Podcasts about Hang On Sloopy

Travis Irvine from The Foreign Report stops by The Brighter Side studio to talk about what is great about Ohio and why we all need to Hang On Sloopy occasionally. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of The Brighter Side ad-free.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

14 09 27 -- The Battle of Flowers parade was my second parade ever. It was April 27, 1979, in San Antonio, Texas, part of "Fiesta," an annual series of events in San Antonio.  I was there with my high school band, on a trip we'd been looking forward to all year. https://battleofflowers.org/events/   The numbering convention is an adaptation of the method used in Defending Your Life. In the movie its a way to refer to specific days in a lifetime while reviewing events that may cover any day within a life. The first number is my age in years on the day this happened, the second is the month number within that year (i.e. the number of months since my previous birthday), and the third is the day within the month. Because I was born at the end of the month, I've simply used the day of that month e.g. for November 11 the month number is 4 and the day number is 11 Although the date is described within the movie as being “Daniels nth year,” the actual year used is his age at that point. This means that, for example, 1/1/1 is his first birthday: the first day of the first month when he turned 1., This is noted as a goof on IMDB ( as described, 1/1/1 would be the first day of his first year I.e. the day he was born) but ... having tried to figure it myself, this method turns out to be easier to calculate and more useful to understand about when events are happening. Note that  14 09 27  is NOT “14 years, plus 4 months plus 11 days” but “the 27th day of the 9th month after my 14th birthday.” A Twitter thread from a day I was thinking about the Battle of Flowers.  On WIkipedia, you can find what a Sousaphone looks like. Repo Man and Plain Wrap according to IMDB https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Texas_tower_shooting Hang On Sloopy is not mentioned here and there was no way for me to have included the relevant anecdote in the episode, but I did want to at least have some reference to it. Suffice it to say that it was a song we frequently played at football games.

This is an Encore Presentation of my February 2024 episode featuring Bert Berns and Nat Weiss, two giants of the music industry, yet both relatively unknown to the public. Bert Berns was one of the foremost songwriters and producers of pop and rhythm and blues in the ‘60s. His hits include “Twist And Shout”, which The Beatles took to international fame; “Piece Of My Heart”, Janis Joplin's gigantic hit; “Hang On Sloopy”, the mega-hit for The McCoys; “Cry To Me”, a hit for Solomon Burke and later for The Rolling Stones; and “Tell Him”, a great early ‘60s hit for the Exciters. His producer credits include “Brown Eyed Girl”, Van Morrison's first smash hit. Nat Weiss was a lawyer by training. He became the U.S. business partner of Brian Epstein, the manager of The Beatles, and was Brian's right hand man in America for the band, including for all the merchandising opportunities coming their way. Nat expanded this relationship and began suggesting artists for Brian to manage, including The Cyrkle (“Red Rubber Ball”). They formed a management company together and, after Brian's death, Nat continued the business, managing artists like James Taylor.---------------------------------------------The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!For more information and other episodes of the podcast click here. To subscribe to the podcast click here.To subscribe to our weekly Follow Your Dream Podcast email click here.To Rate and Review the podcast click here.“Dream With Robert”. Click here.—----------------------------------------ROBERT'S LATEST SINGLES:“ROUGH RIDER” is Robert's latest single. It's an instrumental with a Cool, ‘60s, “Spaghetti Western”, Guitar-driven, Tremolo sounding, Ventures/Link Wray kind of vibe!CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEOCLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS—--------------------------------“LOVELY GIRLIE” is a fun, Old School, rock/pop tune with 3-part harmony. It's been called “Supremely excellent!”, “Another Homerun for Robert!”, and “Love that Lovely Girlie!”Click HERE for All Links—----------------------------------“THE RICH ONES ALL STARS” is Robert's single featuring the following 8 World Class musicians: Billy Cobham (Drums), Randy Brecker (Flugelhorn), John Helliwell (Sax), Pat Coil (Piano), Peter Tiehuis (Guitar), Antonio Farao (Keys), Elliott Randall (Guitar) and David Amram (Pennywhistle).Click HERE for the Official VideoClick HERE for All Links—----------------------------------------“SOSTICE” is Robert's single with a rockin' Old School vibe. Called “Stunning!”, “A Gem!”, “Magnificent!” and “5 Stars!”.Click HERE for all links.—---------------------------------“THE GIFT” is Robert's ballad arranged by Grammy winning arranger Michael Abene and turned into a horn-driven Samba. Praised by David Amram, John Helliwell, Joe La Barbera, Tony Carey, Fay Claassen, Antonio Farao, Danny Gottlieb and Leslie Mandoki.Click HERE for all links.—-------------------------------------“LOU'S BLUES”. Robert's Jazz Fusion “Tone Poem”. Called “Fantastic! Great playing and production!” (Mark Egan - Pat Metheny Group/Elements) and “Digging it!” (Peter Erskine - Weather Report)!Click HERE for all links.—----------------------------------------Audio production:Jimmy RavenscroftKymera Films Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast:Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.comEmail Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.comFollow Robert's band, Project Grand Slam, and his music:Website - www.projectgrandslam.comYouTubeSpotify MusicApple MusicEmail - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Welcome to Wine, Weed, Weird! An Ohio pop culture history podcast! For today, anyway. Emily and Ky are full of fun facts about how this cute little bop of a song got written, recorded, orchestrated for a marching band, then captured the hearts of Ohioans everywhere, and got made official! Emily also has to share with you how delighted she was with her snowy walk, and Ky unravels the mystery of Iowa's state rock song! Ok actually, that mystery is just as deep as ever. Maybe next time! We're also coming at you with a bonus song: Schnappy Schnap(?), The German Christmas(?) Gator! Emily is making this up, but it sure sounds plausible! You CAN'T leave us a voice memo, but you sure can comment on our instagram, and enjoy the dulcet tones of Emily's fancy new microphone!

Rubber Soul was the sixth studio ablum released by The Beatles in the US and the UK.  The album was largely recorded in October of 1965 over a four week period, and relesed in December of 1965.  The Fab Four had completed their North American tour by August, and had returned to London to compose this album.  It would be the first album they completed without the pressure of commitments to tour, film, or otherwise make public appearances.  Nevertheless, the band was working under tight timelines, intending to release the album before the Christmas sales cycle.  It would go to the top of the album charts and would be one of the biggest albums of 1966, charting at number 3 in the UK and number 4 in the US for the year.The name of the album is a bit of self deprecation.  The term "plastic soul" was used at the time to describe some artists' attempts to duplicate the sound of black American soul music, and the Beatles recognized their efforts as less-than authentic.  It also has a double meaning, referencing the Wellington boot worn in rural northern England.The album  combines elements of folk rock, soul, progressive rock, and the newly-emerging psychedelic sound.  It would set a new standard with rock groups, encouraging the creation of high quality albums rather than just making a string of singles that were merged onto an LP record.  It also shows the increasing maturity of the group in lyrics and music.  Lynch brings us this classic album from one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and friend of the show Mike Fernandez sits in while Bruce is out. Baby You Can Drive My CarThe opening track was written by Lennon and McCartney.  The lyrics are told from the perspective of a woman who expects to be a big star, and offers the man the opportunity to be her chauffeur.  At the end you find out that she doesn't have a car, but at least now she has a chauffeur.  Norwegian WoodIt really isn't possible to have a deeper cut when you're talking about the Beatles, but this may be as close as we can get.  John Lennon is the primary writer - with some contributions from Paul McCartney - and the lyrics discuss an extramarital affair he had in London.  George Harrison plays sitar on this song, and it is the first use of that instrument recorded in a major release in the rock world. In My LifeThe lyrics from this song were written by John Lennon, and is perhaps the first time he wrote a song inspired from his childhood.  George Martin plays the piano on the bridge, but recorded it at half speed.  This creates the tinny harpsicord feel when the song is run at full speed.MichellePaul McCartney is the primary writer of this song, inspired by the popularity of Parisian "Left Bank" culture, and contains french lyrics despite McCartney's lack of fluency in the language.  The music was partially inspired by chet Atkin's finger picking style.  McCartney began writing the song in 1958, and it went to number 1 in France where it was released ahead of the album. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:The James Bond Theme (from the motion picture “Thunderball”)This was the fourth film in the spy series starring Sean Connery as James Bond.  It was originally planned to be the first film of the series, but was pushed back due to legal disputes. STAFF PICKS:Treat Her Right by Roy Head and the TraitsWayne leads off the staff picks with a short, happy, party song.  While this may have a surf song vibe, the band is from Texas.  The lyrics tell about how a guy is supposed to treat a woman, and the benefits thereof.  The song peaked at number 2, and is the best known song by the group.  Hang On Sloopy by the McCoysRob brings us a song originally recorded by the Vibrations in 1964 with the title "My Girl Sloopy."  A jazz singer in Ohio named Dorothy Sloop inspired the name.  The McCoys version went to number 1 on the pop charts, and would be picked up by a number of garage bands.  Rick Derringer is the front man for the group.California Girls by The Beach BoysMike's staff pick is a well-known song from the album "Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)" by the group.  Brian Wilson conceived the song during an acid trip, thinking about film scores from Westerns and - of course - girls.Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuireLynch closes out the staff picks with a protest song often covered.  P.F. Sloan wrote this song after the Kennedy assassination, the Gulf of Tompkin military action, and other social upheaval of the early to mid-60's.  American media used this song as an example of what was wrong with youth culture, counterintuitively driving the popularity of the song. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Hole in the Wall by The PackersThis jazz instrumental closes out this week's podcast. Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

‘Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz once shared that a news editor from the South told him, “I don't mind you having a Black character [on your comic strip], but please don't show them in school together.” Racial tensions were heated back then when Schultz introduced Franklin, the first Black character in ‘Peanuts,' in July of 1968—just three months after the assassination of civil rights icon, Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite Franklin's historic arrival to a legendary comic strip, pushback remained for quite some time. Join us as host Eddie Robinson dedicates a powerful episode to two individuals who are making a profound impact on the lives of young students – syndicated cartoonist, Robb Armstrong and bestselling author, Tiffany Jewell. Armstrong, who would later become Schultz's close friend and protégé, chats unguarded about the impetus to create Franklin and how the character has evolved—as he's co-written a new origin story entitled, “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin,” now available on AppleTV+. Later in the episode, Jewell explores highlights from her latest book, “Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned In School,”—a collaborative memoir of her own story, along with other contributors, about how they were often racialized, at times subtle or blatant, both in and out of classrooms. While children of any race absorb coded messaging and information—whether from a ‘Peanuts' comic, a playground incident or an experience with a teacher—I SEE U takes on a provocative conversation that helps identify opportunities to course correct generations of systemic racism in places and spaces of education once thought to be safe, fair, inclusive and equitable.

Bert Berns and Nat Weiss are two giants of the music industry, yet both relatively unknown to the public. Bert Berns was one of the foremost songwriters and producers of pop and rhythm and blues in the ‘60s. His hits include “Twist And Shout”, which The Beatles took to international fame, “Piece Of My Heart”, Janis Joplin's gigantic hit, “Hang On Sloopy”, the mega-hit for The McCoys, “Cry To Me”, a hit for Solomon Burke and later for The Rolling Stones, and “Tell Him”, a great early ‘60s song for the Exciters. His producer credits include “Brown Eyed Girl”, Van Morrison's first smash hit, "Under The Boardwalk" by The Drifters, and "Cherry Cherry" by Neil Diamond. Nat Weiss was a lawyer by training. He became the U.S. business partner of Brian Epstein, the manager of The Beatles, and was Brian's right hand man for the band in America, including sorting out all the merchandising opportunities coming their way. Nat parlayed this relationship into one where he would suggest artists for Brian to manage, including The Cyrkle. They formed a management company together and, after Brian's death, Nat continued the business, managing artists like James Taylor.---------------------------------------------The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!For more information and other episodes of the podcast click here. To subscribe to the podcast click here.To subscribe to our weekly Follow Your Dream Podcast email click here.To Rate and Review the podcast click here.“Dream With Robert”. Click here.—----------------------------------------“MILES BEHIND”, Robert's first album, was recorded in 1994 but was “lost” for the last 30 years. It's now been released for streaming. Featuring Randy Brecker (Blood Sweat & Tears), Anton Fig (The David Letterman Show), Al Foster (Miles Davis), Tim Ries (The Rolling Stones), Jon Lucien and many more. Called “Hip, Tight and Edgy!” Click here for all links.—--------------------------------------‘THE SINGLES PROJECT” is Robert's new EP, featuring five of his new songs. The songs speak to the ups and downs of life. From the blissful, joyous “Saturday Morning” to the darker commentary of “Like Never Before” and “The Ship”. “This is Robert at his most vulnerable” (Pop Icon Magazine)Reviews: “Amazing!” (Top Buzz Magazine)“Magical…A Sonic Tour De Force!” (IndiePulse Music)“Fabulously Enticing!” (Pop Icon Magazine)“A Home Run!” (Hollywood Digest)Click here for all links.—--------------------------------------“IT'S ALIVE!” is Robert's latest Project Grand Slam album. Featuring 13 of the band's Greatest Hits performed “live” at festivals in Pennsylvania and Serbia.Reviews:"An instant classic!" (Melody Maker)"Amazing record...Another win for the one and only Robert Miller!" (Hollywood Digest)"Close to perfect!" (Pop Icon)"A Masterpiece!" (Big Celebrity Buzz)"Sterling effort!" (Indie Pulse)"Another fusion wonder for Project Grand Slam!" (MobYorkCity)Click here for all links.Click here for song videos—-----------------------------------------Audio production:Jimmy RavenscroftKymera Films Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast:Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.comEmail Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert's band, Project Grand Slam, and his music:Website - www.projectgrandslam.comYouTubeSpotify MusicApple MusicEmail - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Making a Scene Presents an interview with Legendary Rick DerringerEntertainer Rick Derringer was just 17 when his band The McCoys TM recorded the No.1 hit "Hang On Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, knocking "Yesterday" by The Beatles out of the top spot. The McCoys had enjoyed four years of successful touring, when Rick merged his talents with Johnny Winter in 1969, forming Johnny Winter And (And referring to the McCoys).

RADIO CRYSTAL BLUE NOVUS ORDO 9/10/23 Lusitanian Ghosts "September" https://lusitanianghosts.net/ Public Soeaking "Right Angle Wrong Shape" - An Apple Lodged In My Back https://www.facebook.com/publicspeakingmusic Jaguero "All I Think About" - New Love https://www.facebook.com/jaguerocult And The Broken - "Puttin' Out Fires (Hurt) https://www.facebook.com/andthebroken Emily Adams "What's Wrong With You" https://www.facebook.com/MusicEmilyAdams/ Hank Woji "I'm Gonna Hit The Number" - Highways, Gamblers, Devils And Dreams www.hankwoji.com Gregg Hill "Big Blue Moon" - Bayou St. John www.gregghill.com Running time: 47 minutes ********************** RADIO CRYSTAL BLUE 9/10/23 I recited the first chapter of Jack Kerouac's "Dharma Bums" ******************** Van Morrison "On Hyndford Street" - Hymns To The Silence Them (featuring Van Morrison) "The Story Of Them" - The Story of Them compilation The Kinks "Stop Your Sobbing" s/t Rick Derringer "Hang On Sloopy" - Spring Fever David Bowie "Sorrow" Pin-Ups The Strangeloves "Just The Way You Are" - I Want Candy Thee Headcoatees "Cara-Lin" - Punk Girls The Headcoats "Girl from '62" - Elementary Headcoats Iggy & The Stooges "Gimme Danger" - Raw Power The White Stripes "Astro" s/t Jess Novak "A Thousand Lives" - A Thousand Lives www.jessrocknovk.com Jo Wymer "The Shoebox" - SLG www.jowymer.com Emily Howard "Live Fee" Good Grief https://www.emilyhoward.co.uk/ Tipps & Obermiller "Ferris Wheel" - Love (and other mysteries) www.tippsandobermiller.com Terry Klein "Wedding Day Eve" - Leave The Light On https://terrykleinmusic.com/ Lara Herscovitch "Italian Balconies" www.laraherscovitch.com Lonely Lost Boy "Walking Man" https://www.facebook.com/gordonhennessymusic123/ Amy Speace "If You Fall" Tuscon www.amyspeace.com ******************** Ringo Starr "Rewind Forward" - Rewind Forward www.ringostarr.com Keeley "Floating Above Everything Else" Floating Above Everything Else www.keeleysound.com Telquist "Moon" www.blickpunkt-pop.de Swansea Sound "Twentieth Century" https://www.facebook.com/swanseasound/ Matt Tiegler "Dream" - Hands Free Down Hill https://www.facebook.com/matttieglermusic Don't Panic "Black And Blue And White" - Setting Up To Fail https://dontpanicofficial.com Los Discorde "El Mar" www.facebook.com/losdiscorde Kurt Baker "Not Right" - Rock & Roll Club www.facebook.com/kurtbakermusic Second Cities "Chewing Teeth" (featuring Ryan McCombs) www.facebook.com/SecondCities --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/radiocblue/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/radiocblue/support

Weekly podcast about High School Football in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

This week we listen to 4 GARAGE versions of what some boomers say is the greatest song of all time: Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone." We think the very first cover of the tune was done by the Soup Greens, presented to the world only one month after BD released the original. (1:47) They don't bore us, they get to the chorus! In their soupy hands, the song becomes a frat rock rager - with a burbling organ, boom-crash drums, and a great clattering ending. Mike Mitchell > Mike Bloomfield by the way ... in 1966, The Other Half took the song on (40:19).  These aren't the "Mr. Pharmacist" guys but they add a cool opening bass riff we like. Next up is those "shoulda-beens," The Remains (1:03:43). Their rendition has studio banter, pounding drums, snotty Jagger-esque vocals replacing the Dylan whine, and includes a throat-shredding rendition of the famous chorus. The second verse has a wicked stop and chop section a la "Hang On Sloopy," as well. Finally, the stone rolls all the way to Sweden and lands next to the Lee Kings (1:36:06). These guys produce a nice dreamy version with a softer approach to the caustic chorus, and a more mournful harp part than the original. Basically, they give the song a Swedish accent, showing the love the Scands had for BD before awarding him the Nobel Prize, which we also discuss. Man, this descripto has more words than Dylan himself ... gotta go!!

