great effect, but it wasn't until The Everly's that it had been used in the new style that was known as Rock and Roll. Listening to much of their music it's obvious the music fell a bit more on the country side (mainly because of those harmonies), but The Beatles, Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel were deeply influenced by their music.
Their popularity spanned from their first number one in 1957, "Bye, Bye, Love", to "That's Old Fashioned" in 1962. As opposed to what some might think, the duo's days of hits stopped long before the British Invasion. I believe part of this was due to a contractual dispute with their manager who also administered the Rose-Acuff music publishing company. Not only were they cut off from Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the team who wrote several of their biggest hits, but they couldn't even used their own material They were contracted to Acuff-Rose themselves, so any songs they wrote would have to go through that publisher. This forced them to use cover material, and other writers who they had not had a musical relationship with. That, and a stint for the both of them in the Marine's, effectively brought their career as a charting duo to an end.
After a 10 years hiatus from working together, the brothers got back together and continue to tour as both are in their 70's. "Wake Up Little Suzie", is one of the major hits written by the Bryant's.
Patti Page was born Clara Ann Fowler in Claremore, Oklahoma in November of 1927. Her family lived in several towns in that state until settling in Tulsa in time for high school, where she graduated in 1945. It was that year that she was featured on a local radio program on KTUL. The 15 minute show was sponsored by the Page Milk Company, and while doing the program she was dubbed, "Patti Page", the moniker in which she kept the rest of her life. After a short stint with Jack Rael and his, "Jimmy Joy" Band, she was signed to Mercury Records in 1947.
Her first hit was, "Confess" in 1947 which reached #12. From that song until 1960, Page charted 40 songs in the top 20, which included three number 1's. One of those, "Tennessee Waltz" became her signature song and is the state song of Tennessee. By the early 60's, her popularity began to wane, but found herself with the occasional hit, such as 1965's title song to the Bette Davis thriller, "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" She also could be seen in the movie, "Elmer Gantry" (1960), and "Boys Night Out" (1962)
She shifted her focus away from the Hot 100 and from 1966 to 1982 was frequently on the Adult Contemporary and Country charts giving her a solid 35 years in the forefront of popular music. She never stopped touring totally, doing up to 50 concerts a year even well into her 80's. Her third husband, Jerry Filiciotto (who died in 2009) ran a maple syrup business in New Hampshire and resided in California where she passed this past Tuesday.
On a personal note...my life as a singer began with a Patti Page song. I remember it was a summertime party in 1965 for the business my mom worked for. There was a band, and somehow (probably volunteered) ended up fronting the band who played "Mocking Bird Hill" (confidently telling the guitarist to play it in the key of "Z"). To my knowledge I refrained from, "How Much is That Doggie in the Window" Both are included below....
Over the years, all four of the Beatles had discussed their influences. Elvis, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and so on. One name however that comes up that most in the US have never heard of was Lonnie Donegan.
Skiffle was a type of music that drew from traditional jazz, blues and folk, and generally performed with homemade instruments. It's roots are disputed, but began to show up in recorded form in Chicago during the 1920's. It popped up from time to time over the next 20 years, but was a rural genre that never saw a lot of popularity until Lonnie Donegan led a revival of the style in the UK during the 50's.
Donegan spent much of the 40's and early 50's playing guitar in various traditional jazz bands throughout Britain. While playing with Ken Colyer's Jazzmen, he would play a guitar and banjo during a dixieland set. This led him to join with a couple of other members to play what they called a "skiffle" break which included a washboard, a tea-chest bass and Spanish guitar.
This proved to be so popular that the combo recorded a version of Leadbelly's, "Rock Island Line" in the summer of 1954, which became a hit in 1956. He recorded much of the rest of the 50's, with a great deal of success. His real influence however was how, in bringing skiffle to England, he inspired many a poor and middle class boys to pick up homemade (or very low rate) instruments and start banging out, "Rock Island Line".
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).
There are not many songs that I just don't like, and when coming upon the name Sammy Davis Jr. the immediate response is, "Well....I'd do 'The Candy Man'". My inner voice begins to remind me that this was a man who, in his day he was known as a great dancer, an actor on stage and screen (he was even nominated for a daytime Emmy for a reoccurring role on the ABC soap, 'One Life To Live') and a singer who's voice was easily lumped together with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Given that, I couldn't write about a song that trivialized the man and the movie that it was taken from (as an aside, the original "Willy Wonky and the Chocolate Factory is one of my favorite movies of all time and I didn't like the song as it was done in the movie either)
So let's talk about a song I'd like for you to remember him by....
He had began to hit the charts in 1954 with "Hey There" and "The Red Grapes", both which reached the top 40, but it was, "Something's Gotta Give", released in the spring of 1955 that became his biggest hit until 1972, and was his signature song. Written by Johnny Mercer, it was heard first in the Fred Astaire movie, "Daddy Long Legs" in 1955. The McGuire Sisters actually had the bigger charting success with the song (reaching #5), but almost 60 years later, it's Davis' version that is remembered.
