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The 1950's ---- Musical variety at its best!

A song that Ricky Nelson would have as a hit in the UK in 1957, would reach 16 for the year in the the US. Here is STOOD UP: Ricky Nelson would sing a lot of his songs on his parent's popular Television show THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET.
 
HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS is a traditional African-American spiritual, first published in 1927. It became an international pop hit in 1957–58 in a recording by English singer Laurie London, and has been recorded by many other singers and choirs. I love this song and sang it ---- remember camp. It was a great song.
 
Number 20 for the year 1958 LET'S GO TO THE HOP was a song was written in 1957. Initially called "Do the Bop", when Danny & the Juniors were still called The Juvenairs the song was heard by Dick Clark, who who felt that the dance fad of doing The Bop was on its way out. He suggested changing the band name to the Juniors and the chorus from "Let's all do the Bop" to "Let's go to the Hop". The recording was released on ABC -- PARAMOUNT Records in the fall of 1957. After performing the song on Clark's show American Bandstand, it gained popularity and went to the top of the US charts, remaining at number one for five weeks in 1958. Here are the Juniors performing the song. Look how mature they look... Sure they had poupadores, but they still look mature and sophisticated:
 
YAKETY YAK is a song written for the Coasters and released on ATCO Records in 1958 on both 78 rpm and 45 rpm format. It spent seven weeks as #1 on the R&B charts and a week at #1 on the Top 100 pop list. This song was one of a string of singles released by the Coasters between 1957 and 1959. They dominated the charts, making them one of the biggest performing rock & roll acts of that era: Most record companies canned the 78 format by 1959; however, there were a very few diehard companies that continued to press 78's until the very early 60's. It is likely that they continued to press 78's to utilize any available back stock of record pressing shellac. I imagine that there might even have been cheap purchases made from other companies rather than simply throw stock away. And the price for the raw material likely went down as companies switched to vinyl. This is purely conjecture on my part, but I can imagine small companies having limited resources to switch to the newer 45 rpm format. I can remember enjoying this song BUT I would NEVER imagine sasing my parents. My dad only had to give me that look!;):cool:
 
mrjurrs said:
From the 50's but this version is so much improved.
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Improved in what way?
An obnoxiously loud guitar improves nothing.
There are scores of instruments. That the last 70 years only the guitar has dominated is a true tragedy.
 
noonereal said:
Improved in what way?
An obnoxiously loud guitar improves nothing.
There are scores of instruments. That the last 70 years only the guitar has dominated is a true tragedy.
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Your lack of appreciation of different musical styles is noted.

Let's compare Billy Gibbons guitar skills to Tennessee Ernie Ford's finger snapping ability.
 
mrjurrs said:
Your lack of appreciation of different musical styles is noted.

Let's compare Billy Gibbons guitar skills to Tennessee Ernie Ford's finger snapping ability.
Click to expand...

My lack of differant styles?
Lol

That was my point. 99 of 100 are stuck, as are you, in your musical appreciation.

Loud guitar. Loud guitar, loud guitar. Move the **** on.
 
noonereal said:
My lack of differant styles?
Lol

That was my point. 99 of 100 are stuck, as are you, in your musical appreciation.

Loud guitar. Loud guitar, loud guitar. Move the **** on.
Click to expand...
Turn down the volume. That way you can hear him snapping his fingers in rhythm much more easily.
 
1958 saw another Elvis hit --- WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK: It was Presley's 6th number-one hit in the American R&B Charts, and peaked at number 2 on the American Pop Charts.
 
There can be a reason that a song is written. The reason behind POOR LITTLE FOOL that reached 23 for the year 1958 is as follows: Sharon Sheeley wrote the song at the ripe old age of 15. She had met Elvis who encouraged her writing. This song was based on her disappointment following a short-lived relationship with Don Everly of The Everly Brothers. Sheeley sought out Ricky Nelson to record the tune. She drove to his house, and claimed her car broke down. He came to her aid, and she sprang the song on him. The rest is history! The film is excerpts from his parent's show Ozzie and Harriet.
 
Coming in at 24 in 1958 we have a song known as both "Gospel Boogie" and "A Wonderful Time Up There" written by Lee Roy Abernathy, and first recorded by him in 1947 under the former name. This release, for the label White Church Record, credits the performance with variant spelling to "Leroy Abernathy Homeland Harmony Quartet". In 1958, the song was recorded under the title "A WONDERFUL TIME UP THERE" by Pat Boone featuring Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra and Chorus: Who says that GOD doesn't like Rock'n Roll?
 
