Articles by John Twang

In 1963 Herbie Hancock joined the Miles Davis Quintet and the now fourteen-time Grammy winner and Academy Award winner Herbie Hancock released his first album, "Takin' Off" and that introduced "Watermelon Man" (Hancock). The tune reached the top ten the next year with Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria's cover from the Cuban drummer's "Watermelon Man" album.

Boffalongo (Kelly Sherman, Jeremy Steig, Eric Blackstead, Peter Giansante and Larry Hoppen) issued "Dancing In the Moonlight" (Kelly) in 1969 featuring composer Sherman Kelly on lead vocal. The tune is on their "Beyond Your Head" lp. American group that formed in Paris, France, King Harvest (Sherman's brother Wells Kelly was once a member, Doc Robinson, Ron Altback, Ed Tuleja, Steve Cutler and Rod Novak) released the top fifteen single in 1972 and the album "Dancing In the Moonlight" in 1973.

The Clovers (lead Charlie White) were first to record "Lovey Dovey" (Curtis - Ertegun) and it got to the number two position on the R&B chart in 1954. Along with Jimmy Bowen, Buddy Knox was a member of the Rhythm Orchids from Texas and his Snuff Garrett produced cover charted in the top thirty in 1961.

The Don Shirley Trio (pianist Don Shirley with session bassist and cellist) recorded the traditional prison song "Water Boy" (Avery Robinson) and had a top forty hit with the tune in the sixties. A most unusual occurrence for this subtle release. This is edit to feature a passage approximately three minutes into the piece. Anne Murray's 1970 album "Honey, Wheat and Laughter" contains the original "Put Your Hand In the Hand" (MacLellan). Ocean's (Greg Brown, Janice Morgan, Jeff Jones, Dave…

In 1957 Sun musical director, arranger, trumpeter, saxman, producer Bill Justis first recorded "Cattywampus" (Cannon - Justis) at Sun Studios in Memphis. A former member of the Bill Black Combo, Johnny "Ace" Cannon reached the top twenty and number three on the R&B charts with "Tuff" in 1962. This was a slower version of Cattywampus. Everyone from Bill Justis and Sam Phillips to then Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis sued for rights. You can hear Ace Cannon on "The Class of '55" album with Carl…

His father Clarence sang with Bob Wills, he toured as a member of The Champs, he discovered Mac Davis along with Gary Puckett and the Union Gap writing and producing many of their hits, he produced "Lies" for the Knickerbockers. He is Jerry Fuller who composed "A Wonder Like You" and lots of other hits for a young Ricky Nelson including "Travelin' Man", "It's Up To You" and "Young World". Ricky Nelson took "A Wonder Like You" into the top ten in 1961.

The Velvets (Virgil Johnson, Mark Prince, Robert Thursby, Clarence Rigsby and William Solomon) were brought to the attention of Monument Records by fellow Texan Roy Orbison. Released in February of 1961 "Lana" (Orbison - Melson) topped the charts in Japan but did nothing anywhere else. The tune was the B side to another Orbison - Melson tune called "Laugh" which got into Billboard's top ninety. Roy Orbison charted in the top five in Australia and top twenty in the U.K. with his "cover". It's…

"Don't Cry Out Loud" was composed in 1976 by Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager. In December of the same year The Moments aka Ray, Goodman and Brown included it as "We Don't Cry Out Loud" on the album "Moments With You". It made it into the bottom portion of the R&B charts in 1977. Once a member of Bette Midler's Harlettes, Melissa Manchester got to the top ten in 1979 with "Don't Cry Out Loud", the recording even received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance.

"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (Kern - Harbach) was written for the 1933 musical Roberta where it was sung by Tamara Drasin. The Platters (Tony Williams, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, David Lynch and Zola Taylor) 1958 cover became one of their four number one hits. Manager/song writer Buck Ram was a big reason for their success.

New Orleans legend Antoine "Fats" Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" (Domino - Bartholomew) is from the album "Rock and Rollin' With Fats Domino" and hit the top ten in 1955. The Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone cover became his first of many number one singles in 1955. Pat's relatives include singing daughter Debby, father-in-law and country music great Red Foley, brother singer Nick Todd, cousin of actor Richard Boone and he is a distant relative of Daniel Boone.

Hank Williams called this man his favourite artist, Jim Reeves was once in his band, the Showboys. He was Grand Ole Opry member, pianist, singer and song writer Aubrey "Moon" Mullican who recorded "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" (Merrill - Shand) featuring Jerry Byrd on steel guitar in 1950. British duo The Caravelles (Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson) reached number three in 1963 with the cover.

Composer Carole King's version of "Crying In the Rain" (Greenfield - King) is the only time she and Howard Greenfield worked together despite the fact that were both with Aldon Music. This track is contained on her "Legendary Demos" cd. The Everly Brothers hit the top ten with this original recording in 1962, just before the duo were inducted into the Marine Corps Reserves. When they performed the song on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February they were in full uniform.

I can never get over the fact that the composer of "Angel of the Morning" and "Wild Thing" are one in the same. It was that Chip Taylor (James Wesley Voight) who produced Evie Sands first recorded "Angel Of the Morning" in 1967 for the Cameo-Parkway label as it was heading for financial ruin. Too sad as the tune could have been a sure thing but the record company couldn't get the single pressed beyond the first 10,000 copies which had sold out. A year later Merrille Rush (Gunst) got the song…

J. P. Richardson aka The Big Bopper wrote "White Lightning" and was part of "the day the music died" plane crash with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. One week after the tragedy in 1959 "White Lightning" was being recorded by J.P. Richardson's friend George Jones. The result in April of that year was the first number one single of the George Jones classic career. It's rumoured that The Possum took close to eighty takes to record the vocal for the hit. George had been drowning his sorrows earli…

Grayson and Whitter recorded the folk song "Tom Dooley" in 1929. It was based on the true 1866 incident of Tom Dula (pronounced as Dooley) who murdered Laura Foster and was hanged for the crime. Many agree that this is the group that started the folk craze of the time, The Kingston Trio (Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds) sold millions of the 1958 cover and reached the top of the charts. The single came from their first album "The Kingston Trio".

Leon Ashley (Walton) and his wife Margie Stapleton (Ebey) composed "Laura (What's he Got That I Ain't Got)". It was recorded on his own Ashley label and released and distributed in 1967 by his own company. Leon reached the top of the country chart. Frankie Laine's pop cover of "Laura (What's he Got That I Ain't Got)" was charted on both the Easy Listening in the top thirty and the bottom half of the Billboard Top One Hundred.

Benny Goodman "How High the Moon" (Hamilton - Lewis) was the first hit version of the tune originally from the 1940 Broadway production "Two For the Show". In 1945 The Les Paul Trio, without Mary Ford, recorded "How High the Moon", then the Les Paul and Mary Ford 1951 cover spent nine weeks at number one!

The Ink Spots (Bill Kenny, Deek Watson, Hoppy Jones and Charlie Fuqua) issued "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" (Leon Rene) in 1940 and got into the American top five. There are probably as many groups calling themselves The Ink Spots as there are The Drifters and The Platters. In 1957 Pat Boone's cover was the B side of "April Love" and it may surprise some that it only got to the top eighty.