Multi Genre Recording Artist Tony Carlucci - follows up his Highly Acclaimed Super Nostalgia Album "I Only Have Eyes For You", with his New Energy Infused Rad Righteous Retro Rockin' Release "Rock This Town". A Party Time Rocking Release with lots of great songs. It is a Colossal Collection of Righteous Retro Rockin' hits covering artists such as Elvis, Wilson Pickett, The Beatles, Three Dog Night, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stray Cats, Cars, Kiss, Romantics, Tommy James, Dion, Paul Anka, Elton John, Joe Cocker and more…Calling Tony a multi genre artist is an understatement. "Rock This Town" is a definite shift in style from his last album - from crooner classics to timeless rock ballads. His ability to switch up styles is never ending, and we're wondering where he might turn next.Whether your guilty pleasure is a bit of Mustang Sally, or Wild Thing from the Troggs, Tony seems to capture the magic in every one of the 25 tracks listed on the album. His ability to adapt to each vocal type is impressive, as he takes on the role of a range of countless rock legends.Whilst listening to the album, one can sense the passion Tony Carlucci has performing these songs. Not only does he cover these timeless classics, he adds his own stamp to them and makes them his own. No doubt this resonates with his fans, especially those who are familiar with his live performances, which can bring back great memories through music. Tony delivers Fantastic Inspired Energy Infused Performances of Pulsating Party Rocking songs such as "Blue Suede Shoes", "Mustang Sally", "Twist and Shout", "Little Sister", "Burning Love", "Pride And Joy", "Rock This Town", "Good Times Roll", "I Was Made For Loving You" and many more... Tony also Tastefully covers fun Party Rockin' hits such as "Wooly Bully", "Hang On Sloopy", "Louie Louie" and "Wild Thing". Tony also performs Smooth and Heart Warming renditions of slower rock songs such as "Suspicious Minds", "Something About The Way You Look Tonight", and closes the album with a Fabulous rendition of "You Are So Beautiful". What continues to be impressive is Tony's ability to switch between the styles of many memorable artists from Elvis Presley to Elton John - and a whole lot in between - and seems to Capture The Magic again and again Every Time. The entire album covers an Astronomic Assortment of Great Songs. It is a varied compilation of Feel Good Fast Numbers, Bluesy Songs and some Slow Rock Ballads. Listen on Spotify

CFB Preview of the T25...

* The photo on the left is of a great frat - swamp rock group from the bay area called "The Golliwogs." (later known as "Credence Clearwater Revival.".  THEME:  "FRAT ROCK PARTY TIME."PLAYLIST:00:00 | DJ | DICK LEE AND THE ICEMAN00:20 | WHAT I'D SAY | THE BRYMERS01:13 | FIT ME IN | BRYMERS02:41 | GIMME GOOD LOVIN | CRAZY ELEPHANT04:57 | LA BAMBA | BRYMERS08:03 | DO YOU LOVE ME | DAVE CLARK FIVE10:51 | INTERVIEW - DAVE DAVIES | THE KINKS12:59 | YOU REALLY GOT ME | KINKS15:45 | TWIST AND SHOUT | ISLEY BROTHERS18:44 | HANG ON SLOOPY |   22:30 | RED RUBBER BALL | CRYKLE26:20 | CHURCH LEY | JIM WALLER AND THE DELTAS30:25 | COME GET YOUR LOVE | RED BONE34:31 | KICKS | PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS37:09 | IN THE SUMMERTIME | MUNGO JERRY40:36 | MONEY | COACHMEN44:28 | WOOLY BULLY | SAM THE SHAM48:45 | DOUBLE SHOT OF MY BABY'S LOVE | SWINGING MEDALLIONS51:34 | UNCHAINED MELODY | RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS58:02 | NA NA HEY HEY | STEAM59:21 | HOLD ON I'M COMING | BRYMERS"Dick Lee and 60's Garage Rock from California" is a weekly one hour show that features great California Garage Rock along with the hits of the day. The show can be heard on KOOL 100.7 FM-Saturdays-12:00 noon (PST-Hanford, CA), Amsterdam International Radio, WYML 99.9 FM (Chicago), M.A.D. FM - New Zealand, Replay Radio FM (U.K.), Way Out Radio FM (U.K.), Experience FM 103.9 ( Indianapolis), 60's Chart Busters (Cyprus), KCEG (N.D.), Supreme VIB-Z Radio (Jamaica), So Faking Radio (Arizona), KOGY 95 FM-Hawaiian Pacific Radio, The Rock 97.3 (Morro Bay, CA), Atlantic Radio FM (U.K.), Riot Radio (Maryville, IL), Black Hole FM (Milford, CT.), Community Radio-Long Island, (N.Y.), KEWL 98 FM (New Jersey), Akaroa World Radio-90.1 FM (New Zealand), FAB Radio Internation (Manchester, England), Classic Rock XL, (Ontario, Canada), Northern Pirate Radio (U.K.), HD Radio Network, (Dealfield, Wisconsin), KHJ FM 105.3 (Albany, Oregon), Canal Side Radio, (U.K.), Remember Then Radio (U.S.) WRTR(Tuscaloosa, Ala), Sixties City Garage Rock, (U.K.), 57 Chevy Radio (U.S.), NWCZ Radio (Seattle-Tacoma), WCNX 1710 AM (Middletown, CT), KRYZ 98.5 FM (Mariposa, CA), WCSQ 105.9 FM (Cobleskill, NY), Brill 1449 Radio (U.K.), WZPH Radio (Dade City, FL), SG1 Radio (U.K.), Radio Flawless (New York), KWRH (St. Louis, MO), KWCZ (Seattle, WA). KITZ (Gilchrist, OR), KNCP (LA Pine, OR.), KZSR (Paso Robles, CA.) KOWS Radio (Sonoma County/Santa Rosa, CA), Heat FM Radio (NY), Griffiti Radio (U.K.), Bay and Basin 92.7 FM-Australia, ZANJ Radio (Jamaica), Dusty Discs Radio (B.C., Canada), The Phoenix Radio Network (U.K.), KCIW 100.7 FM (Brookings, OR), Q95 Oldies (S.C.), KALH Radio (N.M.), KSHD-FM, (OR), Mystery Train Radio (U.K.), Drive-In-A Go-Go Radio (Ontario, Canada), E.K FM Radio (U.K.), Rebel Radio (U.K.), GR8 Chats Radio (U.K.), Thunder Radio Canada (Ontario, Canada), Total Mixx Radio (Virginia), Veterans Family Radio (U.K.), KSVB 91.4 FM (Big Bear, CA), Destiny Radio (U.K.) Fantasy Radio (U.K.), Curve Radio (U.K.), Beatz Radio (Bangladesh), Ambron Radio (U.K.), Curve Radio (U.K.), Fantasy Radio (U.K.), Ohio Broadcast Network (Columbus, OH), Solar FM (U.K.), Sho Off Radio (U.K.), Max Radio (N.Y.), On Air Hits (TX), Sea Wall Radio (Galvaston, TX), Now Hits Radio (U.K.), Cruize Radio (Australia), Urban Essex Radio (U.K.), Corvette Retro Radio (Athens, Ohio), "HU 1 Radio" (U.K.), "Bulls Eye Radio" (New York), Cofton Radio (U.K.), Radio For Fun (Australia), Sanctuary Radio (Denver, CO), Mad Wasp Radio (U.K.), Kings FM Radio (U.K.), OwlTail.com, Cherokee Nation Radio, AKA Radio, (California), Madness FM Radio (U.K.), Global Community Radio (New York), iHeart Radio, Fish Creek Radio (San Antonio, TX), Chris Max Radio (N.Y.), Hot Tunez Radio (U.K.), QSKY Radio (New York), I.E. Radio (U.S. and U.K.), BHP Radio (U.K.), The Mix 96 FM (La, Ala, Ga, and the U.K.), Ken Versa's Power Hit Radio (Colorado), Radio Hawk (Cornwall, Canada), KMBY 95.9 FM (Monterey, Santa Cruz, Carmel), CABMZK Radio (U.K.), 70's Greatest Hits Radio (U.S.), KFOK Radio (Georgetown, CA), KINT 98 FM (El Paso, TX), Scream Radio (UK), A.M.R. Radio (Atlanta, GA), Seabird Radio (U.K.), Thames Valley Community Radio (UK), Arvada Rocks Radio (Colorado), Shore Shore Radio Blackpool (U.K.), KFOK 95.1 FM (CA), Peak Wireless Radio (U.K.), Your Radio (U.K.), KYXZ 107.9 FM (Grover Beach, CA), "Classic Rock XL" (McElmon Media Group - London and Ontario),  "Cool Vibes Radio (U.K.), 121 Radio (U.K.),  P.V.R. Radio (U.K.), and My Mix 94.3 FM (St. Louis, MO).

 We are entering the loose era. We talk about tall men, the soapbox derby, and when cats have birthdays. Please email us and talk to us! Kate's a lonely goblin.The music in this episode is by the McCoysOhio pride!

1965: Die Antibabypille kommt in der DDR auf den Markt - und The McCoys veröffentlichen "Hang on sloopy." Der Song wird ein Riesenhit und für Gitarrist Rick Derringer geht ein Traum in Erfüllung.

The song that could be called the true rival of “Louie Louie”: there's a lot of lore around this tune.2:02 My Girl Sloopy – The Vibrations (1964)The original "Sloopy"! A live-ly song with a Latin flavour – the percussion is in your face and goes to your feet! We discuss the too-soon fadeout and the perennial Snoopy/Sloopy confusion. And what in the heck is a Slow Berns? Find out here.43:49 My Girl Sloopy – James Henry & the Olympics (1965)Ruff, tuff, garage of the Pacific Northwest variety - which means sax, organ and four-on-the-floor drumming. We debate the potential frat-rock status of the song & the talent these bands have to make all their repertoire sound gloriously duh-duh-duh! 1:01:08 My Girl Sloopy – Yardbirds (1965)A very dynamic version – this song was made to be raved up! Jeff Beck's sassy wah-wah, Keith Relf's exaggerated hi-lo vocals and three – THREE! – slow berns make this one a treat. A crucial digression on Wishbone Ash and Marillion ensues.1:27:10 Hang on Sloopy – McCoys (1965)The most famous version – we talk about the whole backstory of the song's composition (with appearances by The Strangeloves and The Dave Clark Five), its afterlife and the mythology of Sloopy which is as deep as “Louie Louie.” Textbook stuff!

Cal Tjader - Along Comes Mary (1967) Cal Tjader - Gimme Shelter (1971) Marran Gosov - Lampenfieber (1977) Now THIS is German Existentialism! The English translation to what he is singing: At the first time came energy At the second then the imagination At the third came with you the pleasure At the fourth you've kissed me At the fifth I was searching you At the sixth then only cursed you At the seventh i have discovered you At the eighth tasted on the skin   Stage fright Without you I can not be Fever Without you I'm alone Fever My cross and yarn on the pulse of power Fever I need you again and again Stage fright   At the ninth you've touched me At the tithe seduces me very quick At the eleventh came the Wonderland At the twelfth it started all over again   You are hope and energy The engine of my imagination My cross and yarn on the pulse of power My time-escort until midnight Without you I can not be Without you I'm alone I need you again and again stage fright Sakarin Boonpit – ควายหายล้อมคอก (Buffalo Disappears Around the Stall) (1978?) Thai cover version of Elvis' "Little Sister" Silver Apples - Oscillations (1968) Silver Apples - Program (1968) Silver Apples - I Don't Care What The People Say  (1998) Silver Apples-  You and I (1969) Decades after their brief yet influential career ground to a sudden halt due to being sued for exorbitant amounts by Pan Am Airlines, Silver Apples remain one of pop music's true enigmas: a surreal, almost unprecedented duo, their music explored interstellar drones and hums, pulsing rhythms and electronically-generated melodies years before similar ideas were adopted in the work of acolytes ranging from Suicide to Spacemen 3 to Laika. Silver Apples was formed in New York in 1967 and comprised percussionist Danny Taylor and lead vocalist Simeon, who played an instrument also dubbed the Simeon, which (according to notes on the duo's self-titled 1968 debut LP) consisted of "nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual controls... The lead and rhythm oscillators are played with the hands, elbows and knees and the bass oscillators are played with the feet." Although the utterly uncommercial record — an ingenious cacophony of beeps, buzzes, and beats — sold poorly, the Silver Apples resurfaced a year later with their sophomore effort, 'Contact', another far-flung outing which fared no better than its predecessor. This record's cover, depicting the duo in the cockpit of a Pan Am airplane, resulted in a legal battle that left the band unable to continue recording and releasing music. However, in 1996 the Silver Apples resurfaced, as Simeon and new partner Xian Hawkins released the single "Fractal Flow." American and European tours followed, and a year later a new LP, 'Beacon', was released to wide acclaim.  Simeon Coxe died on September 8, 2020. Wendy & Bonnie - The Winter Is Cold (1969) From Under The Radar: Genesis, released in 1969, was the one and only album from sisters Wendy and Bonnie Flower. The San Francisco-based siblings were 18 and 15 at the time the album was originally released, and the music of Genesis belies their tender ages. The songs on Genesis are light psychedelic folk, reminiscent of artists like The Free Design, Tim Buckley, and, to a certain degree, fellow Californians, The Mamas and the Papas. The sisters' harmonies are the main draw, floating into the ether above the airy soundscapes. While songs like “Let Yourself Go Another Time” and “The Winter Is Cold” are upbeat and jaunty, most of Genesis is restrained beauty. The album has been championed of late by artists the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Stereolab, and Super Furry Animals, the latter of which sampled the gentle Wendy & Bonnie paean “By the Sea” in the opening of its 2003 song, “Hello Sunshine.” Unfortunately, at the time of its initial release, Genesis did not find as impressive a following. Shortly after the album was released, and amid promotion for the record that included an aborted slot on The Merv Griffin Show, the group's record label, Skye Records, dissolved due to bankruptcy. Subsequently, Wendy and Bonnie Flower faded into seeming obscurity. Then my show came along. This show opens with Cal Tjader, who co-owned Skye Records along with being an in-demand percussionist. he was a family friend that thought the young girls would benefit from not being thrust into the pop scene without a guiding hand on their team. But when the label went belly-up, Bonnie went off to college. I like most of this album. I wonder how many other hidden masterpieces got snuffed out before they got a chance to be heard by a wider audience. I mean these two teenagers, 15 and 18, got pretty far relatively speaking. Even for the time.  Wendy and Bonnie - By the Sea (1969)  Wendy and Bonnie - Five O'Clock In the Morning (1969)  Wendy and Bonnie - Let Yourself Go Another Time (1969)  Yardbirds - Knowing That I'm Losing You (Tangerine) (1968) Yardbirds - White Summer (1968) The Yardbirds - Glimpses (1967) The Yardbirds - Dazed and Confused (1968) Eric Burdon & The Animals - Orange And Red Beam (1968) Freee Fall - Big Mack Truck -?????  That's really how it's spelled. Recorded "live" onboard Norwegian Cruise Liners and, as the name states, intended for the passenger/tourist audiences. I enlarged the back cover because it's amazing. Apparently Norwegian gave these passenger-only records as gifts. I gotta get some more.  Brandon Wade - Letter From a Teenage Son (1967)  Bulldog - Rock & Roll Hootchi Coo (1974) Rick Derringer (the composer) spelled it "Hoochie Koo". Believe it or not, it had been rendered on vinyl three times before his own recording in 1973 became his biggest hit (by far). It was first recorded in 1970 by Johnny Winter and his band, Johnny Winter And, of which Derringer was a member. In 1973, Derringer recorded a solo version, which was his only Top 40 chart hit as a solo artist in the U.S. It became a staple of 1970s radio and rock music compilations. The song was initially recorded by Johnny Winter in 1970 with his band "Johnny Winter And", which included Rick Derringer and other former members of The McCoys, Derringer's previous band ("Hang On Sloopy" was their biggest hit...by far.). In 1970, they recorded the song during the Live Johnny Winter And tour, which was released as Live at the Fillmore East 10/3/70. Winter and Derringer later recorded the song with Winter's brother for Edgar Winter's White Trash live 1972 album Roadwork. Bulldog was an obscure spinoff of The Rascals that formed in 1971. Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli, after leaving their successful act behind, signed with Decca Records. That first album sank without a trace, and their contract with Decca came to an abrupt end and Bulldog spent the majority of 1973 trying to avoid the oldies circuit that had started swallowing up their contemporaries. They signed with Neil Bogart's Buddha Records in 1974 and released Smasher. Perhaps Buddha's primary reputation for bubblegum and novelty records can explain why this release was virtually ignored upon its release. The album sank without even a slight showing on the Billboard charts and Bulldog was dead by early 1975. Cornish and Danelli would resurface a few years later, teaming up with Wally Bryson (Raspberries) in the power-pop act, Fotomaker. Though they issued several albums, they too were dealt a merciless death, leaving Cornish and Danelli on the oldies circuit in a revived lineup of The Rascals. They would later be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of their former bandmates that they had worked so hard to extricate themselves from.  Rick Derringer rererererecorded the song in 2012, a new version of the song with lyrics reflecting his Christian beliefs. Titled "Read the Word and Live It Too". He supported Trump. So f him.  Cledus Maggard - Virgil And The $300 Vacation (1976) I've played Cledus Maggard and The Citizen's Band on my show once before, playing the song "The White Knight" on my CB Radio show.  Leslie Podkin - You Won't Need No Money (1961) Ogo - Marijuana [Guam] (?) Roy E. Baker - Ballad Of The Abortion Child (A Love Letter From Heaven)  (1974) Obituary: Roy “Boy” Edward Baker, age 85 of Knoxville, passed away Saturday, August 30, 2014. Roy was born May 28, 1929, in the coal mining town of Hazard, KY to Gilbert and Mahalia Baker. It was growing up in Hazard that he picked up the nickname “Roy Boy.” He was never able to shake the nickname and it has followed him throughout his life. He was affectionately known as “Roy Boy” by the many friends that loved him so. As a boy, Roy was a Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer all rolled into one. In the small coal-mining where he lived, people worked hard and went to bed early. At night, Roy Boy would slip out of a bedroom window just to wake the town by ringing the church bell. He was the epitome of mischief. His father was a coal miner and Roy grew up expecting that he would follow in those footsteps. It didn't take him long to decide he needed to pursue something else. “I worked a half-day in a coal mine where donkeys drug the coal out. I decided that was not the life for me,” he said. Roy left the coal mining town where he grew up and continued to have a career with General Motors in the tool and die industry. An accomplished musician playing piano, guitar, banjo, drums, and the bull-fiddle, Roy enjoyed many years as a musician, singer, and songwriter. While working for General Motors, he often played musical shows on weekends. The name “Roy Boy” became his stage name. As a movie actor, he played the part of a coal miner in the movie “October Sky,” which was partly filmed in Knoxville and Oliver Springs. When he was nine years old, Roy began drawing cartoons and selling them to his classmates in Hazard. A true patriot of America, Roy continued to use his talents drawing pictures that exemplified his patriotic love of God and country. On any given day you could find him sharing his art with friends at fast-food restaurants. His trademark was the patriotic clothing that he designed and wore in support of America. His iconic little red and white striped truck proudly displayed the American flag and could be seen in parades and events all over East Tennessee. His support for humanitarian projects was recognized and honored in various circles. He was recognized as the Man of the Year in Abstract Art by the city of Knoxville in 2007.  The British North-American Act - Corduroy Coat (1969)

On this week's edition of The Bullring, Alan Dietz and Wesley Outland catch up with Jake Garcia after his first Super Late Model win, Chase Dowling following another win in a stellar 2021 season and Cassius Clark discussing his return to PASS victory lane. We also preview Thursday's Lodi Memorial with Jana Wimmer.

