TUESDAYS MIX

Sonny James - Apache. A great vocal version of the Shadows hit.
Paul Anka - I love you baby
Dave Burgess - Whole lot of shaking going on
Marty Robbins - Just married and That's all right mama
Paul Petersen - Little boy sad. Acted as Donna Reed's son in her show and later went on to become an author.
(link in previous post)

VOCAL GROUPS

The Teddybears - To know him is to love him. A Phil Spector find

The Howard Morrison Quartet - Hoki Mai and Pokarekare Ana

Beach Boys - CaliforniaGirls. This is an odd version - vocals only.

Paul Revere and The Raiders - Indian Reservation. Another John D Loudermilk song

Pussycat - Mississippi. Sung in German.

(Link)

FUNDAY

Here are some humorous and odd ones today starting with the great Harry Belafonte and Coconut woman.

I remember seeing the film Carmen Jones in which Harry starred but his voiced was dubbed as was the great Dorothy Dandridge (by the then unknown Lena Horne). Probably as a youngster this was my first real introduction to some classical music (albiet in a popular way) and the Toreadors song was terrific.

Gail Peevey (Jamie Horton) - I'm getting nuttin' for Xmas. I have posted Jamies cover of Connies Robot Man.

Buzz Clifford- Baby Sittin' Boogie.

Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren - Goodness Gracious Me

And some Kiwi humour -

Pat Rogers - Taumarunui.

Howard Morrison Quartet - Mori the Hori. Some non PC humour in the Billy T James style - although Billy T was many years later.

Rodd Derritt - Kiwi Train. And unfortunately this is true as in the 1950's N Z Railways was simply awful.

ROAD SHOW

Two for the Tobacco Road - John D Loudermilk's song and his version of it plus the Nashville Teens who made it into a hit.

And two for the show - film shows that is -

Stubby Kaye & Nat King Cole from the film of the same name The Ballad of Cat Ballou and Doris Day with Bonny's father John Raitt from the Pyjama Game There once was a man.

John had a terrific baritone voice but preferred the stage (Broadway) to films. Bay Raitt the creator of the face of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings is his grandson. As an aside I spell pyjama with a Y but it seems the real name of the film is The Pajama Game as the Yanks spell it differently. Listen here.

AS EASY AS

As easy as A B C but todays shows my odd (eclectic!!) taste ranging from the jazz like Andre Previn, the rocking Bobby D and the almost classical Charlotte Church.

A

Andre Previn - Like young

B

Bobby Bland - Let the lttle girl dance

Bobby Darin - Queen of the hop

Bobby Goldsboro - Molly

C

Curtis Lee with Under the moon above and Pretty little angel eyes

Crickets & Sonny Curtis - Baby my heart

Charlotte Church - Men of Harlech - Royal Celebration 1998. Her boyfriend is the Welsh Rugby second five-eighth (inside centre to the rest of the world) who I have always rated as a player.

Below is Gavin in action. The music action is here.

WEDNESDAYS SELECTION

Starting off with Warren Smith and his Ubangi Stomp. Should have had a better career but went off the rails, even serving time in jail. But drugs seem to have been his down fall (although having a bad car accident didn't help) and he died young at 47 in 1980.

Carol Deene - Some People which is the vocal version of a instrumental hit for the ex Shadows Jet Harris and Tony Meehan.
Brook Brothers - Ain't gonna wash for a week. Another Everlys soundalike duo who had a big hit with Warpaint.
Paul Young - Love of the common people. British singer not to be confused with the Ozzie (Scottish born) John Paul Young.
Jimmy Bowen - I'm sticking with you
Gary Miles and the Statues - Look for a star
Look here for these stars.

