David Seville’s real name was Ross Bagdasarian. Ross was born January 27, 1919 to grape farmers in Fresno, California. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a grape farmer also, but Ross had other ideas. He … Continue reading →
“Twilight Time” has quite a history. It was written by songwriter Samuel Buck Ram (they called him Buck) back in 1944. He wrote the words as a poem and then the music was supplied by the members of the instrumental … Continue reading →
Laurie London was born in 1944, in East London England, and I can’t find anything to imply that that is not his real name. He was about fourteen when he sang this big hit. He actually recorded the song when … Continue reading →
Elvis’ first number one of 1958 was the double sided hit “Don’t” backed with “I Beg of You.” “Don’t” is his first ballad since “Love Me Tender” back in 1956. On December 20, 1957, Elvis received his draft notice to … Continue reading →
“Catch a Falling Star,” written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, was Perry Como’s last number one of his career. Of course, Perry Como kept right on singing and entertaining. His television show, Kraft Music Hall, lasted until 1967, So, … Continue reading →
The Champs came about entirely by accident. Guitarist Dave Burgess worked as A&R man for Challenge Records which was owned by cowboy Gene Autry. He had recorded a song called “Train to Nowhere,” along with Danny Flores who played saxophone … Continue reading →
The Silhouettes were a doo-wop group out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They started in 1956, using the name The Thunderbirds, but soon changed that to The Silhouettes. The original group was four guys, Earl Beal (baritone), Raymond Edwards (bass), Richard Lewis … Continue reading →
The McGuire Sisters really were sisters. There was Christine, Dorothy and Phyllis. The were all born in Middletown, Ohio, but were raised in Miamisburg. They started singing very young. Like many performers, they first sang in church and by 1949, … Continue reading →
We start 1958 with one of the true classics of rock and roll. Danny and the Juniors started out singing together in high school, calling themselves the Juvenairs. They did the usual high school events, singing at dances, parties, and … Continue reading →
“April Love” is Pat Boone’s fifth number one and he would have one more in 1961. I have mentioned already that Pat was second only to Elvis Presley in record sales in the Fifties. The song was written by Sammy … Continue reading →