Articles by John Twang

Don Schlitz wrote and recorded "The Gambler" in 1978 when it reached the country charts. The Grammy winner also composed "Forever and Ever, Amen", "On the Other Hand" and "When You Say Nothing At All". Kenny Rogers inducted him into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. The Kenny Rogers cover from the album of the same name made it to the number one spot on the country chart and top the twenty pop in 1979. Of course there was a 1980 movie starring Kenny based on the song.

"Hier Encore" (Only Yesterday) (Aznavour) was released by French performer, songwriter, singer, diplomat and actor Charles Aznavour (Shahnour Aznavourian) in 1964. It was released throughout the world in other languages and with other titles including the English version "Yesterday, When I Was Young". The co-host of "Hee Haw", Roy Clark's "Yesterday, When I Was Young" (Aznavour - Garvarentz - Kretzmer) hit the top twenty with his reading from the album of the same name issued in early 1969.…

"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Benjamin - Caldwell - Marcus) was written just for musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone (Eunice Waymon) for her1964 album "Broadway, Blues, Ballads". The Animals (Eric Burdon, Mick Gallagher, Alan Price, Chas Chandler Hilton Valentine, John Steel and an ever changing line-up.) 1965 cover hit the top twenty. Like the majority of their hits it was produced by Mickey Most. Years have gone and Eric still has the pipes!

Artie Glenn wrote this in 1953 for his son Darrell Glenn to sing. While still in high school Darrell recorded "Crying in the Chapel" with his father's band The Rhythm Riders". This version topped the Cash Box chart. The Jordanaires with someone named Elvis Presley were set to issue "Crying in the Chapel" for his 1960 album "His Hand in Mine". That didn't happen and the single wasn't sent to radio stations until 1965 when it became Elvis' biggest hit in years. In 1967 it was issued as a track…

Fleetwood Mac's (over time: Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and others) single "Black Magic Woman" (Peter Green) was issued in 1968 appearing the next year on the album "English Rose". Gregg Rolie sings the classic Santana (Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie, Marcus Malone, Rod Harper and David Brown) cover that made it to the top five on Billboard in 1971. It's a medley with "Gypsy Queen" from the number one "Abraxas" album ... another reas…

Vanderbilt graduate, singer, actress and avid golfer Frances Rose Shore changed her name to Dinah when she sang that song and the announcer couldn't remember her name, referring to her as "the Dinah girl". Dinah was first to record this old French melody as "My Heart Cries For You" (Percy Faith - Carl Sigman) in 1950 when it peaked at number three on the charts. Actor, singer Guy Mitchell (Al Cernik) got to number three on Billboard with his first hit, "My Heart Cries For You" while the other…

After having written lyrics for standards like "Tico, Tico", I Believe", "Al, Di La", "Quando, Quando" and "Perdido", in 1961 Ervin Druckman composed "It Was a Very Good Year" (Ervin Drake) specifically for Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio and it appears on that year's album "Goin' Places". It was also Bob Shane who recorded the original version of "Honey" (also in this blog). Nancy's father, Frank Sinatra, was the Grammy award winner for best vocal performance with his cover in 1966. This sam…

He is a member of the Apollo Theatre's Hall of Fame, "It's Not Unusual" was written with him in mind, he is a permanent member of New York City's Friar's Club. He is blues singer Chuck Jackson who hit the top fifty on the R&B charts in 1969 with a great rendition of "Honey, Come Back" (Jimmy Webb). "Try a Little Kindness" was Glen Campbell's 1970 album containing his Al DeLory produced cover that went to the second spot on the charts.

