Articles by John Twang

"Hound Dog" started with composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller who produced it themselves with Big Mama Thornton in 1952. The Japanese version is included for variety because the tune was sung in just about every genre and language since it's inception. The Elvis Presley version was based on the Freddie Bell and the Bellboys interpretation he saw in Las Vegas. Elvis sang it on the Milton Berle Show then on Steve Allen's. The next day it was recorded at RCA along with "Don't Be Cruel" B…

Paul Evans hit with "Seven Little Girls" and "Happy Go Lucky Me". Paul is also a gifted composer with hits like "Roses Are Red" for Bobby Vinton, "I Gotta Know" by Elvis Presley, "Happiness Is" for the Ray Coniff Singers", "Johnny Will" by Pat Boone, "Worried Guy" for Johnny Tillotson and The Kalen Twins "When". The Kalen Twins (Hal and Herbie) hit the top five spot in 1958 with the song they intended to use as a "B" side.

In 1934 Kelly Pace and inmates of Cummins Prison Farm in Gould, Arkansas were the first to record "Rock Island Line". It was part of the Lomax collection of American folk music. Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) recorded the tune a couple of years later and brought it to popularity. Britain 's Lonnie Donegan record was released in 1955 with the Chris Barber Jazz Band and it reached the top ten there.

Regazzi del Sole (Children of the Sun) recorded the Italian version of "Don't You Just Know It" and it's posted here just for the fun of it! It was New Orleans Huey Smith who composed and originally recorded "Sea Cruise". His record company erased the vocals and replaced them with those of Frankie Ford! Huey "Piano" Smith played that instrument for Little Richard and did the same for Smiley Lewis on the original recording of "I Hear You Knockin'". Huey and the Clowns were known for "Rockin…

David and Jonathan are characters from the bible. Roger Cook (Blue Mink, the Pipkins) and Roger Greenaway were David and Jonathan, the singers. Their biggest hit was a cover of the Beatles "Michelle". They were together, with others and individually extremely prolific composers: "Long Cool Woman" by the Hollies, "My Baby Loves Lovin'" for White Plains, "Green Grass" by Gary Leis & the Playboys, "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" for Tom Jones, "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" with Whistling Jack Smith…

The Rouse Brothers (Jack, Ervin and Gordon) recorded the bluegrass/fiddle classic "The Orange Blossom Special" in 1939. Ervin composed the tune and it's been said that he refused to join the Grand Ole Opry. Johnny Cash titled a 1965 album "Orange Blossom Special" and changed it from a bluegrass tune to a more unique country/pop tune featuring the harmonica.

Shortly before his death in 1935 George Gershwin himself supervised Helen Jepson's recording of Porgy and Bess including the classic "Summertime". Helen sang with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and sang along side Rudy Vallee, not only that but later she was a star with the Metropolitan Opera. The blonde beauty had a starring role in "The Goldwyn Follies" 1938 movie. During Canada's centennial year your scribe had the pleasure of visiting a small, crowded club on Crescent Street in Montreal t…

Listed as a traditional American folksong, "The John B. Sails" was included in a collection by Carl Sandburg in the twenties. Alan Lomax included it in his collection "Deep River of Song" as "Histe Up the John B. Sails" by the Cleveland Simmon's Group in 1935. This is the oldest known recording of the song. The actual hull of the John B. was found off the Bahamas in the sand of Governor's Harbour in 1926. "The Wreck of the John B," was recorded by the Weavers, Jimmie Rodgers, the Kingsto…

Joe South (Joseph Alfred Souter) hit with Grammy winning "Games People Play" but was more of a composer with such successes as "Down in the Boondocks" and "I Knew You When" for Billy Joe Royal, "One Bad Apple" by The Osmonds, "Hush" for Deep Purple and "Rose Garden" for Lynn Anderson. Joe was a successful session player in Nashville and Muscle Shoals. The daughter of country star Liz Anderson, Lynn Anderson, a regular performer on the Lawrence Welk Show hit both the country and pop charts…

In 1928 The Georgians (leader Frank Guarente and members of the Paul Specht Orchestra) recorded "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" (Creamer-Layton) from "Strut Miss Lizzle". Freddy "Boom, Boom:" Cannon (Frederick Picariello) hit the top three with the song produced by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay from the album "The Explosive! Freddy Cannon" in 1960.