Although not always successful, it would not be a stretch to call Bobby Darin one of the most versatile performers (if you define it through quantity) in the modern era. From teen pop to Frank Sinatra style crooning, folk rock, rock, and even a bit of Motown, Darin squeezed a lot of material in his 37 years on this planet. Not all of these attempts were successful, but if you take the time to look at his body of work, he accomplished much more than you would expect.
Almost 40 years after his death he is defined though "Mack the Knife", which is probably why so many see him as just a night club act. "Mack" was written by the team of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht for their musical drama, "Die Dreigroschenoper" or as it's known in English, "The Threepenny Opera" in 1928.
Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky wrote the English lyrics for it's Broadway debut in 1933, which failed badly. It fared better in the early 50's off-Broadway adaptation written by Marc Blitzstein. This is the version that we all know and Darin recorded in 1959. Louie Armstrong did the first swing version in 1956. Interestingly enough, the name Lotte Lenya which is found in the song belonged to Kurt Weill's widow who was at Armstrong's recording. As a bit of a tribute to it's original author, he spontaneously added her to the names in the song.
Darin recorded the song and it was released as a single. Despite it's being an increasingly popular song in Darin's nightclub act, he was hesitant about it's release. There were those (Dick Clark among them) who thought that it's association with an opera would cause it not to sell well to teenagers. Darin, who already had three top 10 hits previous ("Splish Spash", "Queen of the Hop" and "Dream Lover") and was seen as a bit of a teen idol, was not sure about putting out a song about a murderer. The final decision was made by Ahmet Ertegun from Atlantic Records and Darin soon had his only number 1 hit.
For those who are not aware of his full career, you might be interested to take a further look beyond here. He had a total of 21 top 40 hits with 9 of those being in the top ten. Although none of them were quite like the most swinging song about murder ever....
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/
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.
David Cortez Clowney was born in 1938 at Detroit. His dad who was a pianist steered David to the piano which he played for 10 years before switching to the organ. He started out for a few years as a singer in the group, The Pearls, then in 1958 went off on his own.
His first charting single was his only #1. "The Happy Organ", released on the Clock label made Cortez the first African-American to have an instrumental reach that status in the rock and roll era. A few years later, he hit the top 10 again with, "Rinky Dink". His last charting song was in 1966, and his last album was released in 1972 until just past year, when Cortez released a new album on Norton Records backed by Lonnie Youngblood and His Bloodhounds.
Because of his long life and continued presence in the spotlight, Ray Charles is considered by many the father of soul music. While this technically may be true, it was another giant who gave it legitimacy beyond the clubs. Because of his early death, there are several generations who have missed the influence and legacy that was Sam Cooke.
Soul music by definition is a blending of rhythm & blues, and gospel. Whereas Ray Charles' background wasn't necessarily in the church, what was seen as a blending of the sacred and profane divided many who thought it was sacrilege. Cooke's background was much different. He grew up the son of a pastor in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and after singing in several groups as a child and teenager, filled the role of tenor in the groundbreaking group, The Soul Stirrers.
The stigma of crossing over from gospel to secular was enough that Cooke released his first single under the name "Dale Cook", which didn't fool many. However, the head of Specialty records, Art Rupe, gave Sam his blessing to leave for a secular career, although wasn't happy at the direction of the music and the singer finally had to separate himself from the label.
Signing with Keen records, he recorded, "You Send Me", which was actually the B side of the record. The A-side, a reworking of George Gershwin's, "Summertime" was slated for release, the disc jockeys preferred the Cooke-penned song. It was his only number 1 song, but was the beginning of a long stay on the charts as he logged 17 top 20 hits up until his death in December of 1964
When you have been on television for 60 years, you have the opportunity to see and do a lot. Dick Clark had done a lot and influenced several generations. Those under the age of 30 can't remotely understand what he has done. Honestly, I'm 51 and although "American Bandstand" brought a lot of groups that I had never seen or heard into my living room, people of my age can't fully appreciate how deep and wide his influence was not just on entertainment, but on culture as a whole. I would contend that Clark, through "American Bandstand" had more influence on popular music than any one person, more than Elvis, more than the Beatles, because the show caused a generation of teenagers to come together in a way that would make the way for the stupendous growth of those artists.
To understand how his was, you need to look and see what the culture was like for many pre-World War II. There was literally no "teen-aged" years for many. Once you could take responsibility for bringing in money for the family, to work on your own, to make a family of your own, you did it. Many kids never finished high school, not because they were not smart enough, but because they were needed on the farm, or helping with the family business. At the beginning of the war, much of the country was still coming out of the worst depression in our country's history and more than a few families were still in survival mode.
The war changed that economically for many. At it's end in 1945, many men came home, married, had kids, and settled into jobs. The economy began to take off, and with it several things changed. With established jobs, many did well enough that children were encouraged to stay in school and get a full education. With extra money flowing, an 8 hour day for many (those who left the farm) allowed for not only leisure time, but money to actually spend ON leisure. This dovetailed nicely with an invention that, was starting to catch on in many homes: television.
Music was also beginning to change as well. Country and Western and R&B, both for the most part regional genres, began to mix. The result was Rockabilly, which was in bodied in one man, Elvis Presley. By the time he was on Ed Sullivan, he had already made inroads all through the south, but his time on television made him a star across the country. This was the first time that this new generation stood up and was heard through radio airplay and through record sales.