Corría el año 1965 y la agrupación mexicana Los Johnny Jets se anotaba un rotundo éxito con su canción “Es Lupe”, vocalizada por Óscar Álvarez. Así la escuché yo… La versión original fue grabada en 1964 por el grupo estadounidense The Vibrations bajo el título “My girl Sloopy”, composición de Wes Farrell y Bert Russell. La canción llegó al número 1 de la Billboard en octubre de 1965 en la versión de The McCoys, quienes la grabaron como “Hang on Sloopy” en la voz de Rick Derringer. Como dato curioso hay que decir que desde 1985 a esta versión se la nombro como la canción oficial de Rock representativa del estado de Ohio, Estados Unidos. Autores: Wes Farrell & Bert Russell - Versión al español: Los Johnny Jets Es Lupe - Los Johnny Jets (1965) “Los Johnny Jets a Go-Go” (1965) Canta: Óscar Álvarez (mexicano) Hang on Sloopy - The McCoys (1965) “Hang on Sloopy” álbum (1965) Canta: Rick Derringer (nombre real Ricky Dean Zehringer, estadounidense) My girl Sloopy - The Vibrations (1964) single “My girl Sloopy/Daddy Woo-Woo” (1964) ___________________ “Así la escuché yo…” Temporada: 3 Episodio: 42 Sergio Productions Cali – Colombia

Hugo Egon Balder erzählt Geschichten und Anekdoten rund um einen Lieblingshit und seine Entstehung: "Hang On Sloopy" von The McCoys. Von Hugo Egon Balder.

Our heroes discuss sundry topics including alcohol-related urban legends and the real-life Tolliver family before discovering the fun world of porn parody movie names.

Saturday Sports Rundown for October 24th Nevermind, I'm excited... it's GAME DAY !!!! Finally !!!! Ohio State vs. Nebraska , Big Ten football is back !!!! Ohio State vs. Nebraska trailer and Hang On Sloopy were borrowed for this episode of Joe Says What ?

1965: Die Antibabypille kommt in der DDR auf den Markt und The McCoys veröffentlichen "Hang on sloopy".

A mix featuring tracks from 1971, taken from the series, A Decade of Sound 1970s. The Lunar Saloon Every Friday from 10P - 12A PST 99.1 FM Long Beach Streaming at KLBP.org Air date : August 7, 2020 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- George Martin, Eary Feary, Happy Machine: Standard Music Library 1970-2010 Ramases, Journey To The Inside, Space Hymns Gong, You Can't Kill Me, Camembert Electrique Kimio Mizutani, Sabbath Day's Sable, A Path Through Haze Quincy Jones, Theme From "The Anderson Tapes", Smackwater Jack Piero Umiliani, Synthi Boogie, Synthi Time James Clark, Airport People, Retro-Spective - A Tribute to Retro-Teque The Esso Trinidad Steel Band, I Want You Back, Esso Dennis Alcapone, Forever Version, Forever Version Lloyds All Stars, Dread Dub, Trojan Dub Box Set [disc 3] John Holt, Fancy Dub Make Up, 500 Volts Of Dub Wilson Pickett, Don't Knock My Love (Part 2), Love Saves The Day (A History Of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979) (Part 1) The Beginning Of The End, Come Down Baby (Kenny Dope Edit), Kenny Dope & Keb Darge ‎– Kay-Dee Volume 2 Laghonia, Bahia, Peru Bravo: Funk, Soul & Psych From Peru's Radical Decade Apocalipsis, Ayudame a Encontrar Mi Camino, ` Bola Sete, Bettina, Pura Vida Presents: Beach Diggin' Volume 3 The Pawnshop, Laura (What You Do?), Carol / Laura (What You Do?) Chelique Sarabia, Barlovento, Revolución Electrónica En Música Venezolana Sarolta Zalatnay, Késő Esti Órán, Zalatnay David Porter, Hang On Sloopy, The RZA Presents Shaolin Soul Selection Volume 1 Billy Paul, East, Going East Dennis Coffey, A Whole Lot of Love, Product Placement Breaks Cherokee, Funky Business, Country Funk 1969-1975 Michael Nesmith & The First National Band, Grand Ennui, Nevada Fighter Agape, Rejoice, Tribal Rites People, Glastonbury, In Ancient Times Hans Edler, Säg vad är det?, Elektron Kukéso Lucifer, Exorcism, Black Mass Okko, If I Needed Someone, Sitar & Electronics Robin Jones And His Quintet, Africa Revisited, Lift Off! With Apollo Sound James Last, Inner City Blues, Voodoo-Party The Beginning Of The End, Funky Nassau (part 1), Funky Nassau Funkadelic, What Is Soul, Funkadelic Hawkwind, You Know You're Only Dreaming, In Search Of Space

Rick Derringer is an American singer, guitarist, Grammy award winning producer, and entertainer. He is best known as a member of the McCoys, a popular 1960s rock and roll group. He talks about his connection with wrestling, Weird Al Yankovic, and songs he wrote for movies. Did he enjoy his time with the McCoys? Rick will answer that and tell us how the McCoys got their first and biggest hit “Hang On Sloopy.” By the way, the original title was “My Girl Sloopy.” Photo is of the McCoys backstage at the Milwaukee Arena, Sunday, Nov. 14, 1965.

Featuring Lawrence Welk, Ray Anthony, Brook Benton, Dion, Irma Thomas, The Platters... We get started with Lawrence Welk (yes, we watch our Dad enjoy himself with T.V.) Our twin spin this week is by LaVern Baker - "Jim Dandy" and its b-side "Bop Ting A Ling". We feature a fabulous original by the Olympics "Good Lovin" later covered by the Young Rascals and check out the cover of "Hang On Sloopy" by Little Caesar & The Consuls.

From humble beginnings, the son of a railroad man quickly realizes that he was meant to play guitar. After listening to his uncle play in the family kitchen and his mothers two part harmony instruction in the car on the way to work, Rick would have the necessary foundation to put his own band The McCoys together and immediately find success with the hit song Hang On Sloopy. Rick has played with everyone from Johnny and Edgar Winter to Ringo Star. At seventy one years old, Rick still rocks as hard as anyone else.

    Welcome to episode twenty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at “Earth Angel” by the Penguins. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. —-more—- Resources As always, I’ve created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. Much of the information here comes from various articles on Marv Goldberg’s site, which is an essential resource for 50s vocal group information.  The quotes from Dootsie Williams are from Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Ave by Johnny Otis. And this CD contains all the Penguins’ releases up to the point that they became just a name for Cleve Duncan. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript When you’re dealing with music whose power lies in its simplicity, as early rock and roll’s does, you end up with music that relies on a variety of formulae, and whose novelty relies on using those formulae in ever-so-slightly different ways. This is not to say that such music can’t be original — but that its originality relies on using the formulae in original ways, rather than in doing something completely unexpected. And one of the ways in which early rock and roll was formulaic was in the choice of chord sequence. When writing a fifties rock and roll song, you basically had four choices for chord sequence, and those four choices would cover more than ninety percent of all records in the genre. There was the twelve-bar blues — songs like “Hound Dog” or “Roll Over Beethoven” or “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” are all based around the twelve-bar blues. There’s the variant eight-bar blues, which most of the R&B we’ve talked about uses — that’s not actually one chord sequence but a bunch of related ones. Then there’s the three-chord trick, which is similar to the twelve bar blues but just cycles through the chords I IV V IV I IV V IV — this is the chord sequence for “La Bamba” and “Louie Louie” and “Twist and Shout” and “Hang On Sloopy”. And finally, there’s the doo-wop chord sequence. This is actually two very slightly different chord sequences — I , minor sixth, minor second, fifth: [demonstrates on guitar] and I, minor sixth, fourth, fifth: [demonstrates on guitar] But those two sequences are so similar that we’ll just lump them both in under the single heading of “the doo-wop chord sequence” from now on. When I talk about that in future episodes, that’s the chord sequence I mean. And that may be the most important chord sequence ever, just in terms of the number of songs which use it. It’s the progression that lies behind thirties songs like “Blue Moon”, and the version of “Heart and Soul” most people can play on the piano (the original song is slightly different), but it’s also in “Oliver’s Army” by Elvis Costello, “Enola Gay” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga, “I’m the One” by DJ Khaled… whatever genre of music you like, you almost certainly know and love dozens of songs based on that progression. (And you almost certainly hate dozens more. It’s also been used in a *lot* of big ballads that get overplayed to death, and if you’re not the kind of person who likes those records, you might end up massively sick of them.) [Excerpt: “Blue Moon”, Elvis Presley, going into “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, going into “I’m the One” by DJ Khaled] But while it has been used in almost every genre of music, the reason why we call this progression the doo-wop progression is that it’s behind almost every doo-wop song of the fifties and early sixties. “Duke of Earl”, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”, “In The Still of the Night”, “Sh’boom” — it forms the basis of more hit records in that genre than I could name even if I spent the whole of this podcast naming them. And today we’re going to talk about a song that cemented that sequence as the doo-wop standard, imitated by everyone, and which managed to become a massive hit despite containing almost nothing at all original. The Penguins were a vocal group, that formed out of the maelstrom of vocal groups in LA in the fifties, in the scene around Central Ave. One thing you’ll notice when we talk about vocal groups, especially in LA, is that it gets very confusing very fast with all the different bands swapping members and taking each others’ names. So for clarity, the Hollywood Flames, featuring Bobby Byrd, were different from the Famous Flames, who also featured Bobby Byrd, who wasn’t the same Bobby Byrd as the Bobby Byrd who was a Hollywood Flame. And when we talk about bird groups, we’re talking about groups named after birds, not groups featuring Bobby Byrd. And the two members of the Hollywood Flames who were previously in a bird group called the Flamingoes weren’t in the bird group called the Flamingoes that people normally mean when they talk about the Flamingoes, they were in a different band called the Flamingoes that went on to become the Platters. Got that? I’m sorry. I’ll now try to take you slowly through the convoluted history of the Penguins, in a way that will hopefully make sense to you. But if it doesn’t, just remember, not what I actually just said, but how hard it was to follow. Even the sources I’m consulting for this, written by experts who’ve spent decades trying to figure out who was in what band, often admit to being very unsure of their facts. Vocal groups on the West Coast in the US were far more fluid than on the East Coast, and membership could change from day to day and hour to hour. We’ll start with the Hollywood Flames. The Hollywood Flames initially formed in 1948, at one of the talent shows that were such important incubators of black musical talent in the 1950s. In this case, they all separately attended a talent show at the Largo Theatre in Los Angeles, where so many different singers turned up that instead of putting them all on separately, the theatre owner told them to split into a few vocal groups. Shortly after forming, the Hollywood Flames started performing at the Barrelhouse Club, owned by Johnny Otis, and started recording under a variety of different names. Their first release was as “The Flames”, and came out in January 1950: [excerpt: “Please Tell Me Now”, the Flames] Another track they recorded early on was this song by an aspiring songwriter named Murry Wilson: [excerpt “Tabarin”, the Hollywood Flames] Murry Wilson would never have much success as a songwriter, but we’ll be hearing about him a lot when we talk about his three sons, Brian, Carl, and Dennis, once we hit the 1960s and they form the Beach Boys. At some point in late 1954, Curtis Williams, one of the Hollywood Flames, left the group. It seems likely, in fact, that the Hollywood Flames split up in late 1954 or early 55, and reformed later — throughout 1955 there were a ton of records released featuring various vocalists from the Hollywood Flames in various combinations, under other band names, but in the crucial years of 1955 and 1956, when rock and roll broke out, the Hollywood Flames were not active, even though later on they would go on to have quite a few minor hits. But while the band wasn’t active, the individuals were, and Curtis Williams took with him a song he had been working on with another member, Gaynell Hodge. That song was called “Earth Angel”, and when he bumped into his old friend Cleve Duncan, Williams asked Duncan if he’d help him with it. Duncan agreed, and they worked out an arrangement for the song, and decided to form a new vocal group, each bringing in one old friend from their respective high schools. Duncan brought in Dexter Tisby, while Williams brought in Bruce Tate. They decided to call themselves The Penguins, after the mascot on Kool cigarettes. Williams and Tate had both attended Jefferson High School, and now is as good a time as any to talk about that school. Because Jefferson High School produced more great jazz and R&B musicians than you’d expect from a school ten times its size, or even a hundred. Etta James, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Barry White, Richard Berry… The great jazz trumpeter Don Cherry actually got in trouble with his own school because he would play truant – in order to go and play with the music students at Jefferson High. And this abundance of talent was down to one good teacher — the music teacher Samuel Browne, who along with Hazel Whittaker and Marjorie Bright was one of the first three black teachers to be employed to teach secondary school classes in LA. Several of the white faculty at Jefferson asked to be transferred when he started working at Jefferson High, but Browne put together an astonishing programme of music lessons at the school, teaching the children about the music that they cared about — jazz and blues — while also teaching them to play classical music. He would have masterclasses taught by popular musicians like Lionel Hampton or Nat “King” Cole, and art musicians like William Grant Still, the most important black composer and conductor in the classical world in the mid-twentieth century. It was, quite simply, the greatest musical education it was possible to have at that time, and certainly an education far beyond anything that most poor black kids of the time could dream of. Half the great black musicians in California in the forties and fifties learned in Browne’s lessons. And that meant that there was a whole culture at Jefferson High of taking music seriously, which meant that even those who weren’t Browne’s star pupils knew it was possible for them to become successful singers and songwriters. Jesse Belvin, who had been a classmate of Curtis Williams and Gaynell Hodge when they were in the Hollywood Flames, was himself a minor R&B star already, and he would soon become a major one. He helped Williams and Hodge with their song “Earth Angel”, and you can see the resemblance to his first hit; a song called “Dream Girl”: [Excerpt: “Dream Girl”, Jesse and Marvin] Note how much that melody line sounds like this bit of “Earth Angel”: [Excerpt: “Earth Angel”, the Penguins] But that’s not the only part of “Earth Angel” that was borrowed. There’s the line “Will you be mine?”, which had been the title of a hit record by the Swallows: [Excerpt: “Will You Be Mine?”: The Swallows] Then there’s this song by the Hollywood Flames, recorded when Williams was still in the band with Hodge: [Excerpt: The Hollywood Flames, “I Know”] That sounds like a generic doo-wop song now, but that’s because every generic doo-wop song patterned itself after “Earth Angel”. It wasn’t generic when the Hollywood Flames recorded that. And finally, the Hollywood Flames had, a while earlier, been asked to record a demo for a local songwriter, Jessie Mae Robinson. That song, “I Went to Your Wedding”, later became a hit for the country singer Patti Page. Listen to the middle eight of that song: [Excerpt: “I Went to Your Wedding”, Patti Page] Now listen to the middle eight of “Earth Angel”: [Excerpt: “Earth Angel”, the Penguins] The song was a Frankenstein’s monster, bolted together out of bits of spare parts from other songs, But like the monster, it took on a life of its own. And the spark that gave it life came from Dootsie Williams. Dootsie Williams was the owner of Doo-Tone Records, and was a former musician, who had played trumpet in jazz and R&B bands for several years before realising that he could make more money by putting out records by other people. His first commercial successes came not from music at all, but from comedy. Williams was a fan of the comedian Red Foxx, and wanted to put out albums of Foxx’s live set. Foxx initially refused, because he thought that if he recorded anything then people wouldn’t pay to come and see his live shows. However, he became short of cash and agreed to make a record of his then-current live set. Laff of the Party became a massive hit, and more or less started the trend for comedy albums: [excerpt: Red Foxx: Laff of the Party] Williams wasn’t, primarily, a record-company owner, though. He was like Sam Phillips — someone who provided recording services — but his recordings were songwriters’ demos, and so meant to be for professionals, unlike the amateurs Phillips recorded. The Penguins would record some of those demos for him, performing the songs for the songwriters who couldn’t sing themselves, and as he put it “I had the Penguins doing some vocals and they begged me ‘Please record us so we can get a release and go on the road and get famous’ and all that. They kept buggin’ me ’til I said, ‘Okay, what have you got?'” Their first single, credited to “The Dootsie Williams Orchestra, with Vocal by The Penguins” didn’t even feature the Penguins on the other side. The song itself, “There Ain’t No News Today”, wasn’t an original to the band, and it bore more than a slight resemblance to records like Wynonie Harris’ “Who Threw the Whisky in the Well?” [Excerpt: The Dootsie Williams Orchestra with the Penguins, “There Ain’t No News Today”] But the “what have you got?” question had also been about songs. Williams was also a music publisher, and he was interested in finding songs he could exploit, not just recordings. As he put it, talking to Johnny Otis: “They said, ‘We got a song called ‘Earth Angel’ and a song called ‘Hey Senorita’.’ Of course, ‘Earth Angel’ was all messed up, you know how they come to you. So I straightened it out here and straightened it out there, and doggone, it sounded pretty good. “Earth Angel” was not even intended to be an A-side, originally. It was tossed off as a demo, and a demo for what was expected to be a B-side. The intended A-side was “Hey Senorita”: [excerpt: The Penguins, “Hey Senorita”] Both tracks were only meant to be demos, not the finished recordings, and several takes had to be scrapped because of a neighbour’s dog barking. But almost straight away, it became obvious that there was something special about “Earth Angel”. Dootsie Williams took the demo recording to Dolphin’s of Hollywood, the most important R&B record shop on the West Coast. We’ve talked about Dolphin’s last episode, but as a reminder, as well as being a record shop and the headquarters of a record label, Dolphin’s also broadcast R&B radio shows from the shop. And Dolphin’s radio station and record shop were aimed, not at the black adult buyers of R&B generally, but at teenagers. And this is something that needs to be noted about “Earth Angel” — it’s a song where the emphasis is definitely on the “Angel” rather than on the “Earth”. Most R&B songs at the time were rooted in the real world — they were aimed at adults and had adult concerns like sex, or paying the rent, or your partner cheating on you, or your partner cheating on you because you couldn’t pay the rent and so now you had no-one to have sex with. There were, of course, other topics covered, and we’ve talked about many of them, but the presumed audience was someone who had real problems in their life — and who therefore also needed escapist music to give them some relief from their problems. On the other hand, the romance being dealt with in “Earth Angel” is one that is absolutely based in teenage romantic idealisations rather than in anything like real world relationships. (This is, incidentally, one of the ways in which the song resembles “Dream Girl”, which again is about a fantasy of a woman rather than about a real woman). The girl in the song only exists in her effects on the male singer — she’s not described physically, or in terms of her personality, only in the emotional effect she has on the vocalist. But this non-specificity works well for this kind of song, as it allows the listener to project the song onto their own crush without having to deal with inconvenient differences in detail — and as the song is about longing for someone, rather than being in a relationship with someone, it’s likely that many of the adolescents who found themselves moved by the song knew almost as little about their crush as they did about the character in the song. The DJ who was on the air when Dootsie Williams showed up was Dick “Huggy Boy” Hugg, possibly the most popular DJ on the station. Huggy Boy played “Earth Angel” and “Hey Senorita”, and requests started to come in for the songs almost straight away. Williams didn’t want to waste time rerecording the songs when they’d gone down so well, and released it as the final record. Of course, as with all black records at this point in time, the big question was which white people would have the bigger hit with it? Would Georgia Gibbs get in with a bland white cover, or would it be Pat Boone? As it turns out, it was the Crew Cuts, who went to number one (or number three, I’ve seen different reports in different sources) on the pop charts with their version. After “Sh’Boom”, the Crew Cuts had briefly tried to go back to barbershop harmony with a version of “The Whiffenpoof Song”, but when that did nothing, in quick succession they knocked out hit, bland, covers first of “Earth Angel” and then of “Ko Ko Mo”, which restored them to the top of the charts at the expense of the black originals. [excerpt: The Crew Cuts, “Earth Angel”] But it shows how times were slowly changing that the Penguins’ version also made the top ten on the pop charts, as Johnny Ace had before them. The practice of white artists covering black artists’ songs would continue for a while, but within a couple of years it would have more-or-less disappeared, only to come back in a new form in the sixties. The Penguins recorded a follow-up single, “Ookey Ook”: [excerpt: the Penguins, “Ookey Ook”] That, however, wasn’t a hit. Dootsie Williams had been refusing to pay the band any advances on royalties, even as “Earth Angel” rose to number one on the R&B charts, and the Penguins were annoyed enough that they signed with Buck Ram, the songwriter and manager who also looked after the Platters, and got a new contract with Mercury. Williams warned them that they wouldn’t see a penny from him if they broke their contract, but they reasoned that they weren’t seeing any money from him anyway, and so decided it didn’t matter. They’d be big stars on Mercury, after all. They went into the studio to do the same thing that Gene and Eunice had done, rerecording their two singles and the B-sides, although these recordings didn’t end up getting released at the time. Unfortunately for the Penguins, they weren’t really the band that Ram was interested in. Ram had used the Penguins’ current success as a way to get a deal both for them *and* for the Platters, the group he really cared about. And once the Platters had a hit of their own — a hit written by Buck Ram — he stopped bothering with the Penguins. They made several records for Mercury, but with no lasting commercial success. And since they’d broken their contract with Dootone, they made no money at all from having sung “Earth Angel”. At the same time, the band started to fracture. Bruce Tate became mentally ill from the stress of fame, quit the band, and then killed someone in a hit-and-run accident while driving a stolen car. He was replaced by Randy Jones. Within a year Jones had left the band, as had Dexter Tisby. They returned a few months after that, and their replacements were sacked, but then Curtis Williams left to rejoin the Hollywood Flames, and Teddy Harper, who had been Dexter Tisby’s replacement, replaced Williams. The Penguins had basically become Cleve Duncan, who had sung lead on “Earth Angel”, and any selection of three other singers, and at one point there seem to have been two rival sets of Penguins recording. By 1963, Dexter Tisby, Randy Jones, and Teddy Harper were touring together as a fake version of the Coasters, along with Cornell Gunter who was actually a member of the Coasters who’d split from the other three members of *his* group. You perhaps see now why I said that stuff at the beginning about the vocal group lineups being confusing. At the same time, Cleve Duncan was singing with a whole other group of Penguins, recording a song that would never be a huge hit but would appear on many doo-wop compilations — so many that it’s as well known as many of the big hits: [excerpt: “Memories of El Monte”, the Penguins] It’s fascinating to listen to that song, and to realise that by the very early sixties, pre-British Invasion, the doo-wop and rock-and-roll eras were *already* the subject of nostalgia records. Pop not only will eat itself, but it has been doing almost since its inception. We’ll be talking about the co-writer of that song, Frank Zappa, a lot more when he starts making his own records. And meanwhile, there were lawsuits to contend with. “Earth Angel” had originally been credited to Curtis WIlliams and Gaynell Hodge, but they’d been helped out in the early stages of writing it by Jesse Belvin, and then Cleve Duncan had adjusted the melody, and Dootsie Williams claimed to have helped them fix up the song. Belvin had been drafted into the army when “Earth Angel” had hit, and when he got out he was broke, and he was persuaded by Dootsie Williams, who still seems to have held a grudge about the Penguins breaking their contract, to sue over the songwriting royalties. Belvin won sole credit in the lawsuit, and then signed over that sole credit to Dootsie Williams, so (according to Marv Goldberg) for a while Dootsie Williams was credited as the only writer. Luckily, for once, that injustice was eventually rectified. These days, thankfully, the writing credits are split between Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, and Gaynell Hodge, and in 2013 Hodge, the last surviving co-writer of the song, was given an award by BMI for the song having been played on the radio a million times, and Hodge and the estates of his co-writers receive royalties for its continued popularity. Curtis Williams and Bruce Tate both died in the 1970s. Jesse Belvin died earlier than that, but his story is for another podcast. Dexter Tisby seems to be still alive, as is Gaynell Hodge. And Cleve Duncan continued performing with various lineups of Penguins until his death in 2012, making a living as a performer from a song that sold twenty million copies but never paid its performers a penny. He always said that he was always happy to sing his hit, so long as the audiences were happy to hear it, and they always were.

