Articles by John Twang

The American Quartet (lead vocalist Billy Murray, John Bieling, William Hooley and Steve Porter) recorded "Billy (She Always Dreams Of Bill)" (Joe Goodwin - James Kendis - Herman Paley) when the song was published in 1911. Lead singer Billy Murray traveled in minstrel shows and was a genuine vaudeville star The quartet also recorded under the names Heidelberg Quartet, Premier Quartet and the Premier American Quartet. Kathy Linden covered "Billy" in 1958 on the LP "That Certain Boy". The sing…

Demetriss Tapp released "Ring Dang Doo" (Robert F. Tubert - Joy Byers) in 1964. Demetriss was once dubbed "the white Tina Turner" even though she is essentially a Country artist. Sam The Sham (Domingo Samudio) and The Pharaohs' (originally: Russell Fowler, Omar Lopez, Vincent Lopez and Carl Miedke) "Ring Dang Doo" was issued in 1965 and peaked at thirty-three on Billboard. This is on the album "On Tour". While still in school Sam was in a group with Trini Lopez.

Ray Nobles Orchestra with vocalist Val Rosing and the only song Val recorded with this orchestra. They first recorded "Try A Little Tenderness"(Jimmy Campbell - Red Connelly - Harry M. Woods) in 1932. The song was edited here to include the vocal. After this was released everybody recorded the tune including Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Apparently Otis Redding was somewhat reluctant to issue "Try A Little Tenderness" in 1966 but he transformed the song from an Aretha Franklin version with…

This version of Paul Williams "The Family Of Man" (Paul Williams - Jack Conrad) is from the 1974 LP "A Little Bit Of Love". Three Dog Night's (Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, Cory Wells) 1972 hit "The Family Of Man" came from the previous year's album "Harmony". The single peaked at number twelve on Billboard and top ten in Canada. The top ten LP "Harmony" spawned "Never Been To Spain", and two Paul Williams hit songs: this and "An Old Fashioned Love Song".

The duo of (Mike) Shepstone and (Peter) Dibbens released "Please Tell Her" (Shepstone - Dibbens) as a B side in 1974. Glen Campbell's first daughter, Debbie once sang with the Oklahoma band Buckwheat. Solo she issued "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello" and reached number twelve on the Easy Listening chart and peaked in the eighties on the pop chart in 1975. This sounds like so many other hummable tunes of that era it's somewhat surprising the song wasn't more successful. To my untrained ear…

"Xanadu" as sung by songwriter Jeff Lynne. In 2000 it was recorded for the "All Over The World" compilation. The label refers to the band E.L.O. but it was done in studio by Jeff Lynne on vocals, guitars, bass and drums with Marc Mann on keyboards. Other members of The Electric Light Orchestra were not in the session. Jeff was a founder of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Roy Orbison. This is title tune from the 1980 movie with Grammy winner Olivia Newton…

Emmy winner, Golden Globe winner and Tony Award winner, singer, actor Richard Kiley was part of the original 1965 Broadway cast recording of "The Man From La Mancha" where he sang "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" (Mitch Leigh - Joe Darion). Stage adaptations of "The Man From La Mancha" were successful in Poland, Spain, Hungary, France, Brazil, Korea, Bulgaria, Japan, Sweden, Romania, Germany and China. Grammy winner Jack Jones' version of "The Impossible Dream" was the single that topped t…

The Five Stairsteps (lead vocalist Clarence Jr, Alohe Jean, Dennis, James and Keni Burke) had a good year in 1970 when they recorded "Ooh Child (Things Are Gonna Get Easier)" (Stan Vincent) and reached number eight on the Billboard pop chart and fourteen R&B. The hit from the album "Stairsteps" had originally been released as a B side to a cover of the Beatles "Dear Prudence" during the summer and the nation followed suit when two major American markets started playing the song. In Chicago the g…

Composers Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons perform "Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)" at The 2010 Songwriters Roundtable at the Dothan Civic Center in Alabama. When the song was written the writers gave the tune to Waylon Jennings because his name was part of the lyric. Session keyboard player Bobby Emmons backed Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Neil Diamond, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson. Studio owner Chips (Lincoln Wayne) Moman was a Grammy winning songwriter, producer and guitaris…

Kenny Nolan wrote "A Penny For Your Thoughts" by Marion Jarvis as her second single in 1975. Tavares (Antone, Arthur, Feliciano (father of the four brothers), Perry and Ralph Tavares) covered "A Penny For Your Thoughts" in 1982 on the LP "New Directions". The smooth single, produced by the writer, was the group's last top forty hit when it peaked at number thirty-three on Billboard's pop chart and number sixteen R&B. The tune received a Grammy nomination.