100 PERCENT K1W1

Ricky May - I could have danced all night from My Fair Lady
The Chicks - The Hucklebuck
Ray Columbus - Till we kissed. Mr Mod himself. I will track down my copy of She's a mod and post it sometime.
John Rowles - Cheryl Moana Marie about his sister.
OMC - How bizarre. And it was as the Otara Millionaires Club (Pauly Fuemana and Alan Jansson) flared brightly as a OHW then went.
Ronnie Sundin - Sea of love. Better than the original by Phil Phillips. Ronnie lasted about 2 years in the late 50's. I saw him several times performing in the Showcase of Stars type of shows prevalent at that time.
Simple Image - Michael & the Slipper tree
Paul Walden - King of Holiday Island. His big hit was Molly which was a Bobby Goldsboro song.
Tommy Adderley - Painted tainted rose. More jazz than pop but another who had drug problems.

(link in previous post)

REAL OLD AND A BIT NEWER KIWI

Allison Durbin - I have loved me a man. Sadly she went off the rails in Oz and got involved in drugs.

Black Bolt & the Silver Ferns -Give 'em a taste of Kiwi. Has within the song the great try scored by Hika (Reid) the Hooker against Oz to win the game.

Gil Dech with Rememberance and Robins Return. When I was young and they had the afternoon request session on 1ZB both of these were always requested. The 'good old days' - so boring.

Barry Crump & Scotty -Side by side. Used by Toyota in their advertising campaign.

Steve Allen -Join together. The theme of the 1974 Comonwealth Games at Christchurch. Famous for the win of Dick Tayler and Bayi over Walker which created a new 1500m world record.

Hammond Gamble-You make the whole world smile. Another song used as a theme - for the Telethon. Go

FROM THE 50's AND EARLIER

Some from a long time ago - mostly C & W are here for your listening pleasure.

Rosemary Clooney & Thurl Ravenscroft - Where will the dimple be.

She is George Clooney's Aunt and Thurl, which was his real name, died in 2002 at age 91. He of the verrrry deep voice. For nearly 50 years he was the voice of an advertising campaign featuring Tony the Tiger.

Bill Haley in his C & W days with Cold cold heart

Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose

Art & Dottie Todd - Broken Wings

Patti Page - Down the Trail Of Achin' Hearts

Phil Harris - The old master painter. His big hit was The Thing.

Sons Of The Pioneers - Tumbling Tumbleweeds.

ALL BRITISH

Get your chewing gum here.

Led off by Scotlands (I always thought he was Irish born) Lonnie Donegan - the king of skiffle

Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight. There are probably a dozen versions of this song done by Lonnie all with slightly different words.

"Does the spearmint lose its flavor on the bedpost over night?

Would you use it on your collar when your button's not in sight?

Put your hand beneath your seat and you will find it there all right...

Does the spearmint lose its flavor on the bedpost over night?"

(Billy Rose, Marty Bloom & Ernest Breuer, 1924)

Jimmie Brown (The newsboy of the town)

Battle of New Orleans - easily the best version

Britain's Bing Crosby soundalike Michael Holday with Marty's Story of my life

Frank Ifield with a real oldie - Abdul Abulbul Amir

THE GREATEST ONE HIT WONDER EVER

Some old rockers are here

Zager & Evans - In the year 2525

the greatest OHW of all time which was the No.1 hit as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. They had the only record to top both the UK & US charts and then never to have another hit. The true OHW's.

Denny Zager has been a great guitar maker now for over 40 years - www.zagerguitar.com. The song, written by Rick Evans has fantastic lyrics.

In the year 2525

If man is still alive

If woman can survive

They may find

In the year 3535

Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies

Everything you think, do, or say

Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545

Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes

You won't find a thing to do

Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555

Your arms are hanging limp at your sides

Your legs not nothing to do

Some machine is doing that for you

In the year 6565

Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife

You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too

From the bottom of a long black tube

In the year 7510

If God's a-comin' he ought to make it by then

Maybe he'll look around himself and say

Guess it's time for the Judgement day

In the year 8510

God's gonna shake his mighty head

He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been

Or tear it down and start again

In the year 9595

I'm kinda wondering if man's gonna be alive

He's taken everything this old earth can give

And he ain't put back nothing

Now it's been 10,000 years

Man has cried a billion tears

For what he never knew

Now man's reign is through

But through the eternal night

The twinkling of starlight

So very far away

Maybe it's only yesterday

In the year 2525

If man is still alive

If woman can survive

They may find

In the year 3535

Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies

Everything you think, do or say

Is in the pill you took today

Wow - just great!!!