    Welcome to episode twenty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at “Earth Angel” by the Penguins. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. —-more—- Resources As always, I’ve created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. Much of the information here comes from various articles on Marv Goldberg’s site, which is an essential resource for 50s vocal group information.  The quotes from Dootsie Williams are from Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Ave by Johnny Otis. And this CD contains all the Penguins’ releases up to the point that they became just a name for Cleve Duncan. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript When you’re dealing with music whose power lies in its simplicity, as early rock and roll’s does, you end up with music that relies on a variety of formulae, and whose novelty relies on using those formulae in ever-so-slightly different ways. This is not to say that such music can’t be original — but that its originality relies on using the formulae in original ways, rather than in doing something completely unexpected. And one of the ways in which early rock and roll was formulaic was in the choice of chord sequence. When writing a fifties rock and roll song, you basically had four choices for chord sequence, and those four choices would cover more than ninety percent of all records in the genre. There was the twelve-bar blues — songs like “Hound Dog” or “Roll Over Beethoven” or “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” are all based around the twelve-bar blues. There’s the variant eight-bar blues, which most of the R&B we’ve talked about uses — that’s not actually one chord sequence but a bunch of related ones. Then there’s the three-chord trick, which is similar to the twelve bar blues but just cycles through the chords I IV V IV I IV V IV — this is the chord sequence for “La Bamba” and “Louie Louie” and “Twist and Shout” and “Hang On Sloopy”. And finally, there’s the doo-wop chord sequence. This is actually two very slightly different chord sequences — I , minor sixth, minor second, fifth: [demonstrates on guitar] and I, minor sixth, fourth, fifth: [demonstrates on guitar] But those two sequences are so similar that we’ll just lump them both in under the single heading of “the doo-wop chord sequence” from now on. When I talk about that in future episodes, that’s the chord sequence I mean. And that may be the most important chord sequence ever, just in terms of the number of songs which use it. It’s the progression that lies behind thirties songs like “Blue Moon”, and the version of “Heart and Soul” most people can play on the piano (the original song is slightly different), but it’s also in “Oliver’s Army” by Elvis Costello, “Enola Gay” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga, “I’m the One” by DJ Khaled… whatever genre of music you like, you almost certainly know and love dozens of songs based on that progression. (And you almost certainly hate dozens more. It’s also been used in a *lot* of big ballads that get overplayed to death, and if you’re not the kind of person who likes those records, you might end up massively sick of them.) [Excerpt: “Blue Moon”, Elvis Presley, going into “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, going into “I’m the One” by DJ Khaled] But while it has been used in almost every genre of music, the reason why we call this progression the doo-wop progression is that it’s behind almost every doo-wop song of the fifties and early sixties. “Duke of Earl”, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”, “In The Still of the Night”, “Sh’boom” — it forms the basis of more hit records in that genre than I could name even if I spent the whole of this podcast naming them. And today we’re going to talk about a song that cemented that sequence as the doo-wop standard, imitated by everyone, and which managed to become a massive hit despite containing almost nothing at all original. The Penguins were a vocal group, that formed out of the maelstrom of vocal groups in LA in the fifties, in the scene around Central Ave. One thing you’ll notice when we talk about vocal groups, especially in LA, is that it gets very confusing very fast with all the different bands swapping members and taking each others’ names. So for clarity, the Hollywood Flames, featuring Bobby Byrd, were different from the Famous Flames, who also featured Bobby Byrd, who wasn’t the same Bobby Byrd as the Bobby Byrd who was a Hollywood Flame. And when we talk about bird groups, we’re talking about groups named after birds, not groups featuring Bobby Byrd. And the two members of the Hollywood Flames who were previously in a bird group called the Flamingoes weren’t in the bird group called the Flamingoes that people normally mean when they talk about the Flamingoes, they were in a different band called the Flamingoes that went on to become the Platters. Got that? I’m sorry. I’ll now try to take you slowly through the convoluted history of the Penguins, in a way that will hopefully make sense to you. But if it doesn’t, just remember, not what I actually just said, but how hard it was to follow. Even the sources I’m consulting for this, written by experts who’ve spent decades trying to figure out who was in what band, often admit to being very unsure of their facts. Vocal groups on the West Coast in the US were far more fluid than on the East Coast, and membership could change from day to day and hour to hour. We’ll start with the Hollywood Flames. The Hollywood Flames initially formed in 1948, at one of the talent shows that were such important incubators of black musical talent in the 1950s. In this case, they all separately attended a talent show at the Largo Theatre in Los Angeles, where so many different singers turned up that instead of putting them all on separately, the theatre owner told them to split into a few vocal groups. Shortly after forming, the Hollywood Flames started performing at the Barrelhouse Club, owned by Johnny Otis, and started recording under a variety of different names. Their first release was as “The Flames”, and came out in January 1950: [excerpt: “Please Tell Me Now”, the Flames] Another track they recorded early on was this song by an aspiring songwriter named Murry Wilson: [excerpt “Tabarin”, the Hollywood Flames] Murry Wilson would never have much success as a songwriter, but we’ll be hearing about him a lot when we talk about his three sons, Brian, Carl, and Dennis, once we hit the 1960s and they form the Beach Boys. At some point in late 1954, Curtis Williams, one of the Hollywood Flames, left the group. It seems likely, in fact, that the Hollywood Flames split up in late 1954 or early 55, and reformed later — throughout 1955 there were a ton of records released featuring various vocalists from the Hollywood Flames in various combinations, under other band names, but in the crucial years of 1955 and 1956, when rock and roll broke out, the Hollywood Flames were not active, even though later on they would go on to have quite a few minor hits. But while the band wasn’t active, the individuals were, and Curtis Williams took with him a song he had been working on with another member, Gaynell Hodge. That song was called “Earth Angel”, and when he bumped into his old friend Cleve Duncan, Williams asked Duncan if he’d help him with it. Duncan agreed, and they worked out an arrangement for the song, and decided to form a new vocal group, each bringing in one old friend from their respective high schools. Duncan brought in Dexter Tisby, while Williams brought in Bruce Tate. They decided to call themselves The Penguins, after the mascot on Kool cigarettes. Williams and Tate had both attended Jefferson High School, and now is as good a time as any to talk about that school. Because Jefferson High School produced more great jazz and R&B musicians than you’d expect from a school ten times its size, or even a hundred. Etta James, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Barry White, Richard Berry… The great jazz trumpeter Don Cherry actually got in trouble with his own school because he would play truant – in order to go and play with the music students at Jefferson High. And this abundance of talent was down to one good teacher — the music teacher Samuel Browne, who along with Hazel Whittaker and Marjorie Bright was one of the first three black teachers to be employed to teach secondary school classes in LA. Several of the white faculty at Jefferson asked to be transferred when he started working at Jefferson High, but Browne put together an astonishing programme of music lessons at the school, teaching the children about the music that they cared about — jazz and blues — while also teaching them to play classical music. He would have masterclasses taught by popular musicians like Lionel Hampton or Nat “King” Cole, and art musicians like William Grant Still, the most important black composer and conductor in the classical world in the mid-twentieth century. It was, quite simply, the greatest musical education it was possible to have at that time, and certainly an education far beyond anything that most poor black kids of the time could dream of. Half the great black musicians in California in the forties and fifties learned in Browne’s lessons. And that meant that there was a whole culture at Jefferson High of taking music seriously, which meant that even those who weren’t Browne’s star pupils knew it was possible for them to become successful singers and songwriters. Jesse Belvin, who had been a classmate of Curtis Williams and Gaynell Hodge when they were in the Hollywood Flames, was himself a minor R&B star already, and he would soon become a major one. He helped Williams and Hodge with their song “Earth Angel”, and you can see the resemblance to his first hit; a song called “Dream Girl”: [Excerpt: “Dream Girl”, Jesse and Marvin] Note how much that melody line sounds like this bit of “Earth Angel”: [Excerpt: “Earth Angel”, the Penguins] But that’s not the only part of “Earth Angel” that was borrowed. There’s the line “Will you be mine?”, which had been the title of a hit record by the Swallows: [Excerpt: “Will You Be Mine?”: The Swallows] Then there’s this song by the Hollywood Flames, recorded when Williams was still in the band with Hodge: [Excerpt: The Hollywood Flames, “I Know”] That sounds like a generic doo-wop song now, but that’s because every generic doo-wop song patterned itself after “Earth Angel”. It wasn’t generic when the Hollywood Flames recorded that. And finally, the Hollywood Flames had, a while earlier, been asked to record a demo for a local songwriter, Jessie Mae Robinson. That song, “I Went to Your Wedding”, later became a hit for the country singer Patti Page. Listen to the middle eight of that song: [Excerpt: “I Went to Your Wedding”, Patti Page] Now listen to the middle eight of “Earth Angel”: [Excerpt: “Earth Angel”, the Penguins] The song was a Frankenstein’s monster, bolted together out of bits of spare parts from other songs, But like the monster, it took on a life of its own. And the spark that gave it life came from Dootsie Williams. Dootsie Williams was the owner of Doo-Tone Records, and was a former musician, who had played trumpet in jazz and R&B bands for several years before realising that he could make more money by putting out records by other people. His first commercial successes came not from music at all, but from comedy. Williams was a fan of the comedian Red Foxx, and wanted to put out albums of Foxx’s live set. Foxx initially refused, because he thought that if he recorded anything then people wouldn’t pay to come and see his live shows. However, he became short of cash and agreed to make a record of his then-current live set. Laff of the Party became a massive hit, and more or less started the trend for comedy albums: [excerpt: Red Foxx: Laff of the Party] Williams wasn’t, primarily, a record-company owner, though. He was like Sam Phillips — someone who provided recording services — but his recordings were songwriters’ demos, and so meant to be for professionals, unlike the amateurs Phillips recorded. The Penguins would record some of those demos for him, performing the songs for the songwriters who couldn’t sing themselves, and as he put it “I had the Penguins doing some vocals and they begged me ‘Please record us so we can get a release and go on the road and get famous’ and all that. They kept buggin’ me ’til I said, ‘Okay, what have you got?'” Their first single, credited to “The Dootsie Williams Orchestra, with Vocal by The Penguins” didn’t even feature the Penguins on the other side. The song itself, “There Ain’t No News Today”, wasn’t an original to the band, and it bore more than a slight resemblance to records like Wynonie Harris’ “Who Threw the Whisky in the Well?” [Excerpt: The Dootsie Williams Orchestra with the Penguins, “There Ain’t No News Today”] But the “what have you got?” question had also been about songs. Williams was also a music publisher, and he was interested in finding songs he could exploit, not just recordings. As he put it, talking to Johnny Otis: “They said, ‘We got a song called ‘Earth Angel’ and a song called ‘Hey Senorita’.’ Of course, ‘Earth Angel’ was all messed up, you know how they come to you. So I straightened it out here and straightened it out there, and doggone, it sounded pretty good. “Earth Angel” was not even intended to be an A-side, originally. It was tossed off as a demo, and a demo for what was expected to be a B-side. The intended A-side was “Hey Senorita”: [excerpt: The Penguins, “Hey Senorita”] Both tracks were only meant to be demos, not the finished recordings, and several takes had to be scrapped because of a neighbour’s dog barking. But almost straight away, it became obvious that there was something special about “Earth Angel”. Dootsie Williams took the demo recording to Dolphin’s of Hollywood, the most important R&B record shop on the West Coast. We’ve talked about Dolphin’s last episode, but as a reminder, as well as being a record shop and the headquarters of a record label, Dolphin’s also broadcast R&B radio shows from the shop. And Dolphin’s radio station and record shop were aimed, not at the black adult buyers of R&B generally, but at teenagers. And this is something that needs to be noted about “Earth Angel” — it’s a song where the emphasis is definitely on the “Angel” rather than on the “Earth”. Most R&B songs at the time were rooted in the real world — they were aimed at adults and had adult concerns like sex, or paying the rent, or your partner cheating on you, or your partner cheating on you because you couldn’t pay the rent and so now you had no-one to have sex with. There were, of course, other topics covered, and we’ve talked about many of them, but the presumed audience was someone who had real problems in their life — and who therefore also needed escapist music to give them some relief from their problems. On the other hand, the romance being dealt with in “Earth Angel” is one that is absolutely based in teenage romantic idealisations rather than in anything like real world relationships. (This is, incidentally, one of the ways in which the song resembles “Dream Girl”, which again is about a fantasy of a woman rather than about a real woman). The girl in the song only exists in her effects on the male singer — she’s not described physically, or in terms of her personality, only in the emotional effect she has on the vocalist. But this non-specificity works well for this kind of song, as it allows the listener to project the song onto their own crush without having to deal with inconvenient differences in detail — and as the song is about longing for someone, rather than being in a relationship with someone, it’s likely that many of the adolescents who found themselves moved by the song knew almost as little about their crush as they did about the character in the song. The DJ who was on the air when Dootsie Williams showed up was Dick “Huggy Boy” Hugg, possibly the most popular DJ on the station. Huggy Boy played “Earth Angel” and “Hey Senorita”, and requests started to come in for the songs almost straight away. Williams didn’t want to waste time rerecording the songs when they’d gone down so well, and released it as the final record. Of course, as with all black records at this point in time, the big question was which white people would have the bigger hit with it? Would Georgia Gibbs get in with a bland white cover, or would it be Pat Boone? As it turns out, it was the Crew Cuts, who went to number one (or number three, I’ve seen different reports in different sources) on the pop charts with their version. After “Sh’Boom”, the Crew Cuts had briefly tried to go back to barbershop harmony with a version of “The Whiffenpoof Song”, but when that did nothing, in quick succession they knocked out hit, bland, covers first of “Earth Angel” and then of “Ko Ko Mo”, which restored them to the top of the charts at the expense of the black originals. [excerpt: The Crew Cuts, “Earth Angel”] But it shows how times were slowly changing that the Penguins’ version also made the top ten on the pop charts, as Johnny Ace had before them. The practice of white artists covering black artists’ songs would continue for a while, but within a couple of years it would have more-or-less disappeared, only to come back in a new form in the sixties. The Penguins recorded a follow-up single, “Ookey Ook”: [excerpt: the Penguins, “Ookey Ook”] That, however, wasn’t a hit. Dootsie Williams had been refusing to pay the band any advances on royalties, even as “Earth Angel” rose to number one on the R&B charts, and the Penguins were annoyed enough that they signed with Buck Ram, the songwriter and manager who also looked after the Platters, and got a new contract with Mercury. Williams warned them that they wouldn’t see a penny from him if they broke their contract, but they reasoned that they weren’t seeing any money from him anyway, and so decided it didn’t matter. They’d be big stars on Mercury, after all. They went into the studio to do the same thing that Gene and Eunice had done, rerecording their two singles and the B-sides, although these recordings didn’t end up getting released at the time. Unfortunately for the Penguins, they weren’t really the band that Ram was interested in. Ram had used the Penguins’ current success as a way to get a deal both for them *and* for the Platters, the group he really cared about. And once the Platters had a hit of their own — a hit written by Buck Ram — he stopped bothering with the Penguins. They made several records for Mercury, but with no lasting commercial success. And since they’d broken their contract with Dootone, they made no money at all from having sung “Earth Angel”. At the same time, the band started to fracture. Bruce Tate became mentally ill from the stress of fame, quit the band, and then killed someone in a hit-and-run accident while driving a stolen car. He was replaced by Randy Jones. Within a year Jones had left the band, as had Dexter Tisby. They returned a few months after that, and their replacements were sacked, but then Curtis Williams left to rejoin the Hollywood Flames, and Teddy Harper, who had been Dexter Tisby’s replacement, replaced Williams. The Penguins had basically become Cleve Duncan, who had sung lead on “Earth Angel”, and any selection of three other singers, and at one point there seem to have been two rival sets of Penguins recording. By 1963, Dexter Tisby, Randy Jones, and Teddy Harper were touring together as a fake version of the Coasters, along with Cornell Gunter who was actually a member of the Coasters who’d split from the other three members of *his* group. You perhaps see now why I said that stuff at the beginning about the vocal group lineups being confusing. At the same time, Cleve Duncan was singing with a whole other group of Penguins, recording a song that would never be a huge hit but would appear on many doo-wop compilations — so many that it’s as well known as many of the big hits: [excerpt: “Memories of El Monte”, the Penguins] It’s fascinating to listen to that song, and to realise that by the very early sixties, pre-British Invasion, the doo-wop and rock-and-roll eras were *already* the subject of nostalgia records. Pop not only will eat itself, but it has been doing almost since its inception. We’ll be talking about the co-writer of that song, Frank Zappa, a lot more when he starts making his own records. And meanwhile, there were lawsuits to contend with. “Earth Angel” had originally been credited to Curtis WIlliams and Gaynell Hodge, but they’d been helped out in the early stages of writing it by Jesse Belvin, and then Cleve Duncan had adjusted the melody, and Dootsie Williams claimed to have helped them fix up the song. Belvin had been drafted into the army when “Earth Angel” had hit, and when he got out he was broke, and he was persuaded by Dootsie Williams, who still seems to have held a grudge about the Penguins breaking their contract, to sue over the songwriting royalties. Belvin won sole credit in the lawsuit, and then signed over that sole credit to Dootsie Williams, so (according to Marv Goldberg) for a while Dootsie Williams was credited as the only writer. Luckily, for once, that injustice was eventually rectified. These days, thankfully, the writing credits are split between Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, and Gaynell Hodge, and in 2013 Hodge, the last surviving co-writer of the song, was given an award by BMI for the song having been played on the radio a million times, and Hodge and the estates of his co-writers receive royalties for its continued popularity. Curtis Williams and Bruce Tate both died in the 1970s. Jesse Belvin died earlier than that, but his story is for another podcast. Dexter Tisby seems to be still alive, as is Gaynell Hodge. And Cleve Duncan continued performing with various lineups of Penguins until his death in 2012, making a living as a performer from a song that sold twenty million copies but never paid its performers a penny. He always said that he was always happy to sing his hit, so long as the audiences were happy to hear it, and they always were.