The "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" medley (Rado-Ragni-MacDermott) comes from the 1967 "tribal rock" musical and movie "Hair". Other hits from the production include: "Hair" by the Cowsills, Three Dog Night's "Easy to be Hard" and Oliver's "Good Morning Starshine". We start with the original Broadway cast recording followed by the hit. Check the internet for truly fascinating facts about this enduring show. The Fifth Dimension (Billy Davis Jr, Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, LaMonte McLemore…

Johnny Burnette, brother Dorsey and Paul Burlison (The Sun Rhythm Section) formed the Rock and Roll Trio and won the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. The first demo for "You're Sixteen" was recorded by Dorsey Burnette in mid 1960. The second demo was made by Dorsey's brother Johnny Burnette, father to Rocky Burnette at approximately the same time, perhaps even the same recording session. Years after the trio went separate ways Johnny ended up at Liberty Records with producer Snuff Garrett. In 196…

Metropolitan Opera singer Christine Johnson sang the original "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the 1945 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. She also sang it on the original cast recording. In 1963 Gerry (Marsden) and the Pacemakers released their top ten version that became the anthem for the Liverpool Football Club before the actual single was issued.

One of few white performers who recorded for Motown in the sixties, the gorgeous Chris Clark was the first to record "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" (Miller-Wells) in 1966. It was unreleased until "the Motown Collection" in 2005. Chris was nominated for an Academy Award for co-authoring the screenplay "Lady Sings the Blues". Chris left her executive position at Motown in 1882 to marry Ernest Tidyman the writer of the "Shaft" novels and screenplays for "High Plains Drifter" and "The French Con…

J. D. (John David) Souther of the Souther Hillman Furay Band co-wrote many Eagles hits including "Heartache Tonight", "Best of My Love", "How Long" and "New Kid in Town". His You can see him on the Roy Orbison Black and White Night dvd and PBS special. The "Roy Orbisonesque" "You're Only Lonely" hit the top ten in 1979 and his collaboration with James Taylor, "Her Town Too" from the album "Dad Loves His Work" hit the top twenty in 1981. The Eagles (Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, Joe…

Baritone/music teacher and actor Todd Duncan played the original Porgy in "Porgy and Bess" in 1935 and was the first to sing the untitled song in the motion picture "Unchained" in which he had a small part and that's how it got the title "Unchained Melody" (North-Zaret) in 1955. The song, called one of the greatest of all time, was nominated for an Oscar. Before going solo and blind from birth Al Hibbler sang with the Duke Ellington and the Count Basie Orchestras. His 1955 version of "Unch…

Anni-Frid "Freda" Lyngstad like other Abba members had a solo recording contract before the group did. The original of "Fernando" had lyrics by manager Stig Andersson and was produced by then boyfriend Benny Anderson. It can be found on her Swedish album "Ensam" and it was never released as a single. Abba (Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, brunette Ann-Frid Lyngstad and blonde Agnetha Faltskog) recorded "Fernando" in English with lyrics by Bjorn Ulvaeus as their first non-album single in 19…

"Silhouettes" was composed by the legendary producer/songwriter Bob Crewe and Frank Slay. We start off with Bob Crewe's version. It was Bob who produced The Rays (Harold Miller, Wally Ford, Harry James and David Jones) release in 1957 and it went to the top five. Herman's Hermits (Peter Noone, Barry Whitwam, Keith Hopwood, Karl Green and Derek Leckenby) "Silhouettes" hit the top five in 1965. It's said that Jimmy Page plays guitar during the session.