Articles by John Twang

The Chellows were a group that recorded covers for "HIT Records" the Nashville based discount label. Like Ray Stevens and others, composer Bobby Russell (The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia, Little Green Apples, Honey and The Joker Went Wild) was a sometime member. On occasion but seldom they would record something original like Bobby Russell's composition "I'm Sure Gonna Miss Her". Gary Lewis (son of comedian Jerry Lewis) & the Playboys (Al Ramsey, David Walker, John West and David Cost…

One of the first country acts to perform regularly with a drummer, self-taught guitarist Carl Smith recorded "There She Goes" (Miller, Haddock, Stevenson) in 1955. Carl married June Carter and that begot daughter Carlene Carter. Jerry Wallace got into the top thirty with "There She Goes" in 1961. With the lyric "I love her still" one cannot help but think there are moonshiners involved in this song.

Elsewhere in this blog are details on singer, songwriter, actor Hoyt Axton who recorded "Sing in the Sunshine" on his 1965 album "Mr. Greenback Dollar Man". Recorded earlier as a single in 1963 with The Sherwood Singers, it had not been released on an album until then. New Zealand 's Gale Garnett hit the top ten with her "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" in 1964. She had composed the tune.

Paul Revere and the Raiders (keyboardist Paul Revere, vocalist Mark Lindsay, bassist Keith Allison, Freddy Weller and others through constant line up changes) were regulars on Dick Clark's "Where the Action Is". Their version of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) appeared on their 1966 album "Midnight Ride". Although it was a "B" side for the Monkees drummer Mickey Dolenz who sang lead with Boyce and Hart on backing vocals, it did chart in the top twenty in late 1…

Grammy award winners the Kingston Trio (Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds) first recorded "Let's Get Together" (Dino Valenti) as a track on the 1964 album "Back in Town". The Youngbloods (Jesse Colin Young, Jerry Corbitt, Lowell Levinger and Joe Bauer) version known as "Get Together" hit the top ten in 1969 after it was released originally in 1967, went virtually nowhere then was used in a National Conference of Christians and Jews public service announcement.

Dave Burgess played guitar with The Champs. He wrote and recorded "Everlovin'" with The Chimes including the backing of Seals & Crofts in 1959. Dave became a member of studio groups "The Fleas" and "The Trophies" along with Rick Nelson, Glen Campbell and Jerry Fuller. Rick Nelson's (David's brother) take on "Everlovin'" was the first "Rick" and not "Ricky" Nelson release and it got to the top twenty in 1961. Rick performed this on the Ozzie & Harriet Show. The flipside was "A Wonder Like…

In 1968 Dan Daniels was the first to record the Lieber-Stoller classic "Is That All There Is". The promotional release was pulled after the composers objected to the recording. Dandy Dan was a disc jockey in NYC and that can be heard in this recording. (thanks Peter Stoller). Billboard noted it's EPIC release in March, 1968, but it was withdrawn soon afterwards. Leslie Uggams was the first authorized to record it, but it was only ever released as an album cut. (Thanks Fred Clemens). The "s…

Jim Weatherly (details elsewhere in this blog) composed "Midnight Plane to Houston" in 1971. Cissy Houston changed the lyric a year later. Gladys Knight and the Pips (Bubba Knight, Eddie Patten and William Guest) hit with the Grammy winning "Midnight Train to Georgia" to the number one place in 1973 from the album "Imagination".

The Casanovas recorded their lead singer's song "I Don't Want You To Go" (Chester Mayfield) in 1955. This is the genesis of "Dedicated to the One I Love". Originally The Royal Sons Quintet, The 5 Royals (Eugene Tanner on lead, Lowman Pauling, Jimmy Moore, Obadiah Carter and Johnny Tanner) were the first to record "Dedicated to the One I Love" (Pauling, Bass) in 1957. In December of 1957 The Shirelles (Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Beverly Lee and Addie Harris) released "Dedicated to t…

We start off with the Sonny (Joe) West demo of this tune, then the Atlantic Records first version of "Oh Boy" by one of it's composers (West, Tilghman, Petty), Sonny West from 1957 recorded at the Norm Petty Studio. Buddy Holly, the Picks and the Crickets recorded "Oh Boy" later that year at Norman Petty Studios for the "Chirping Crickets" album. It was released as a single and on the flip side was "Not Fade Away". "Oh Boy" hit the top ten in 1958.

"Baby, the Rain Must Fall" is a 1965 Steve McQueen, Lee Remick movie. Elmer Bernstein and Ernie Sheldon wrote the title tune. The We Three Trio (Wally Keske, Myrna Janssen and Danny Janssen) sing the song but it doesn't appear in the motion picture. Even the 45 rpm release says it's from the movie and it does appear on the soundtrack album. Once the guitarist and tenor for The Limeliters, Glenn Yarborough reached Billboard's top twenty with the song. It's interesting to note that when Gl…

Danny (Horace Eldred Dill) Dill once ran for mayor in Nashville and it was he who co-composed "I Wanna Go Home" recorded by Billy Grammer in 1963 and re-titled as "Detroit City" with Mel Tillis. In the forties and fifties he and his first wife Annie Lou toured with the Grand Ole Opry. In 2012 President Obama awarded Pam's father, Mel Tillis with the National Medal of Arts. The reasons are obvious: The Webb Pierce hit "I Ain't Never", "The Snakes Crawl at Night" for Charlie Pride, and Kenn…

Tony Orlando produced Featherbed's "Could It Be Magic" (Tony Orlando, Barry Manilow), a Chopin-adaptation recorded in 1971. This studio group was really Barry Manilow and Tony Orlando. Another version (Anderson, Manilow) by Barry Manilow (Barry Pincus) "Can't Smile Without You" hit the top ten in 1975.

Teddy Daryll (Ted Meister) wrote and recorded "She Cried" in 1961. Although he worked and wrote with others it is generally agreed that he composed the tune himself. Jay (John "Jay" Traynor) and the Americans (Howard Kane, Kenny Vance and Sandy Deane) version got into the top ten in 1962. Shortly after this, Jay Traynor left the group to be replaced by Jay Black (David Blatt).

Clyde McPhatter was lead for Billy Ward and the Dominoes. He left to assemble The Drifters. When he went solo he hit with "Lover Please", "A Lover's Question" and in 1957 "Without Love (There is Nothing) composed by Danny Small. Tom Jones took the tune to the top five in 1970.

Betty Everett was the first to record "Can I Get To Know You (Better)". The P.F. Sloan (Phillip Schlein), Steve Barri composition was released in 1964. The Turtles (Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman) rendition of "Can I Get to Know Better" hit the Billboard charts in 1966. It never was a big hit but it sure had the sound.

Ernie Maresca of "Shout! Shout! Knock Yourself Out" fame is often associated with Dion ("The Wanderer", "Runaround Sue" and "Lovers Who Wander") and was part of "The 1929 Depression". He co-authored "Child of Clay" with Jimmy Curtiss. Not the blues singer nor the Singing Brakeman but the "Honeycomb" guy, Jimmie Rodgers hit with "Child of Clay" in 1967 when it got into the top thirty and was his last charted record. The tune was a real departure for the rather unique Mr. Rodgers.

Chase Webster (Gary Bruce) wrote and recorded "Moody River" in March of 1961 on Frank Slay's "Southern Sounds" label. Pat Boone's April 1961 hit reached the top spot on Billboard and was the title on one of his many albums.