    Welcome to episode twenty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we're looking at "Earth Angel" by the Penguins. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. ----more---- Resources As always, I've created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. Much of the information here comes from various articles on Marv Goldberg's site, which is an essential resource for 50s vocal group information.  The quotes from Dootsie Williams are from Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Ave by Johnny Otis. And this CD contains all the Penguins' releases up to the point that they became just a name for Cleve Duncan. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript When you're dealing with music whose power lies in its simplicity, as early rock and roll's does, you end up with music that relies on a variety of formulae, and whose novelty relies on using those formulae in ever-so-slightly different ways. This is not to say that such music can't be original -- but that its originality relies on using the formulae in original ways, rather than in doing something completely unexpected. And one of the ways in which early rock and roll was formulaic was in the choice of chord sequence. When writing a fifties rock and roll song, you basically had four choices for chord sequence, and those four choices would cover more than ninety percent of all records in the genre. There was the twelve-bar blues -- songs like "Hound Dog" or "Roll Over Beethoven" or "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" are all based around the twelve-bar blues. There's the variant eight-bar blues, which most of the R&B we've talked about uses -- that's not actually one chord sequence but a bunch of related ones. Then there's the three-chord trick, which is similar to the twelve bar blues but just cycles through the chords I IV V IV I IV V IV -- this is the chord sequence for "La Bamba" and "Louie Louie" and "Twist and Shout" and "Hang On Sloopy". And finally, there's the doo-wop chord sequence. This is actually two very slightly different chord sequences -- I , minor sixth, minor second, fifth: [demonstrates on guitar] and I, minor sixth, fourth, fifth: [demonstrates on guitar] But those two sequences are so similar that we'll just lump them both in under the single heading of "the doo-wop chord sequence" from now on. When I talk about that in future episodes, that's the chord sequence I mean. And that may be the most important chord sequence ever, just in terms of the number of songs which use it. It's the progression that lies behind thirties songs like "Blue Moon", and the version of "Heart and Soul" most people can play on the piano (the original song is slightly different), but it's also in "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello, "Enola Gay" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, "Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga, "I'm the One" by DJ Khaled... whatever genre of music you like, you almost certainly know and love dozens of songs based on that progression. (And you almost certainly hate dozens more. It's also been used in a *lot* of big ballads that get overplayed to death, and if you're not the kind of person who likes those records, you might end up massively sick of them.) [Excerpt: "Blue Moon", Elvis Presley, going into "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton, going into "I'm the One" by DJ Khaled] But while it has been used in almost every genre of music, the reason why we call this progression the doo-wop progression is that it's behind almost every doo-wop song of the fifties and early sixties. "Duke of Earl", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "In The Still of the Night", "Sh'boom" -- it forms the basis of more hit records in that genre than I could name even if I spent the whole of this podcast naming them. And today we're going to talk about a song that cemented that sequence as the doo-wop standard, imitated by everyone, and which managed to become a massive hit despite containing almost nothing at all original. The Penguins were a vocal group, that formed out of the maelstrom of vocal groups in LA in the fifties, in the scene around Central Ave. One thing you'll notice when we talk about vocal groups, especially in LA, is that it gets very confusing very fast with all the different bands swapping members and taking each others' names. So for clarity, the Hollywood Flames, featuring Bobby Byrd, were different from the Famous Flames, who also featured Bobby Byrd, who wasn't the same Bobby Byrd as the Bobby Byrd who was a Hollywood Flame. And when we talk about bird groups, we're talking about groups named after birds, not groups featuring Bobby Byrd. And the two members of the Hollywood Flames who were previously in a bird group called the Flamingoes weren't in the bird group called the Flamingoes that people normally mean when they talk about the Flamingoes, they were in a different band called the Flamingoes that went on to become the Platters. Got that? I'm sorry. I'll now try to take you slowly through the convoluted history of the Penguins, in a way that will hopefully make sense to you. But if it doesn't, just remember, not what I actually just said, but how hard it was to follow. Even the sources I'm consulting for this, written by experts who've spent decades trying to figure out who was in what band, often admit to being very unsure of their facts. Vocal groups on the West Coast in the US were far more fluid than on the East Coast, and membership could change from day to day and hour to hour. We'll start with the Hollywood Flames. The Hollywood Flames initially formed in 1948, at one of the talent shows that were such important incubators of black musical talent in the 1950s. In this case, they all separately attended a talent show at the Largo Theatre in Los Angeles, where so many different singers turned up that instead of putting them all on separately, the theatre owner told them to split into a few vocal groups. Shortly after forming, the Hollywood Flames started performing at the Barrelhouse Club, owned by Johnny Otis, and started recording under a variety of different names. Their first release was as "The Flames", and came out in January 1950: [excerpt: "Please Tell Me Now", the Flames] Another track they recorded early on was this song by an aspiring songwriter named Murry Wilson: [excerpt "Tabarin", the Hollywood Flames] Murry Wilson would never have much success as a songwriter, but we'll be hearing about him a lot when we talk about his three sons, Brian, Carl, and Dennis, once we hit the 1960s and they form the Beach Boys. At some point in late 1954, Curtis Williams, one of the Hollywood Flames, left the group. It seems likely, in fact, that the Hollywood Flames split up in late 1954 or early 55, and reformed later -- throughout 1955 there were a ton of records released featuring various vocalists from the Hollywood Flames in various combinations, under other band names, but in the crucial years of 1955 and 1956, when rock and roll broke out, the Hollywood Flames were not active, even though later on they would go on to have quite a few minor hits. But while the band wasn't active, the individuals were, and Curtis Williams took with him a song he had been working on with another member, Gaynell Hodge. That song was called "Earth Angel", and when he bumped into his old friend Cleve Duncan, Williams asked Duncan if he'd help him with it. Duncan agreed, and they worked out an arrangement for the song, and decided to form a new vocal group, each bringing in one old friend from their respective high schools. Duncan brought in Dexter Tisby, while Williams brought in Bruce Tate. They decided to call themselves The Penguins, after the mascot on Kool cigarettes. Williams and Tate had both attended Jefferson High School, and now is as good a time as any to talk about that school. Because Jefferson High School produced more great jazz and R&B musicians than you'd expect from a school ten times its size, or even a hundred. Etta James, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Barry White, Richard Berry… The great jazz trumpeter Don Cherry actually got in trouble with his own school because he would play truant – in order to go and play with the music students at Jefferson High. And this abundance of talent was down to one good teacher -- the music teacher Samuel Browne, who along with Hazel Whittaker and Marjorie Bright was one of the first three black teachers to be employed to teach secondary school classes in LA. Several of the white faculty at Jefferson asked to be transferred when he started working at Jefferson High, but Browne put together an astonishing programme of music lessons at the school, teaching the children about the music that they cared about -- jazz and blues -- while also teaching them to play classical music. He would have masterclasses taught by popular musicians like Lionel Hampton or Nat "King" Cole, and art musicians like William Grant Still, the most important black composer and conductor in the classical world in the mid-twentieth century. It was, quite simply, the greatest musical education it was possible to have at that time, and certainly an education far beyond anything that most poor black kids of the time could dream of. Half the great black musicians in California in the forties and fifties learned in Browne's lessons. And that meant that there was a whole culture at Jefferson High of taking music seriously, which meant that even those who weren't Browne's star pupils knew it was possible for them to become successful singers and songwriters. Jesse Belvin, who had been a classmate of Curtis Williams and Gaynell Hodge when they were in the Hollywood Flames, was himself a minor R&B star already, and he would soon become a major one. He helped Williams and Hodge with their song “Earth Angel”, and you can see the resemblance to his first hit; a song called "Dream Girl": [Excerpt: "Dream Girl", Jesse and Marvin] Note how much that melody line sounds like this bit of "Earth Angel": [Excerpt: "Earth Angel", the Penguins] But that's not the only part of “Earth Angel” that was borrowed. There's the line "Will you be mine?", which had been the title of a hit record by the Swallows: [Excerpt: "Will You Be Mine?": The Swallows] Then there's this song by the Hollywood Flames, recorded when Williams was still in the band with Hodge: [Excerpt: The Hollywood Flames, "I Know"] That sounds like a generic doo-wop song now, but that's because every generic doo-wop song patterned itself after "Earth Angel". It wasn't generic when the Hollywood Flames recorded that. And finally, the Hollywood Flames had, a while earlier, been asked to record a demo for a local songwriter, Jessie Mae Robinson. That song, "I Went to Your Wedding", later became a hit for the country singer Patti Page. Listen to the middle eight of that song: [Excerpt: "I Went to Your Wedding", Patti Page] Now listen to the middle eight of "Earth Angel": [Excerpt: "Earth Angel", the Penguins] The song was a Frankenstein's monster, bolted together out of bits of spare parts from other songs, But like the monster, it took on a life of its own. And the spark that gave it life came from Dootsie Williams. Dootsie Williams was the owner of Doo-Tone Records, and was a former musician, who had played trumpet in jazz and R&B bands for several years before realising that he could make more money by putting out records by other people. His first commercial successes came not from music at all, but from comedy. Williams was a fan of the comedian Red Foxx, and wanted to put out albums of Foxx's live set. Foxx initially refused, because he thought that if he recorded anything then people wouldn't pay to come and see his live shows. However, he became short of cash and agreed to make a record of his then-current live set. Laff of the Party became a massive hit, and more or less started the trend for comedy albums: [excerpt: Red Foxx: Laff of the Party] Williams wasn't, primarily, a record-company owner, though. He was like Sam Phillips -- someone who provided recording services -- but his recordings were songwriters' demos, and so meant to be for professionals, unlike the amateurs Phillips recorded. The Penguins would record some of those demos for him, performing the songs for the songwriters who couldn't sing themselves, and as he put it "I had the Penguins doing some vocals and they begged me 'Please record us so we can get a release and go on the road and get famous' and all that. They kept buggin' me 'til I said, 'Okay, what have you got?'" Their first single, credited to "The Dootsie Williams Orchestra, with Vocal by The Penguins" didn't even feature the Penguins on the other side. The song itself, "There Ain't No News Today", wasn't an original to the band, and it bore more than a slight resemblance to records like Wynonie Harris' "Who Threw the Whisky in the Well?" [Excerpt: The Dootsie Williams Orchestra with the Penguins, "There Ain't No News Today"] But the "what have you got?" question had also been about songs. Williams was also a music publisher, and he was interested in finding songs he could exploit, not just recordings. As he put it, talking to Johnny Otis: "They said, 'We got a song called 'Earth Angel' and a song called 'Hey Senorita'.' Of course, 'Earth Angel' was all messed up, you know how they come to you. So I straightened it out here and straightened it out there, and doggone, it sounded pretty good. "Earth Angel" was not even intended to be an A-side, originally. It was tossed off as a demo, and a demo for what was expected to be a B-side. The intended A-side was "Hey Senorita": [excerpt: The Penguins, "Hey Senorita"] Both tracks were only meant to be demos, not the finished recordings, and several takes had to be scrapped because of a neighbour's dog barking. But almost straight away, it became obvious that there was something special about "Earth Angel". Dootsie Williams took the demo recording to Dolphin's of Hollywood, the most important R&B record shop on the West Coast. We've talked about Dolphin's last episode, but as a reminder, as well as being a record shop and the headquarters of a record label, Dolphin's also broadcast R&B radio shows from the shop. And Dolphin's radio station and record shop were aimed, not at the black adult buyers of R&B generally, but at teenagers. And this is something that needs to be noted about "Earth Angel" -- it's a song where the emphasis is definitely on the "Angel" rather than on the "Earth". Most R&B songs at the time were rooted in the real world -- they were aimed at adults and had adult concerns like sex, or paying the rent, or your partner cheating on you, or your partner cheating on you because you couldn't pay the rent and so now you had no-one to have sex with. There were, of course, other topics covered, and we've talked about many of them, but the presumed audience was someone who had real problems in their life -- and who therefore also needed escapist music to give them some relief from their problems. On the other hand, the romance being dealt with in "Earth Angel" is one that is absolutely based in teenage romantic idealisations rather than in anything like real world relationships. (This is, incidentally, one of the ways in which the song resembles "Dream Girl", which again is about a fantasy of a woman rather than about a real woman). The girl in the song only exists in her effects on the male singer -- she's not described physically, or in terms of her personality, only in the emotional effect she has on the vocalist. But this non-specificity works well for this kind of song, as it allows the listener to project the song onto their own crush without having to deal with inconvenient differences in detail -- and as the song is about longing for someone, rather than being in a relationship with someone, it's likely that many of the adolescents who found themselves moved by the song knew almost as little about their crush as they did about the character in the song. The DJ who was on the air when Dootsie Williams showed up was Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg, possibly the most popular DJ on the station. Huggy Boy played "Earth Angel" and "Hey Senorita", and requests started to come in for the songs almost straight away. Williams didn't want to waste time rerecording the songs when they'd gone down so well, and released it as the final record. Of course, as with all black records at this point in time, the big question was which white people would have the bigger hit with it? Would Georgia Gibbs get in with a bland white cover, or would it be Pat Boone? As it turns out, it was the Crew Cuts, who went to number one (or number three, I've seen different reports in different sources) on the pop charts with their version. After "Sh'Boom", the Crew Cuts had briefly tried to go back to barbershop harmony with a version of "The Whiffenpoof Song", but when that did nothing, in quick succession they knocked out hit, bland, covers first of "Earth Angel" and then of "Ko Ko Mo", which restored them to the top of the charts at the expense of the black originals. [excerpt: The Crew Cuts, "Earth Angel"] But it shows how times were slowly changing that the Penguins' version also made the top ten on the pop charts, as Johnny Ace had before them. The practice of white artists covering black artists' songs would continue for a while, but within a couple of years it would have more-or-less disappeared, only to come back in a new form in the sixties. The Penguins recorded a follow-up single, "Ookey Ook": [excerpt: the Penguins, "Ookey Ook"] That, however, wasn't a hit. Dootsie Williams had been refusing to pay the band any advances on royalties, even as "Earth Angel" rose to number one on the R&B charts, and the Penguins were annoyed enough that they signed with Buck Ram, the songwriter and manager who also looked after the Platters, and got a new contract with Mercury. Williams warned them that they wouldn't see a penny from him if they broke their contract, but they reasoned that they weren't seeing any money from him anyway, and so decided it didn't matter. They'd be big stars on Mercury, after all. They went into the studio to do the same thing that Gene and Eunice had done, rerecording their two singles and the B-sides, although these recordings didn't end up getting released at the time. Unfortunately for the Penguins, they weren't really the band that Ram was interested in. Ram had used the Penguins' current success as a way to get a deal both for them *and* for the Platters, the group he really cared about. And once the Platters had a hit of their own -- a hit written by Buck Ram -- he stopped bothering with the Penguins. They made several records for Mercury, but with no lasting commercial success. And since they'd broken their contract with Dootone, they made no money at all from having sung "Earth Angel”. At the same time, the band started to fracture. Bruce Tate became mentally ill from the stress of fame, quit the band, and then killed someone in a hit-and-run accident while driving a stolen car. He was replaced by Randy Jones. Within a year Jones had left the band, as had Dexter Tisby. They returned a few months after that, and their replacements were sacked, but then Curtis Williams left to rejoin the Hollywood Flames, and Teddy Harper, who had been Dexter Tisby's replacement, replaced Williams. The Penguins had basically become Cleve Duncan, who had sung lead on "Earth Angel", and any selection of three other singers, and at one point there seem to have been two rival sets of Penguins recording. By 1963, Dexter Tisby, Randy Jones, and Teddy Harper were touring together as a fake version of the Coasters, along with Cornell Gunter who was actually a member of the Coasters who'd split from the other three members of *his* group. You perhaps see now why I said that stuff at the beginning about the vocal group lineups being confusing. At the same time, Cleve Duncan was singing with a whole other group of Penguins, recording a song that would never be a huge hit but would appear on many doo-wop compilations -- so many that it's as well known as many of the big hits: [excerpt: "Memories of El Monte", the Penguins] It's fascinating to listen to that song, and to realise that by the very early sixties, pre-British Invasion, the doo-wop and rock-and-roll eras were *already* the subject of nostalgia records. Pop not only will eat itself, but it has been doing almost since its inception. We'll be talking about the co-writer of that song, Frank Zappa, a lot more when he starts making his own records. And meanwhile, there were lawsuits to contend with. "Earth Angel" had originally been credited to Curtis WIlliams and Gaynell Hodge, but they'd been helped out in the early stages of writing it by Jesse Belvin, and then Cleve Duncan had adjusted the melody, and Dootsie Williams claimed to have helped them fix up the song. Belvin had been drafted into the army when "Earth Angel" had hit, and when he got out he was broke, and he was persuaded by Dootsie Williams, who still seems to have held a grudge about the Penguins breaking their contract, to sue over the songwriting royalties. Belvin won sole credit in the lawsuit, and then signed over that sole credit to Dootsie Williams, so (according to Marv Goldberg) for a while Dootsie Williams was credited as the only writer. Luckily, for once, that injustice was eventually rectified. These days, thankfully, the writing credits are split between Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, and Gaynell Hodge, and in 2013 Hodge, the last surviving co-writer of the song, was given an award by BMI for the song having been played on the radio a million times, and Hodge and the estates of his co-writers receive royalties for its continued popularity. Curtis Williams and Bruce Tate both died in the 1970s. Jesse Belvin died earlier than that, but his story is for another podcast. Dexter Tisby seems to be still alive, as is Gaynell Hodge. And Cleve Duncan continued performing with various lineups of Penguins until his death in 2012, making a living as a performer from a song that sold twenty million copies but never paid its performers a penny. He always said that he was always happy to sing his hit, so long as the audiences were happy to hear it, and they always were.