Just a Dream is a 1958 single Jimmy Clanton and His Rockets released on the ACE Records at number 25 for the year 1958:
 
This next song was published in 1957 and the biggest recording of this tune would be by the McGuire Sisters on CORAL Records in 1958. I do remember this song well. I get the feeling that moms everywhere (back in the day) would sing SURGARTIME to their little kiddoes. I know mine did... It was quite popular with the children. Of course anything with a banjo just had to be good! Any one of them could have tucked me in bed and I'd been happy. Their original record:
 
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A great hit for Bobby Day was in 1958 would be ROCHIN' ROBIN. It was a very catchy tune and highly danceable. Here Day is on the West Coast at the Art
Laboe Show, who was the founder & promoter with a ballroom east of Los Angeles, and through that the El Monte dance hall was formed. With the live radio show going, he had the audience and the lists of requests. He began to turn that concept into an album titled Oldies But Goodies, a term he trademarked. He was sort of the Dick Clark of the West Coast:
 
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I'm throwing an extra in here from 1952. I know all of you heard of AMERICAN'S GOT TALENT; however the idea was nothing knew. There was THE ARTHUR GODFREY TALENT SCOUTS and the TED MACK ORIGINAL AMATEUR HOUR. They did things a little different back then. Please watch all the way through and you will see just why the McGuire Sister won that December evening so long ago --- only yesterday. CLICK WATCH ON YOU TUBE
 
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Tom Dooley is a traditional folk song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina by TOM DULA (pronounced in the local dialect as "Dooley"). This popular version was recorded in 1958 by The Kingston Trio and reached No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and also was top 10 on the Billboard R&B chart, and appeared in the Cashbox Country Music Top 20. This song was selected as one of the American Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment of the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. This pop recording also marks the beginning of a folk song craze that would soon sweep the nation and run into the 1960's.
 
SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN was written and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1958 and would be a most memorable song of the Rock'n Roll era. In this clip note both the Dick Clark and a very young Johnny Carson:
 
Topsy was a 1938 instrumental recorded by Count Basie and His Orchestra in1937. In 1958, drummer Cozy Cole recorded and issued this tune on a two part single. Topsy I made it to #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the B-side Topsy II reached #3 on the Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart, staying atop the latter for six weeks. The two songs were simultaneous hits; they were closest together on the Hot 100 chart for the week ending November 2, 1958, with Topsy I at #27 and Topsy II at #4. Recorded on LOVE Records, it/they remain/s one/two of the coolest oddities to hit the charts!
 
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It may seem hard today to imagine that any song could be created from any commercial ----- let alone by a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial with the jingle, "You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent." According to group member of the Monotones, Charles Patrick, he was in a store looking at sheet music for a different song called "Book Of Love" when the jingle came on the radio. He got the idea to combine the title with the melody from the jingle, turning "You'll wonder where the yellow went" into "I wonder, wonder who." He took the idea to Warren Davis and George Malone, and they completed the song.
Here is the commercial that provided the inspiration: https://www.google.com/search?q=You'll+wonder+where+the+yellow+went+commercial&rlz=1CAIWTJ_enUS1028&oq=You'll+wonder+where+the+yellow+went+commercial&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l3.21570j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_XbxOY5ONIvKhptQPkvSXuA8_27
The Monotones, a doo-wop group from Newark, New Jersey, considered this song a bit of a goof and had no plans of recording it. However, it got a great reaction when they performed it. When they got word that a rival group was going to rip it off, they decided they had to record the song. After singing it for different record companies, they found a taker in Argo Records, which recorded and distributed it. This song would become a one hit wonder for The Monotones. Oddly, the drum beat that comes in on the first line of each verse as sung a cappella was not planned. While recording the song, a kid outside the studio threw a ball that hit a window just as they finished singing the "mmbadoo-ooh, who" line. The abrupt sound was liked, so they decided to include the drum beat at that spot. The rest is history and the BOOK OF LOVE:
 
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Placed at 33 for the year 1958 is TEA FOR TWO -- CHA CHA recorded by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Warren Covington. The tune originally appeared in NO, NO, NANETTE, a 1925 musical. This DECCA Record became a hit with the Arthur Murray crowd. I distinctly remember kids joking about the 1,2 -- CHA, CHA, CHA --- 3,4 -- CHA, CHA, CHA...
 
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"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on END Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard top-10 hit, peaking at No. 4, No. 3 in Canada, and their first million-seller. It was also a two-sided hit, with its flip side, "Two People in the World,"
 
SHORT SHORTS is a song written and performed by Tom Austin, Bill Crandell, Bill Dalton, Russ Viers, and Bob Gaudio, members of The Royal Teens. In 1958 it reached #2 on the U.S. R&B chart and #3 on the U.S. pop chart. Dalton explained the song came to be written as they were practicing one night at his house. One guy put some notes together, and another guy picked it up and added some more. During a three weeks period this tune was changed and polished. Later, they were riding down the street in Bergenfield ... It was a warm day and they saw this girl in shorts walking down the street. The rest is now history: The Saturday Night Beechnut Show. The term "Short Shorts" was the description given to the cutoff jeans the teenage girls were wearing during the summer of 1957. This group would have only one other song which was popular in Jersey and New York areas in 1959; however, it never really climbed the charts but fizzled. This song was BELIEVE ME:
 
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