Dutch group Focus (Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman, Cyril Havermans and Pierre van der Linden) released the LP "Moving Waves" aka "Focus II" in 1971 with "Hocus Pocus" (Thijs van Leer - Jan Akkerman) as the opening track. An edited version was issued as a single but didn't chart. A faster re-recording of "Hocus Pocus" was produced in 1973. It was this edited 45 r.p.m. version that reached number nine on Billboard and the top twenty in Canada and the U.K.

It was during the Bee Gees 1977 sessions for "Saturday Night Fever" that Barry Gibb and Bee Gees band member Blue (Derek) Weaver wrote and Barry recorded "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" with brother Maurice. This was not public until the "Bee Gees Greatest" was issued in 1979. Teen idol Andy Gibb issued the 1978 single of "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" from his album "Shadow Dancing" only in the U.S.. Andy reached number two Adult Contemporary and number nine Billboard pop. Andy d…

The Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) intended their tune "Desire" for the 1978 album "Spirits Having Flown". After weeks of working on it, "Desire" was dropped from the LP. This is the original Barry Gibb demo. During a 1979 session Andy Gibb was joined by his three brothers for "Desire". The lead single from Andy's "After Dark" reached number four on the Top One Hundred in 1980.

Published in 1928 "I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)" (Fred E. Ahlert - Roy Turk) was a hit in 1929 for Aileen Stanley (Muggeridge). Eileen and her elder brother Stanley were a sister/brother vaudeville act known as Stanley and Aileen. When Stanley left and Aileen went solo she got her stage name by reversing the family billing name. The song was recorded during the same year by Ruth Etting and Nick Lucas. "I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)" was recorded in 1940 by Harry James. During th…

Classic country songwriter Hank Cochran supplied wife Jeannie Seely with the number two Billboard Country hit "Don't Touch Me" in 1966. The Grammy Award winning track inched onto the pop chart and was her first Monument single from the LP "The Seely Style". Bettye Swann (Betty Jean Champion) covered "Don't Touch Me" in 1969. The single peaked at number fourteen R&B and number thirty-eight on the Top One Hundred. Wikipedia: "Swann later changed her name to Betty Barton, began working as a tea…

You may know this tune as "Beer Barrel Polka", "Roll Out The Barrel" or "The Barrel Polka" (Jaromir Vejvoda). It was written as an instrumental in 1927. This became "Polka Of Modrany" and then "Skoda lasky" (Wasted Love) when lyrics were added by Vaclav Zeman. The polka was recorded by German accordionist, bandleader and composer Will Glahe in 1934 as "Rosamunde". In 1939 Will Glahe reached worldwide fame with the tune using the title "Beer Barrel Polka" hitting the top of the American chart…

Fats (Antoine) Domino and long time collaborator Dave (Davis) Bartholomew wrote "Valley Of Tears:" and charted at number eight pop, number two R&B in the summer of 1957. This track is from the LP "This Is Fats" and was the first of his many singles to include an overdubbed vocal group. Fats had eight children: Antoine III, Anatole, Andre, Antonio, Antoinette, Andrea, Anola, and Adonica. Until a friend introduced me to this I had no idea of this song's existence. Buddy Holly's (Charles Holley…

Bobby Goldsboro had "Lizzie And The Rainman" (Kenny O'Dell - Larry Henley) on the 1972 LP "California Wine". Apparently the idea for the song took root after writers Kenny O'Dell or Larry Henley watched the movie "The Rainmaker" and the character named Lizzy Curry. Three years later Tanya Tucker met producer Snuff Garrett and sang "Lizzie And The Rainman" in a session for the first time without live musicians in the studio, just her and an instrumental track. The single topped the Country ch…