On this Bob & Tom Extra, we have "Hang On Sloopy" and other misheard lyrics, and should Josh bring his own rubbers? Support the show.

Download Episode Here What is it like to work for the Governor of Ohio? We find out from Dustin Russell, Northeast Ohio Regional Liaison for Governor John Kasich. Walk in his shoes as he tells Molly and Alex what he really does at work, and take in a thoughtful discussion on the effect of politics in our lives today. If you miss School House Rock's I'm Just a Bill, get a quick lesson on the legislative process from the man who read the lyrics to Hang On Sloopy in the Ohio House as a Reading Clerk. Dustin shares some updates from the governor's office on JobsOhio and gun violence, Alex and Molly share their love for Mr. Rogers, and everyone wins when we hear the cutest "Twinkle Twinkle ABC" ever sung. Reach out to Dustin by phone at 216-787-3471 or by email at dustin.russell[at]governor.ohio.gov. Will Governor Kasich accept our invitation to answer the lightning round questions??? We'll see! Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a 10-minute Legal Talk with Gene Friedman of Gertsburg Law Firm on Limited Liability Corporations classifying as S-Corps. Here are the links referenced in this episode: More info on JobsOhio can be found at www.jobsohio.com Dustin's selected author, Mark Levin's website is www.marklevinshow.com. His other selected author was Milton Friedman Watch Dustin read Hang On Sloopy in the House at 31:27 in the video found here: www.ohiochannel.org/video/house-session-october-2-2013-part-1 The Facebook page for the Hang On, Sloopy documentary is www.facebook.com/SloopyTheMovie/ An audit of your policies can help you avoid the pain of lawsuits. CoverMySix is a one-stop legal audit for your business, led by award-winning litigators and in-house counsel from The Gertsburg Law Firm. CM6 minimizes your exposure to lawsuits, investigations, disgruntled employees and customers, and all the damage that comes with them. Learn more about how to protect your business from lawsuits at covermysix.com. Find out about all the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce is doing for the community and for businesses, including the Simple Summer Nights Concert Series line-up, at cvcc.org. [gallery ids="1798,1799,1800"] SHOW NOTES * 1:00 Love for the producer; Visiting the farm; Asheville, NC; More issues at Molly's house; Love for Mr. Rogers and Hamilton talk; * 17:40 Introducing Dustin * 20:50 JobsOhio * 23:00 Can we talk politics? * 33:05 A Day at Work for the Governor * 39:40 Hang On, Reading Clerk * 45:30 What's being done about gun violence? * 50:50 The path of a legislative bill * 54:05 Lightning Round * 1:14:49 10-minute Legal Talk with Gene Friedman on LLCs and S-Corps