Dick Clark meanwhile had been working as a disc jockey since the late 40's into the early 50's. A move to Philadelphia's WFIL allowed him to also spend some time on it's television sister station. He was put on as a substitute host on a local dance show called, "Bob Horn's Bandstand" in 1952, which he did until one day Horn was fired because of an arrest for a DUI. Clark became full time host of the Bandstand and in 1957, ABC picked it up for national distribution.. At the time, it was on every weekday after school.
Clark, who graduated from Syracuse University was not only a lover of this music, but a very shrewd businessman as well. He knew that he was playing music that the kids loved, but looked, dressed and behaved in a manner in which the parents couldn't find fault. This was a secret that kept Bandstand from lasting so long. When I was a kid, he might be interviewing Sly Stone, or some other artists that my parents would frown upon, but with this businesslike dress and attitude, many a parent would be like, "well...if Dick Clark think's he's ok...." and that would allow many different styles to be brought into living rooms for decades.
Anyway, from 1957 until 1963 and it's move to LA, American Bandstand was on everyday. This allowed teenagers to hear the music they loved and the artists who made them on a regular basis. More importantly, was for the first time this new generation got to see what others their age were doing. A kid in St. Charles, Missouri could see and hear the same things that a kid in Brooklyn or a kid in LA was doing. It effected not only the music, but dance, and clothing styles as well. With media being almost instantaneous now, it's hard to calculate the effect this had on an entire generation.
This had the same effect on the music. Elvis breaking out on TV had a huge impact and spurred on literally thousands of kids who wanted to make the music as well. Over the next few years, rock and roll "scenes" broke out all over the country. Many of them became stars within their region, but all were different and fed by local radio stations. After the top stars (Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry), came many local hits. What you heard in St. Louis would be much different than what was being played in El Paso TX and so on.
What Bandstand did in the late 50's, and especially in the early 60's with the onset of girl groups and male teen idols, (many which were discovered and groomed for stardom on AB) was form a mass collective of teenagers, all whose tastes and styles was formed by the show. This in my opinion made Beatlemaina possible. If there wasn't a entire generation who were listening and watching for the next new thing, the British Invasion might have occurred, but one could argue that it's immediate impact and broadness of it's popularity would have been greatly diminished.
Hopefully you will take the time to read and listen to the obits over the next days, and there is much more socially that American Bandstand helped to define, such as having many black artists on his show, and for insisting that the audiences watching the show were integrated.Hopefully this helps a small bit to show the enormity of his value to modern culture and to popular music as a whole.
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.
It's been a busy morning around the homestead and am not posting a normal music post. However, it has been brought to my attention that many of you might not know about our weekly radio show. "The Rock and Roll Omnibus is heard in six markets now and is continuing to grow. Here is a listing of where you can hear us....all times are US CENTRAL:
As most parents who have had children who have gone through adolescence and are in adulthood, we have already attempted to explain (at least once) about some pop culture event that occurred when we were children. In today's IMAX world, it's almost impossible to explain adequately the awe and wonder of the time we watched Neil Armstrong take that first step on to the lunar surface. So if that's difficult....try explaining why one would wear platform shoes and bell bottom jeans, or that gas in 1977 was less than 80 cents a gallon....or that we (at least in St. Louis) had 6 TV stations and that our remote control consisted of my Dad say, "Get up and the turn the channel to....".
I guess I'm mentioning all of this to attempt to explain this song. Ed Byrnes was an actor who played in the ABC series, "77 Sunset Strip". On the pilot episode he played a continual hair combing serial killer. The end of the show has him being arrested and sent off to prison to be executed. However, there was huge feedback about the character and, sensing how popular he was, ABC brought him back the next episode. "Kookie" was a character that many could identify with: windbreaker jacket, hair greased up and piled high on his head, and a language that was a cross between Jack Kerouac and James Dean (...think Fonzie from "Happy Days"). He became one of the first TV teen idols.
The show ran from 1958-1964, and this duet with Connie Stevens was recorded early-on in the "Kookie" phenomenon. It reached #4 on the Billboard singles chart in late spring of 1959...
In the late 50's, the two most popular male artists were Elvis Presley and Pat Boone. Revisionist history want's to put all of the spotlight on Elvis and push Boone to the background, but the truth was that for all of the excitement that Elvis caused, America in the 50's was still very conservative, and many teens were as well. Boone made records that, in hindsight, were a natural progression of the early 50's pop sound, updated for younger listeners. He also appealed to many parents since he was practically asexual on record (and on screen as well), as opposed to artists such as Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis who practically oozed it.
Many forget how young he actually was (21) when the hits started coming in 1955. By the time he sang, "Love Letters In The Sand" hit #1, he had already been at the top of the charts three times. He would continue to be a force on the charts until 1962, and he still holds the record for having the most consecutive weeks (220) on the Billboard singles charts. Love Letters, was originally written in 1931 and was first a hit for Ted Black's Orchestra, Boone also used it in the film in which he starred, "Bernardine"