Plus we have

Eden Kane - Boys Cry

Shakin Stevens -Oh Julie

Starship - We Built This City.

TODAYS MIX

Danny & the Juniors - Do the Bop

Yes DO not AT and BOP not HOP.

This is the original version (a Demo??) of At the Hop (1957). They were basically OHW (One Hit Wonders) although they still seem to be performing today albeit in a modified form, as the Danny was Danny Rapp who died in 1983.

The story seems to be that Dick Clark of Bandstand fame suggested the change to At the Hop. Another interesting version of At the Hop was done by a Nick Todd who was Pat Boone's brother. He couldn't emulate his brother as his singing career never took off.

James Darren - Goodbye Cruel World
Perry Como - Just born to be your baby
Lloyd Price - Under Your Spell Again. Mr Personality
Nini Rosso - Il silenzio

All here.

ALL KIWI

All Kiwi today - here -

The fantastic Topp Twins (Jools and Lynda - go see the film) - Untouchable

Peter Posa - The white rabbit - from 1950 something

Howard Morrison Quartet - White cliffs of Dover

Cathy & the Cucumbers - Day trip to Bangor

SUNDAY SIX

Six for Sunday - featuring the fabulous Mills Brothers.

Mills Brothers - Glowworm

Guy Mitchell - My heart cries for you

Tony Bellus - The end of my love

Conway Twitty - Danny Boy

Four Lads - Istanbul (Not Contantinople)

and two from Canada's Beaumarks - Billy Billy went a walkin' and Stay with me

C & W & F

Country and Western and Folk.
Starting with the Okie from Oklahoma Merle Haggard (who was actually born in California in 1937 although his parent were Okies). A real wild man in his younger days he got 3 years jail for robbery but vowed after seeing Johnny Cash perform at the prison to turn his life around. . 

So today we start with Fighting side of me and Okie from Muskogee - the live version. Then we have the Kingston Trio with 3 Jolly Coachmen and Everly's with I walk the line.

TUESDAYS SELECTION

A wide selection today -
Marianne Faithfull - Ballad of Lucy Jordan

Marianne's fantastic version of this song was used as the theme song in the film Montenegro as well as Thelma & Louise. I saw them both but I only really remember it from Montenegro where use of the song was wonderful. It suited the mood of the film perfectly.

Sir Cliff - Don't be mad at me - this is a great B side
Lance Fortune - Be mine
Larry Finnegan - Dear One
Doris Day - Everybody loves a lover
Emile Ford - Buona Sera
Lucille Starr - My happiness

QUEENS BIRTHDAY - BUT NO QUEEN

It is the Queens Birthday holiday today, although it is not exactly her birthday, just the day selected on which we celebrate the birth of the Queen (Elizabeth II). 

So we will not have Queen (the group) or British songs but Kiwi ones as she is the Queen of New Zealand.  

All of us - Sailing away. 

The song of the ill fated KZ7 (The plastic fantastic) 1987 challenge for the America's Cup in Perth. But of course that was only the start which led to success in 2000. 

The song was made in support of N Z's 1987 challenge and featured many Kiwi celebrities and singers such as Dave Dobbyn, Tim Finn, Billy T James, Barry Crump, Beaver, Suzanne Prentice, Ray Woolf, Annie Crummer, Tim Shadbolt, Jerry Coney, Roger Gascoinge and many others. 

Dean Waretini - The Bridge

Dinah Lee - Do the bluebeat. Her first and greatest hit

Howard Morrison Quartet - Get a little dirt on your hands

Toni Williams - Look over the hill.  I remember the stupid decision to change his name to Antoni so as to not get him confused with Tony Williams of The Platters. That idea lasted all of 10 minutes. 

Jim McNaught - Long tall Texan and I like your kind of love (with Rochelle Vinsen). Sadly Jim a great talent from Wellington died very young.

Librettos - Lets Go. This was the theme to the TV show hosted by Peter Sinclair. 

(listen from the link in the previous post)