A detailed look at black, African-American, culture during the "Sixties". (1960-1969)   Overview   "The Sixties":  the counterculture and revolution in social norms about clothing, music, drugs, dress, sexuality, formalities, and schooling – or - irresponsible excess, flamboyance, and decay of social order.   Also labeled the Swinging Sixties because of the fall or relaxation of social taboos especially relating to racism and sexism that occurred during this time.   Also described as a classical Jungian nightmare cycle, where a rigid culture, unable to contain the demands for greater individual freedom, broke free of the social constraints of the previous age through extreme deviation from the norm.   The confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics during the '60s, with the struggle expanding into developing nations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia characterized by proxy wars, funding of insurgencies, and puppet governments.   In response to civil disobedience campaigns from groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), U.S. President John F. Kennedy, pushed for social reforms. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 was a shock.   Liberal reforms were finally passed under Lyndon B. Johnson including civil rights for African Americans· and healthcare for the elderly and the poor. Despite his large-scale Great Society programs, Johnson was increasingly reviled. The heavy-handed American role in the Vietnam War outraged student protestors around the globe.   The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., anti-Vietnam War movement, and the police response towards protesters of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, defined a politics of violence in the United States.   The 1960s were marked by several notable assassinations:   12 June 1963 – Medgar Evers, an NAACP field secretary. Assassinated by Byron de la Beckwith, a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Jackson, Mississippi.   22 November 1963 – John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.   21 February 1965 – Malcolm X. Assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam in New York City. There is a dispute about which members killed Malcolm X.   4 April 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. Assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee.   5 June 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, United States Senator. Assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, after taking California in the presidential national primaries.   Social and political movements (counterculture)   Flower Power/Hippies In the second half of the decade, young people began to revolt against the conservative norms of the time. The youth involved in the popular social aspects of the movement became known as hippies. These groups created a movement toward liberation in society, including the sexual revolution, questioning authority and government, and demanding more freedoms and rights for women and minorities. The movement was also marked by the first widespread, socially accepted drug use (including LSD and marijuana) and psychedelic music.     Anti-war movement The war in Vietnam would eventually lead to a commitment of over half a million American troops, resulting in over 58,500 American deaths and producing a large-scale antiwar movement in the United States. Students became a powerful and disruptive force and university campuses sparked a national debate over the war. The antiwar movement was heavily influenced by the American Communist Party, but by the mid-1960s it outgrew this and became a broad-based mass movement centered in universities and churches: one kind of protest was called a "sit-in".   Civil rights movement Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing into the late 1960s, African-Americans in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against black Americans and voting rights to them. The emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the civil rights movement to include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and anti-imperialism. The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) in Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the influential Greensboro sit-ins (1960) in North Carolina; marches, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965) in Alabama.; and a wide range of other nonviolent activities. Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the civil rights movement were passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that restored and protected voting rights; the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional European groups; and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.   Hispanic and Chicano movement Another large ethnic minority group, the Mexican-Americans, are among other Hispanics in the U.S. who fought to end racial discrimination and socioeconomic disparity. In the 1960s and the following 1970s, Hispanic-American culture was on the rebound like ethnic music, foods, culture and identity both became popular and assimilated into the American mainstream. Spanish-language television networks, radio stations and newspapers increased in presence across the country.   Second-wave feminism A second wave of feminism in the United States and around the world gained momentum in the early 1960s. While the first wave of the early 20th century was centered on gaining suffrage and overturning de jure inequalities, the second wave was focused on changing cultural and social norms and de facto inequalities associated with women. At the time, a woman's place was generally seen as being in the home, and they were excluded from many jobs and professions. Feminists took to the streets, marching and protesting, writing books and debating to change social and political views that limited women. In 1963, with Betty Friedan's revolutionary book, The Feminine Mystique, the role of women in society, and in public and private life was questioned. By 1966, the movement was beginning to grow and power as women's group spread across the country and Friedan, along with other feminists, founded the National Organization for Women. In 1968, "Women's Liberation" became a household term.   Gay rights movement The United States, in the middle of a social revolution, led the world in LGBT rights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Inspired by the civil-rights movement and the women's movement, early gay-rights pioneers had begun, by the 1960s, to build a movement. These groups were rather conservative in their practices, emphasizing that gay men and women are no different from those who are straight and deserve full equality. This philosophy would be dominant again after AIDS, but by the very end of the 1960s, the movement's goals would change and become more radical, demanding a right to be different, and encouraging gay pride.   Crime The 1960s was also associated with a large increase in crime and urban unrest of all types. Between 1960 and 1969 reported incidences of violent crime per 100,000 people in the United States nearly doubled and have yet to return to the levels of the early 1960s. Large riots broke out in many cities like Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Oakland, California and Washington, D.C. By the end of the decade, politicians like George Wallace and Richard Nixon campaigned on restoring law and order to a nation troubled with the new unrest.   Economics The decade began with a recession and at that time unemployment was considered high at around 7%. John F. Kennedy promised to "get America moving again." To do this, he instituted a 7% tax credit for businesses that invest in new plants and equipment. By the end of the decade, median family income had risen from $8,540 in 1963 to $10,770 by 1969. Minimum wage was $1.30 per hour / ~$2,700 per year (~$18,700 in 2018)   Popular culture   The counterculture movement dominated the second half of the 1960s, its most famous moments being the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967, and the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York in 1969. Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, were widely used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the late 1960s, and were popularized by Timothy Leary with his slogan "Turn on, tune in, drop out". Psychedelic influenced the music, artwork and films of the decade, and several prominent musicians died of drug overdoses. There was a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophy, and many attempts were made to found communes, which varied from supporting free love to religious puritanism.   Music   British Invasion: The Beatles arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964   "The 60's were a leap in human consciousness. Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, they led a revolution of conscience. The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix created revolution and evolution themes. The music was like Dalí, with many colors and revolutionary ways. The youth of today must go there to find themselves." – Carlos Santana.     As the 1960s began, the major rock-and-roll stars of the '50s such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard had dropped off the charts and popular music in the US came to be dominated by Motown girl groups and novelty pop songs. Another important change in music during the early 1960s was the American folk music revival which introduced Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many other Singer-songwriters to the public.   Girl groups and female singers, such as the Shirelles, Betty Everett, Little Eva, the Dixie Cups, the Ronettes, and the Supremes dominated the charts in the early 1960s. This style consisted typically of light pop themes about teenage romance, backed by vocal harmonies and a strong rhythm. Most girl groups were African-American, but white girl groups and singers, such as Lesley Gore, the Angels, and the Shangri-Las emerged by 1963.   Around the same time, record producer Phil Spector began producing girl groups and created a new kind of pop music production that came to be known as the Wall of Sound. This style emphasized higher budgets and more elaborate arrangements, and more melodramatic musical themes in place of a simple, light-hearted pop sound. Spector's innovations became integral to the growing sophistication of popular music from 1965 onward.   Also during the early '60s, the “car song” emerged as a rock subgenre and coupled with the surf rock subgenre. Such notable songs include "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Shut Down," all by the Beach Boys; Jan and Dean's "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and "Drag City," among many others.   While rock 'n' roll had 'disappeared' from the US charts in the early '60s, it never died out in Europe and Britain was a hotbed of rock-and-roll activity during this time. In late 1963, the Beatles embarked on their first US tour. A few months later, rock-and-roll founding father Chuck Berry emerged from a 2-1/2-year prison stint and resumed recording and touring. The stage was set for the spectacular revival of rock music.   In the UK, the Beatles played raucous rock 'n' roll – as well as doo wop, girl-group songs, show tunes. Beatlemania abruptly exploded after the group's appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.   As the counterculture movement developed, artists began making new kinds of music influenced by the use of psychedelic drugs. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix emerged onto the scene in 1967 with a radically new approach to electric guitar that replaced Chuck Berry, previously seen as the gold standard of rock guitar. Rock artists began to take on serious themes and social commentary/protest instead of simplistic pop themes.   A major development in popular music during the mid-1960s was the movement away from singles and towards albums.   Blues also continued to develop strongly during the '60s, but after 1965, it increasingly shifted to the young white rock audience and away from its traditional black audience, which moved on to other styles such as soul and funk.   Jazz music during the first half of the '60s was largely a continuation of '50s styles, retaining its core audience of young, urban, college-educated whites. By 1967, the death of several important jazz figures such as John Coltrane and Nat King Cole precipitated a decline in the genre. The takeover of rock in the late '60s largely spelled the end of jazz as a mainstream form of music, after it had dominated much of the first half of the 20th century.   Significant events in music in the 1960s:   Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a motel in Los Angeles, California [11 December 1964] at age 33 under suspicious circumstances.   Motown Record Corporation was founded in 1960. Its first Top Ten hit was "Shop Around" by the Miracles in 1960. "Shop Around" peaked at number-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Motown's first million-selling record.   The Marvelettes scored Motown Record Corporation's first US No. 1 pop hit, "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961. Motown would score 110 Billboard Top-Ten hits during its run.   The Supremes scored twelve number-one hit singles between 1964 and 1969, beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go".   John Coltrane released A Love Supreme in late 1964, considered among the most acclaimed jazz albums of the era.   In 1966, The Supremes A' Go-Go was the first album by a female group to reach the top position of the Billboard magazine pop albums chart in the United States.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released two successful albums during 1967, Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love, that innovate both guitar, trio and recording techniques.   R & B legend Otis Redding has his first No. 1 hit with the legendary Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. He also played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 just before he died in a plane crash.   The Bee Gees released their international debut album Bee Gees 1st in July 1967 which included the pop standard "To Love Somebody".   1968: after The Yardbirds fold, Led Zeppelin was formed by Jimmy Page and manager Peter Grant, with Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones; and, released their debut album Led Zeppelin.   Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin as lead singer, became an overnight sensation after their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and released their second album Cheap Thrills in 1968.   Gram Parsons with The Byrds released the extremely influential LP Sweetheart of the Rodeo in late 1968, forming the basis for country rock.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the highly influential double LP Electric Ladyland in 1968 that furthered the guitar and studio innovations of his previous two albums.   Woodstock Festival, 1969   Sly & the Family Stone revolutionized black music with their massive 1968 hit single "Dance to the Music" and by 1969 became international sensations with the release of their hit record Stand!. The band cemented their position as a vital counterculture band when they performed at the Woodstock Festival.   Film Some of Hollywood's most notable blockbuster films of the 1960s include: 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Apartment, The Birds, I Am Curious (Yellow), Bonnie and Clyde, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bullitt, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Carnival of Souls, Cleopatra, Cool , and Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Doctor Zhivago, Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider, Exodus, Faces, Funny Girl, Goldfinger, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, , Head, How the West Was Won, The , Hustler, Ice Station Zebra, In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Jason and the Argonauts, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Jungle Book, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, The Longest Day, The Love Bug, A Man for All Seasons, The Manchurian Candidate, Mary Poppins, Medium Cool, Midnight Cowboy, My Fair Lady, Night of the Living Dead, The Pink Panther, The Odd Couple, Oliver!, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, One Million Years B.C., Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Romeo and Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, The Sound of Music, Spartacus, Swiss Family Robinson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Valley of the Dolls, West Side Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Wild Bunch.   Television   The most prominent American TV series of the 1960s include: The Ed Sullivan Show, Star Trek, Peyton Place, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Andy Williams Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Wonderful World of Disney, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Batman, McHale's Navy, Laugh-In, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Fugitive, The Tonight Show, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, Mission: Impossible, The Flintstones, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lassie, The Danny Thomas Show, The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, The Red Skelton Show, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.   The Flintstones was a favored show, receiving 40 million views an episode with an average of 3 views a day.   Some programming such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour became controversial by challenging the foundations of America's corporate and governmental controls; making fun of world leaders, and questioning U.S. involvement in and escalation of the Vietnam War.   Fashion   Significant fashion trends of the 1960s include:     The Beatles exerted an enormous influence on young men's fashions and hairstyles in the 1960s which included most notably the mop-top haircut, the Beatle boots and the Nehru jacket.   The hippie movement late in the decade also had a strong influence on clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.   The bikini came into fashion in 1963 after being featured in the film Beach Party.   Mary Quant invented the miniskirt, which became one of the most popular fashion rages in the late 1960s among young women and teenage girls. Its popularity continued throughout the first half of the 1970s and then disappeared temporarily from mainstream fashion before making a comeback in the mid-1980s.   Men's mainstream hairstyles ranged from the pompadour, the crew cut, the flattop hairstyle, the tapered hairstyle, and short, parted hair in the early part of the decade, to longer parted hairstyles with sideburns towards the latter half of the decade.   Women's mainstream hairstyles ranged from beehive hairdos, the bird's nest hairstyle, and the chignon hairstyle in the early part of the decade, to very short styles popularized by Twiggy and Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby towards the latter half of the decade.   African-American hairstyles for men and women included the afro.       James Brown "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" (1965) "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965) "Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968)     Ray Charles "Georgia On My Mind' (1960) "Hit the Road Jack" (1961) "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962)     Marvin Gaye "Ain't That Peculiar?" (1965) "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968) "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (1969)     The Temptations "My Girl" (1965) "Ain't Too to Beg" (1966) "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969)     Bobby "Blue" Bland "I Pity the Fool" (1961) "Turn On Your Lovelight" (1961) "Ain't Nothing You Can Do" (1964)     Aretha Franklin "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967) "Respect" (1967) "Chain of Fools" (1967-68)     The Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go?" (1964) "Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965) "Love Child" (1968)     Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "Shop Around" (1960-61) "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" (1962-63) "The Tracks of My Tears" (1965)     The Impressions "Gypsy Woman" (1961) "It's All Right" (1963) "People Get Ready" (1965)     Brook Benton "Kiddio" (1960) "Think Twice" (1961) "Hotel Happiness" (1962-63)     Jackie Wilson "Doggin' Around" (1960) "Baby Workout" (1963) "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (1967)     Sam Cooke "Wonderful World" (1960) "Bring It On Home To Me" (1962) "A Change is Gonna Come" (1965)     Otis Redding "These Arms of Mine" (1963) "Try a Little Tenderness" (1966-67) "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1968)     Jerry Butler "He Will Break Your Heart" (1960) "Never Give You Up" (1968) "Only the Strong Survive" (1969)     Wilson Pickett "In the Midnight Hour" (1965) "Land of 1000 Dances" (1966) "Funky Broadway" (1967)     Stevie Wonder "Fingertips, Part 2" (1963) "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (1965-66) "I Was Made to Love Her" (1967)     B.B. King "Beautician Blues" (1964) "Waiting on You" (1966) "Paying the Cost To Be the Boss" (1968)     Joe Tex "Hold What You've Got" (1964-65) "A Sweet Woman Like You" (1965-66) "Skinny Legs and All" (1967)     The Marvelettes "Please Mr. Postman" (1961) "Beechwood 4-5789" (1962) "Too Many Fish in the Sea" (1965)     Mary Wells "Bye Bye Baby" (1960-61) "The One Who Really Loves You" (1962) "My Guy" (1964)     The Four Tops "Baby, I Need Your Loving" (1964) "I Can't Help Myself (A/K/A Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (1965) "Reach Out, I'll Be There" (1966)     Martha & The Vandellas "Heat Wave" (1963) "Dancing in the Street" (1964) "Nowhere to Run" (1965)     Dionne Warwick "Don't Make Me Over" (1962-63) "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1963-64) "Walk On By" (1964)     Solomon Burke "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (1961) "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" (1964) "Got To Get You Off My Mind" (1965)     Etta James "At Last" (1960-61) "Tell Mama" (1967-68) "I'd Rather Go Blind" (1967-68)     The Shirelles "Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (1960-61) "Dedicated to the One I Love" (1961) "Baby It's You" (1961-62)     Chuck Jackson "I Don't Want to Cry" (1961) "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" (1962) "Beg Me" (1964)     Gene Chandler "Duke of Earl" (1962) "Rainbow" (1963) "I Fooled You This Time" (1966)     The Drifters "This Magic Moment" (1960) "Save the Last Dance for Me" (1960) "Up on the Roof" (1962-63)     Jr. Walker & The All-Stars "Shotgun" (1965) "(I'm A) Road Runner" (1966) "Home Cookin'" (1968-69)     Gladys Knight & The Pips "Every Beat of My Heart" (1961) "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (1967) "Friendship Train" (1969)     Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1961) "B-A-B-Y" (1966) "Another Night Without My Man" (1966)     Chubby Checker "The Twist" (1960) "Pony Time" (1961) "Dancin' Party" (1962)     Sam & Dave "Hold On! I'm A Comin'" (1966) "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" (1967) "Soul Man" (1967)     Joe Simon "My Adorable One" (1964) "Nine Pound Steel" (1967) "The Chokin' Kind" (1969)     The Dells "There Is" (1967-68) "Stay in My Corner" (1968) "Oh, What a Night" (1969)     Little Milton "So Mean To Me" (1962) "We're Gonna Make It" (1965) "Grits Ain't Groceries" (1969)     Ben E. King "Spanish Harlem" (1960-61) "Stand By Me" (1961) "That's When it Hurts" (1964)     Betty Everett "You're No Good" (1963) "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (1964) "There'll Come a Time" (1969)     Hank Ballard & The Midnighters "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" (1960) "Finger Poppin' Time" (1960) "Nothing But Good" (1961)     Major Lance "The Monkey Time" (1963) "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (1964) "Investigate" (1966)     Booker T. & The MGs "Green Onions" (1962) "Hip-Hug-Her" (1967) "Time is Tight" (1969)     The Intruders "Together" (1967) "Cowboys to Girls" (1968) "(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" (1968)     Ike & Tina Turner "A Fool in Love" (1960) "Goodbye, So Long" (1965) "River Deep--Mountain High" (1966)     Johnnie Taylor "I Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (1966) "Who's Making Love" (1968) "I Could Never Be President" (1969)     The Orlons "The Wah Watusi" (1962) "Don't Hang Up" (1962) "South Street" (1963)     Barbara Lewis "Hello Stranger" (1963) "Baby, I'm Yours" (1965) "Make Me Your Baby" (1965)     Maxine Brown "All in My Mind" (1960-61) "Oh No, Not My Baby" (1964) "One in a Million" (1966)     Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters "Cry Baby" (1963) "Tell Me Baby" (1964) "I'll Take Good Care of You" (1966)     Ramsey Lewis "The In Crowd" (1965) "Hang On Sloopy" (1965) "Wade in the Water" (1966)  

