“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” has such a fresh 60s sound that it is surprising to me that it was written in 1939. It was originally written by a man from South Africa named Solomon Linda and he recorded it with … Continue reading →
“Please, Mr Postman” had five writers, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. This is probably because the song came out of Motown. They were famous for having teams of people write their songs. In fact … Continue reading →
Jimmy Dean wrote “Big Bad John” in an hour and a half on a plane ride to Nashville, Tennessee. “Big John” is based on an actor Jimmy had run across while he was performing in summer stock theater. The actor’s … Continue reading →
Dion Francis DiMucci was born July 18, 1939 in the Bronx, New York, son of an Italian-American couple. His father was a vaudeville entertainer and often took Dion on tour with him. Dion grew up loving the music of performers … Continue reading →
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PIMLKG Ray Charles started out on Atlantic Records which recorded some of the greatest black performers of the Fifties. After the success of “What’d I Say” which hit number six on the pop chart and number one on the R&B … Continue reading →
On February 3, 1959, the music died. That was one of the most important days in music history as the plane carrying Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens crashed shortly after takeoff in a cornfield near Crystal Lake, … Continue reading →
“Michael,” also known as “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” is a folk song that dates back to the Civil War. A true slave song, it was first noticed at St. Helena Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. … Continue reading →
Joe Dowell only had two hits in his career and just one number one, “Wooden Heart.” “Wooden Heart” was first heard in the movie, G.I. Blues which starred the king, Elvis Presley. It’s probably good for Joe Dowell that Elvis … Continue reading →
“Tossin’ and Turnin’” is truly one of rock and roll’s great standards. If you pick up any oldies compilation, especially from the early Sixties, there’s a good chance “Tossin’ and Turnin’” will be on it. Billboard Magazine named it the … Continue reading →
I don’t think it would surprise anyone to learn that Gary U.S. Bonds is not his real name. Gary was born Gary Anderson in 1939 in Jacksonville, Florida. He started singing publicly in church but when his family moved to … Continue reading →