You may know her as "Cricket Blake" from "Hawaiian Eye" or an actress that dated Elvis! Connie Stevens (Concetta Ingoglia) took her father's stage name of (Teddy) "Stevens" and joined the group "The Fourmost" and shortly after when she left the quartet, they became the Lettermen. Connie hit the top ten on charts in 1959 with "Kookie, Kookie, Lend me Your Comb" and again the next year with "Sixteen Reasons". Connie first recorded "Keep Growing Strong" (Thom Bell - Linda Creed) in 1970. With th…

Composed in 1952 this tune topped the country charts in 1953. "The Singing Ranger" Hank (Clarence) Snow's "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I" (Bill Trader) was just one of his 85 charted singles. Hank used Elvis Presley as his opening act and it was Hank who introduced him to Colonel Tom Parker in 1955. Elvis Presley's cover hit the top ten in many countries in 1959. It was the B side to "I Need Your Love Tonight".

Carnaby Street is part of the Soho fashion district in London. Germany's Kaiser Bill (Wilhelm) was Queen Victoria's grandson and "a batman" is a servant. The Carnaby Street Set released "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (Cook - Greenaway) in 1967. The original title was "Too Much Birdseed". A few weeks later the fictional Whistling Jack Smith cover hit the Billboard top twenty. The name "Whistling Jack Smith" is no more than a "tribute" to "Whispering" Jack Smith. The song performance may have com…

Composers of The Weavers (Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays and Fred Hellerman) "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (Joel Newman - Paul Campbell) include Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Howard Richmond (Newman - Campbell were his pseudonyms), Sam Kennedy, Fred Hellerman, Ronnie Gilbert and Lead Belly saw the song released in 1951 and reach the top twenty. Let's face it, this is an old folk song. Jimmie Rodgers' 1957 cover got to the number three position. The single comes from his debut self-titled album.

Formed by group member Dave White as The Juvenairs, Danny and the Juniors (Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova) hit it big with the chart topping "At the Hop" in 1957. Originally it was titled "Do the Bop" and released again later that year as "At the Hop" (White - Madara - Singer) at the suggestion of Dick Clark. Mr. Clark knew the dance, the bop, was a fad on the way out. When an act couldn't show for American Bandstand Dick called record label owner Artie Singer for help a…

The Bee Gees composed "Islands in the Stream". Barry sang lead on the demo specifically for Kenny Rogers. As a duet Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers sang "Islands in the Stream" on Kenny's album "Eyes That See in the Dark". It became the number one song of 1983 and features both Barry and Maurice Gibb as studio personnel!

The Gladiolas featured the man who wrote "Little Darling", Maurice Williams. The tune hit the top twenty on the R&B charts in 1957. Within a couple of years the musicians became known as Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (Maurice Williams, Henry Gatson, Wiley Bennett, Willie Morrow, Albert Hill and Charles Thomas). They recorded one of the shortest rock songs in history, "Stay". The Diamonds (Dave Somerville, Ted Kowalski, Phil Levitt and Bill Reed) better cover called "Little Darlin'" came a…

In the 1972 album "Hallway Symphony" you'll find (Dan) Hamilton, Joe Frank (Carollo) and (Tommy) Reynolds singing "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" (Dennis Lambert - Brian Potter). The trio were all touring members of the T-Bones who hit the top five in 1966 with the instrumental "No Matter What Shape (You're Stomach's In). The top ten hit cover came from The Four Tops (Levi Stubbs, Obie Benson, Lawrence Peyton and "Duke" Fakir) in 1973 on the album "Keeper of the Castle".

Alex Harvey and Larry Collins composed "Delta Dawn" and the first recording came in 1971 by Alex himself. Under the guidance of Nashville's Billy Sherrill, 13 year old Tanya Tucker took her first hit to the top ten on the country charts in 1972. From the album "Long Hard Climb" Helen Reddy made this a chart topper in the pop field in 1973. It became her first number one hit in her native Australia.

Alex Harvey "Rings" (Alex Harvey - Eddie Reeves). According to "Songfacts" and co-composer Eddie Reeves they wrote this in honor of their friends Bob and Chris Hamilton. "We wrote the song as a special present for them about a month before their wedding. All references in the song are related to their relationship. Alex and I never thought it could be a hit song because it was so specifically about Bob and Chris. I was renting Bob's beach house while he and Chris were living in NYC for a year or…