A detailed look at black, African-American, culture during the "Sixties". (1960-1969) (Bonus Artists: hidingtobefound & Luck Pacheco)   Overview   "The Sixties":  the counterculture and revolution in social norms about clothing, music, drugs, dress, sexuality, formalities, and schooling – or - irresponsible excess, flamboyance, and decay of social order.   Also labeled the Swinging Sixties because of the fall or relaxation of social taboos especially relating to racism and sexism that occurred during this time.   Also described as a classical Jungian nightmare cycle, where a rigid culture, unable to contain the demands for greater individual freedom, broke free of the social constraints of the previous age through extreme deviation from the norm.   The confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics during the '60s, with the struggle expanding into developing nations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia characterized by proxy wars, funding of insurgencies, and puppet governments.   In response to civil disobedience campaigns from groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), U.S. President John F. Kennedy, pushed for social reforms. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 was a shock.   Liberal reforms were finally passed under Lyndon B. Johnson including civil rights for African Americans· and healthcare for the elderly and the poor. Despite his large-scale Great Society programs, Johnson was increasingly reviled. The heavy-handed American role in the Vietnam War outraged student protestors around the globe.   The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., anti-Vietnam War movement, and the police response towards protesters of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, defined a politics of violence in the United States.   The 1960s were marked by several notable assassinations:   12 June 1963 – Medgar Evers, an NAACP field secretary. Assassinated by Byron de la Beckwith, a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Jackson, Mississippi.   22 November 1963 – John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.   21 February 1965 – Malcolm X. Assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam in New York City. There is a dispute about which members killed Malcolm X.   4 April 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. Assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee.   5 June 1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, United States Senator. Assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles, after taking California in the presidential national primaries.   Social and political movements (counterculture)   Flower Power/Hippies In the second half of the decade, young people began to revolt against the conservative norms of the time. The youth involved in the popular social aspects of the movement became known as hippies. These groups created a movement toward liberation in society, including the sexual revolution, questioning authority and government, and demanding more freedoms and rights for women and minorities. The movement was also marked by the first widespread, socially accepted drug use (including LSD and marijuana) and psychedelic music.     Anti-war movement The war in Vietnam would eventually lead to a commitment of over half a million American troops, resulting in over 58,500 American deaths and producing a large-scale antiwar movement in the United States. Students became a powerful and disruptive force and university campuses sparked a national debate over the war. The antiwar movement was heavily influenced by the American Communist Party, but by the mid-1960s it outgrew this and became a broad-based mass movement centered in universities and churches: one kind of protest was called a "sit-in".   Civil rights movement Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing into the late 1960s, African-Americans in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against black Americans and voting rights to them. The emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the civil rights movement to include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and anti-imperialism. The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) in Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the influential Greensboro sit-ins (1960) in North Carolina; marches, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965) in Alabama.; and a wide range of other nonviolent activities. Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the civil rights movement were passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that restored and protected voting rights; the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965, that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional European groups; and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, that banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.   Hispanic and Chicano movement Another large ethnic minority group, the Mexican-Americans, are among other Hispanics in the U.S. who fought to end racial discrimination and socioeconomic disparity. In the 1960s and the following 1970s, Hispanic-American culture was on the rebound like ethnic music, foods, culture and identity both became popular and assimilated into the American mainstream. Spanish-language television networks, radio stations and newspapers increased in presence across the country.   Second-wave feminism A second wave of feminism in the United States and around the world gained momentum in the early 1960s. While the first wave of the early 20th century was centered on gaining suffrage and overturning de jure inequalities, the second wave was focused on changing cultural and social norms and de facto inequalities associated with women. At the time, a woman's place was generally seen as being in the home, and they were excluded from many jobs and professions. Feminists took to the streets, marching and protesting, writing books and debating to change social and political views that limited women. In 1963, with Betty Friedan's revolutionary book, The Feminine Mystique, the role of women in society, and in public and private life was questioned. By 1966, the movement was beginning to grow and power as women's group spread across the country and Friedan, along with other feminists, founded the National Organization for Women. In 1968, "Women's Liberation" became a household term.   Gay rights movement The United States, in the middle of a social revolution, led the world in LGBT rights in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Inspired by the civil-rights movement and the women's movement, early gay-rights pioneers had begun, by the 1960s, to build a movement. These groups were rather conservative in their practices, emphasizing that gay men and women are no different from those who are straight and deserve full equality. This philosophy would be dominant again after AIDS, but by the very end of the 1960s, the movement's goals would change and become more radical, demanding a right to be different, and encouraging gay pride.   Crime The 1960s was also associated with a large increase in crime and urban unrest of all types. Between 1960 and 1969 reported incidences of violent crime per 100,000 people in the United States nearly doubled and have yet to return to the levels of the early 1960s. Large riots broke out in many cities like Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Oakland, California and Washington, D.C. By the end of the decade, politicians like George Wallace and Richard Nixon campaigned on restoring law and order to a nation troubled with the new unrest.   Economics The decade began with a recession and at that time unemployment was considered high at around 7%. John F. Kennedy promised to "get America moving again." To do this, he instituted a 7% tax credit for businesses that invest in new plants and equipment. By the end of the decade, median family income had risen from $8,540 in 1963 to $10,770 by 1969. Minimum wage was $1.30 per hour / ~$2,700 per year (~$18,700 in 2018)   Popular culture   The counterculture movement dominated the second half of the 1960s, its most famous moments being the Summer of Love in San Francisco in 1967, and the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York in 1969. Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, were widely used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the late 1960s, and were popularized by Timothy Leary with his slogan "Turn on, tune in, drop out". Psychedelic influenced the music, artwork and films of the decade, and several prominent musicians died of drug overdoses. There was a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophy, and many attempts were made to found communes, which varied from supporting free love to religious puritanism.   Music   British Invasion: The Beatles arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport, 7 February 1964   "The 60's were a leap in human consciousness. Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, they led a revolution of conscience. The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix created revolution and evolution themes. The music was like Dalí, with many colors and revolutionary ways. The youth of today must go there to find themselves." – Carlos Santana.     As the 1960s began, the major rock-and-roll stars of the '50s such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard had dropped off the charts and popular music in the US came to be dominated by Motown girl groups and novelty pop songs. Another important change in music during the early 1960s was the American folk music revival which introduced Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many other Singer-songwriters to the public.   Girl groups and female singers, such as the Shirelles, Betty Everett, Little Eva, the Dixie Cups, the Ronettes, and the Supremes dominated the charts in the early 1960s. This style consisted typically of light pop themes about teenage romance, backed by vocal harmonies and a strong rhythm. Most girl groups were African-American, but white girl groups and singers, such as Lesley Gore, the Angels, and the Shangri-Las emerged by 1963.   Around the same time, record producer Phil Spector began producing girl groups and created a new kind of pop music production that came to be known as the Wall of Sound. This style emphasized higher budgets and more elaborate arrangements, and more melodramatic musical themes in place of a simple, light-hearted pop sound. Spector's innovations became integral to the growing sophistication of popular music from 1965 onward.   Also during the early '60s, the “car song” emerged as a rock subgenre and coupled with the surf rock subgenre. Such notable songs include "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Shut Down," all by the Beach Boys; Jan and Dean's "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and "Drag City," among many others.   While rock 'n' roll had 'disappeared' from the US charts in the early '60s, it never died out in Europe and Britain was a hotbed of rock-and-roll activity during this time. In late 1963, the Beatles embarked on their first US tour. A few months later, rock-and-roll founding father Chuck Berry emerged from a 2-1/2-year prison stint and resumed recording and touring. The stage was set for the spectacular revival of rock music.   In the UK, the Beatles played raucous rock 'n' roll – as well as doo wop, girl-group songs, show tunes. Beatlemania abruptly exploded after the group's appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.   As the counterculture movement developed, artists began making new kinds of music influenced by the use of psychedelic drugs. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix emerged onto the scene in 1967 with a radically new approach to electric guitar that replaced Chuck Berry, previously seen as the gold standard of rock guitar. Rock artists began to take on serious themes and social commentary/protest instead of simplistic pop themes.   A major development in popular music during the mid-1960s was the movement away from singles and towards albums.   Blues also continued to develop strongly during the '60s, but after 1965, it increasingly shifted to the young white rock audience and away from its traditional black audience, which moved on to other styles such as soul and funk.   Jazz music during the first half of the '60s was largely a continuation of '50s styles, retaining its core audience of young, urban, college-educated whites. By 1967, the death of several important jazz figures such as John Coltrane and Nat King Cole precipitated a decline in the genre. The takeover of rock in the late '60s largely spelled the end of jazz as a mainstream form of music, after it had dominated much of the first half of the 20th century.   Significant events in music in the 1960s:   Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a motel in Los Angeles, California [11 December 1964] at age 33 under suspicious circumstances.   Motown Record Corporation was founded in 1960. Its first Top Ten hit was "Shop Around" by the Miracles in 1960. "Shop Around" peaked at number-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Motown's first million-selling record.   The Marvelettes scored Motown Record Corporation's first US No. 1 pop hit, "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961. Motown would score 110 Billboard Top-Ten hits during its run.   The Supremes scored twelve number-one hit singles between 1964 and 1969, beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go".   John Coltrane released A Love Supreme in late 1964, considered among the most acclaimed jazz albums of the era.   In 1966, The Supremes A' Go-Go was the first album by a female group to reach the top position of the Billboard magazine pop albums chart in the United States.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released two successful albums during 1967, Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love, that innovate both guitar, trio and recording techniques.   R & B legend Otis Redding has his first No. 1 hit with the legendary Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. He also played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 just before he died in a plane crash.   The Bee Gees released their international debut album Bee Gees 1st in July 1967 which included the pop standard "To Love Somebody".   1968: after The Yardbirds fold, Led Zeppelin was formed by Jimmy Page and manager Peter Grant, with Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones; and, released their debut album Led Zeppelin.   Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin as lead singer, became an overnight sensation after their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and released their second album Cheap Thrills in 1968.   Gram Parsons with The Byrds released the extremely influential LP Sweetheart of the Rodeo in late 1968, forming the basis for country rock.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the highly influential double LP Electric Ladyland in 1968 that furthered the guitar and studio innovations of his previous two albums.   Woodstock Festival, 1969   Sly & the Family Stone revolutionized black music with their massive 1968 hit single "Dance to the Music" and by 1969 became international sensations with the release of their hit record Stand!. The band cemented their position as a vital counterculture band when they performed at the Woodstock Festival.   Film Some of Hollywood's most notable blockbuster films of the 1960s include: 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Apartment, The Birds, I Am Curious (Yellow), Bonnie and Clyde, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Bullitt, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Carnival of Souls, Cleopatra, Cool , and Luke, The Dirty Dozen, Doctor Zhivago, Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider, Exodus, Faces, Funny Girl, Goldfinger, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, , Head, How the West Was Won, The , Hustler, Ice Station Zebra, In the Heat of the Night, The Italian Job, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Jason and the Argonauts, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Jungle Book, Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, The Longest Day, The Love Bug, A Man for All Seasons, The Manchurian Candidate, Mary Poppins, Medium Cool, Midnight Cowboy, My Fair Lady, Night of the Living Dead, The Pink Panther, The Odd Couple, Oliver!, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, One Million Years B.C., Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Romeo and Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, The Sound of Music, Spartacus, Swiss Family Robinson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Valley of the Dolls, West Side Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Wild Bunch.   Television   The most prominent American TV series of the 1960s include: The Ed Sullivan Show, Star Trek, Peyton Place, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Andy Williams Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Wonderful World of Disney, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, Batman, McHale's Navy, Laugh-In, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Fugitive, The Tonight Show, Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, Mission: Impossible, The Flintstones, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lassie, The Danny Thomas Show, The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, The Red Skelton Show, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.   The Flintstones was a favored show, receiving 40 million views an episode with an average of 3 views a day.   Some programming such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour became controversial by challenging the foundations of America's corporate and governmental controls; making fun of world leaders, and questioning U.S. involvement in and escalation of the Vietnam War.   Fashion   Significant fashion trends of the 1960s include:     The Beatles exerted an enormous influence on young men's fashions and hairstyles in the 1960s which included most notably the mop-top haircut, the Beatle boots and the Nehru jacket.   The hippie movement late in the decade also had a strong influence on clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.   The bikini came into fashion in 1963 after being featured in the film Beach Party.   Mary Quant invented the miniskirt, which became one of the most popular fashion rages in the late 1960s among young women and teenage girls. Its popularity continued throughout the first half of the 1970s and then disappeared temporarily from mainstream fashion before making a comeback in the mid-1980s.   Men's mainstream hairstyles ranged from the pompadour, the crew cut, the flattop hairstyle, the tapered hairstyle, and short, parted hair in the early part of the decade, to longer parted hairstyles with sideburns towards the latter half of the decade.   Women's mainstream hairstyles ranged from beehive hairdos, the bird's nest hairstyle, and the chignon hairstyle in the early part of the decade, to very short styles popularized by Twiggy and Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby towards the latter half of the decade.   African-American hairstyles for men and women included the afro.       James Brown "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" (1965) "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1965) "Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud" (1968)     Ray Charles "Georgia On My Mind' (1960) "Hit the Road Jack" (1961) "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1962)     Marvin Gaye "Ain't That Peculiar?" (1965) "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968) "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (1969)     The Temptations "My Girl" (1965) "Ain't Too to Beg" (1966) "I Can't Get Next to You" (1969)     Bobby "Blue" Bland "I Pity the Fool" (1961) "Turn On Your Lovelight" (1961) "Ain't Nothing You Can Do" (1964)     Aretha Franklin "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967) "Respect" (1967) "Chain of Fools" (1967-68)     The Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go?" (1964) "Stop! In the Name of Love" (1965) "Love Child" (1968)     Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "Shop Around" (1960-61) "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" (1962-63) "The Tracks of My Tears" (1965)     The Impressions "Gypsy Woman" (1961) "It's All Right" (1963) "People Get Ready" (1965)     Brook Benton "Kiddio" (1960) "Think Twice" (1961) "Hotel Happiness" (1962-63)     Jackie Wilson "Doggin' Around" (1960) "Baby Workout" (1963) "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (1967)     Sam Cooke "Wonderful World" (1960) "Bring It On Home To Me" (1962) "A Change is Gonna Come" (1965)     Otis Redding "These Arms of Mine" (1963) "Try a Little Tenderness" (1966-67) "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (1968)     Jerry Butler "He Will Break Your Heart" (1960) "Never Give You Up" (1968) "Only the Strong Survive" (1969)     Wilson Pickett "In the Midnight Hour" (1965) "Land of 1000 Dances" (1966) "Funky Broadway" (1967)     Stevie Wonder "Fingertips, Part 2" (1963) "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (1965-66) "I Was Made to Love Her" (1967)     B.B. King "Beautician Blues" (1964) "Waiting on You" (1966) "Paying the Cost To Be the Boss" (1968)     Joe Tex "Hold What You've Got" (1964-65) "A Sweet Woman Like You" (1965-66) "Skinny Legs and All" (1967)     The Marvelettes "Please Mr. Postman" (1961) "Beechwood 4-5789" (1962) "Too Many Fish in the Sea" (1965)     Mary Wells "Bye Bye Baby" (1960-61) "The One Who Really Loves You" (1962) "My Guy" (1964)     The Four Tops "Baby, I Need Your Loving" (1964) "I Can't Help Myself (A/K/A Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (1965) "Reach Out, I'll Be There" (1966)     Martha & The Vandellas "Heat Wave" (1963) "Dancing in the Street" (1964) "Nowhere to Run" (1965)     Dionne Warwick "Don't Make Me Over" (1962-63) "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1963-64) "Walk On By" (1964)     Solomon Burke "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (1961) "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" (1964) "Got To Get You Off My Mind" (1965)     Etta James "At Last" (1960-61) "Tell Mama" (1967-68) "I'd Rather Go Blind" (1967-68)     The Shirelles "Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (1960-61) "Dedicated to the One I Love" (1961) "Baby It's You" (1961-62)     Chuck Jackson "I Don't Want to Cry" (1961) "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" (1962) "Beg Me" (1964)     Gene Chandler "Duke of Earl" (1962) "Rainbow" (1963) "I Fooled You This Time" (1966)     The Drifters "This Magic Moment" (1960) "Save the Last Dance for Me" (1960) "Up on the Roof" (1962-63)     Jr. Walker & The All-Stars "Shotgun" (1965) "(I'm A) Road Runner" (1966) "Home Cookin'" (1968-69)     Gladys Knight & The Pips "Every Beat of My Heart" (1961) "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (1967) "Friendship Train" (1969)     Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1961) "B-A-B-Y" (1966) "Another Night Without My Man" (1966)     Chubby Checker "The Twist" (1960) "Pony Time" (1961) "Dancin' Party" (1962)     Sam & Dave "Hold On! I'm A Comin'" (1966) "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" (1967) "Soul Man" (1967)     Joe Simon "My Adorable One" (1964) "Nine Pound Steel" (1967) "The Chokin' Kind" (1969)     The Dells "There Is" (1967-68) "Stay in My Corner" (1968) "Oh, What a Night" (1969)     Little Milton "So Mean To Me" (1962) "We're Gonna Make It" (1965) "Grits Ain't Groceries" (1969)     Ben E. King "Spanish Harlem" (1960-61) "Stand By Me" (1961) "That's When it Hurts" (1964)     Betty Everett "You're No Good" (1963) "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (1964) "There'll Come a Time" (1969)     Hank Ballard & The Midnighters "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" (1960) "Finger Poppin' Time" (1960) "Nothing But Good" (1961)     Major Lance "The Monkey Time" (1963) "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (1964) "Investigate" (1966)     Booker T. & The MGs "Green Onions" (1962) "Hip-Hug-Her" (1967) "Time is Tight" (1969)     The Intruders "Together" (1967) "Cowboys to Girls" (1968) "(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" (1968)     Ike & Tina Turner "A Fool in Love" (1960) "Goodbye, So Long" (1965) "River Deep--Mountain High" (1966)     Johnnie Taylor "I Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (1966) "Who's Making Love" (1968) "I Could Never Be President" (1969)     The Orlons "The Wah Watusi" (1962) "Don't Hang Up" (1962) "South Street" (1963)     Barbara Lewis "Hello Stranger" (1963) "Baby, I'm Yours" (1965) "Make Me Your Baby" (1965)     Maxine Brown "All in My Mind" (1960-61) "Oh No, Not My Baby" (1964) "One in a Million" (1966)     Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters "Cry Baby" (1963) "Tell Me Baby" (1964) "I'll Take Good Care of You" (1966)     Ramsey Lewis "The In Crowd" (1965) "Hang On Sloopy" (1965) "Wade in the Water" (1966)  

Pat sits down with Director Brett Berns, son of the legendary songwriter and producer Bert Berns, to discuss his documentary "BANG: The Bert Berns Story."

This is a replay from the Top Ten of our highest rated shows -  Episode 18. On this week's episode, we're going to meet three different stars. The festivities begin with a 1967 song written by Jim Webb for the 5th Dimension. Florence La Rue, one of their original members who is still performing today, remembers Up, Up, and Away with us. Then we're shifting the tone to San Francisco's Summer of Love and the Sixties music scene recalling dj's Big Daddy Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell. We're talking with Tom's wife, Raechel Donahue who recalls not only those exciting times, but she became an entertainment reporter for CNN and is today the host of her own internet radio show. Finally, who can forget Hang On Sloopy? Our last segment is with Rick Derringer of the McCoys who's appeared on numerous albums with Steely Dan, Air Supply, and Cindy Lauper.

This week, Ira spoke with Rick Derringer. Rick Derringer, along with the Edgar Winter Band, will be performing at The Club at the Cannery Casino Hotel May 20. In 1965, Rick Derringer began his musical career in the rock group The McCoys, where he released his first #1 hit “Hang On Sloopy.” As a solo […]

You may have never heard of Bert Berns, but you know the enduring songs he's written and produced: Twist & Shout, Cry to Me, Tell Him, Piece of My Heart, Cry Baby, Hang On Sloopy, I Want Candy, Everybody Needs Somebody to Love - Berns' career IS Rock and Roll. Berns sessions made legends of Solomon Burke, The Isley Brothers, The Drifters, Ben E. King, and Wilson Pickett. He helped launch the careers of Van Morrison and Neil Diamond and produced some of the greatest soul music ever made. Filmmaker and son of Bert Brett Berns brings his late father's story to the screen through interviews with those who knew him best and rare performance footage. Included in the film are interviews with Ronald Isley, Ben E. King, Solomon Burke, Van Morrison, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney. Narrated by E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, about the life and career of Bert Berns, the most important songwriter and record producer from the sixties that you never heard of. His premature death at 38 cut short a seven-year streak of hits, rooted in his early Brill Building and 1650 Broadway days, through his tenure at Atlantic Records to the formation and success of his own labels Bang Records and Shout Records. First-time director Brett Berns joins us to talk about a father he never knew and his amazing musical legacy. For news and updates go to: bangthebertbernsstory.com

What’s crappening in this episode: Furious 7, Paul Wall, Hang On Sloopy, Hillary 2016, Pizza Break, shout out to Liz Anderson, people leaving Ohio, Advantage Rental Car Shuttle Bus Driver, Yuengling, Hateful 8, The Force Awakens, Star Wars emoji, It Follows is good, Lobot.

In the Mid 1960’s there was no bigger band in the Dayton area than Sonny Flaharty and the Mark V. Whether playing to rabid crowds at the Diamond Club or packing the house at Wamplers Ballerarina, the band was the top in town. They were best known for their song “Hey Conductor” – that piece of fuzzed out psychedelia made it to #1 in the Dayton area. It got picked up for national distribution and was tabbed by Billboard magazine as a Breakout Hit, until some strange circumstances derailed the song.Sonny Flaharty stopped by our studios to talk about that song, and so much more. Did you know that he’s in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame? That he was signed to many major labels, including Epic, Decca, Warner Bros, and RCA? That his band opened for the Rolling Stones on their first tour of America and shared a dressing room with them? Or that Sonny’s early band the Young Americans, were courted by the same producers that made Hang On Sloopy a smash for the McCoys. If you’ve heard of Sonny Flaharty, get ready for a trip down memory lane. If you haven’t, get ready for some great stories.

Special guest Rick Derringer. ROCK AND ROLL, HOOCHIE KOO! HANG ON SLOOPY! Guitarist Rick Derringer played on 4 of Todd Rundgren's solo albums including A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR! Rick's resume is so extensive you'll need to check his website for all the other information ... http://www.rickderringer.com/

Ramsey Lewis is a legend in jazz. He had a string of crossover hits in the 1960s, including "The In Crowd" and "Hang On Sloopy." He's continued to perform his soul and gospel influenced jazz around the world. Producer Reese Erlich talked with Lewis about his career and music in this JazzCorner.com Jazz Perspective.