Articles by John Twang

The group Bama consisted of the composers, part of the Muscle Shoals, Alabama studio session musicians. They released "Touch Me When We're Dancing" (Terry Skinner, J.L. Wallace and Ken Bell) as a single in 1979. They released an album of the same name later that year. The Carpenters (Karen and Richard Carpenter) covered "Touch Me When We're Dancing" for the album "Made In America" in 1981 and had their last top twenty pop hit when it peaked at number sixteen on Billboard and topped the Adult…

The Danleers (Willie Ephraim, Johnny Lee, Roosevelt Mays, Nat McCune and lead vocalist Jimmy Weston) became a one-hit wonder with their debut single "One Summer Night" (Danny Webb) in 1958. The million seller peaked at number seven pop and number four on the R&B charts. The Diamonds (lead Dave Somerville, Ted Kowalski, Phil Levitt and Bill Reed) white cover of "One Summer Night" reached number twenty-two on Billboard in 1961.

Freddy Cannon is playing guitar on The G-Clefs (brothers Chris, Ilanga, Teddy and Tim Scott with friend Ray Gipson) 1956 "Ka-Ding-Dong" (R. Jordan - J. McDermott). Their first hit peaked at twenty-four on Billboard. The band kept the original members through six decades. Later that year The Diamonds (David Somerville, Ted Kowalski, Phil Levitt and Bill Reed) again issued a white version of a black groups hit. This time "Ka-Ding-Dong" hit number eight on the R&B chart and top twenty in the U.…

In the summer of 1966 "Your Good Thing (Is About To End)" (Porter - Hayes) was first recorded by Mable John on the legendary Stax label. Mable was Little Willie John's sister and spent years as a Raelette. The song inched onto the Top One Hundred at ninety-five but reached number six on the R&B chart. Silky smooth Grammy winner Lou Rawls number eighteen single edit of "Your Good Thing (Is About To End)" is from the 1969 LP "The Way It Was: The Way It Is". The single peaked at number three on…

This is Stevie Nicks playing guitar on the 1975 demo for "Leather And Lace". Should you have the opportunity to see Stevie in concert she often displays ribbons, chiffons, beads scarves, stuffed toys and roses on her microphone stand. Steve Nicks of Fleetwood Mac and Don Henley of The Eagles peaked at number six on Billboard in the beginning of 1982 with "Leather And Lace from Stevie's 1981 top ten LP "Bella Donna". She wrote the tune for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Coulter.

Linda Lyndell's (Rowland) "What A Man" (Dave Crawford) peaked at number fifty on the R&B chart in 1968. The track is from the LP "Super Dreams". Linda is white and when the record came to the attention of the KKK she was threatened for associating with black musicians. Linda opened for James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner. The Salt-N-Pepa (Cheryl James, Sandra Denton) with En Vogue (Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and Dawn Robertson) rap version of "Whatta Man" (James - Crawford - Azo…

Kenny Nolan co-wrote "My Eyes Adored You" and "Lady Marmalade" with Bob Crewe and he composed the hits "A Penny For Your Thoughts" and "Swing Your Daddy". Here he sings the demo for his solo hit, "I Like Dreamin'" (Kenny Nolan). Kenny Nolan's single of "I Like Dreamin'" spent twenty-seven weeks on Billboard. Released in 1976 it rose on Billboard peaking at number three on the Top One Hundred and number four on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1977. This gold single is from his self-titled deb…

Known as "The Golden Voice Of Italy" Carlo Buti released "Reginella Campagnola" (Eldo Di Lazzaro - Bruno Cherubini) in 1939. At the time of his retirement in 1956 he was the most recorded voice in Italian music history. Glenn Miller's "The Woodpecker Song" (Eldo Di Lazzaro - Harold Adamson) with vocalist Marion Hutton (Thornburg) topped the chart in 1940. Marion was raised by Glenn Miller and his wife Helen as her foster parents when she joined the orchestra at seventeen. Marion was actress…

Connie Francis (Franconero) released "No One" (Doc Pomus - Mort Shuman) as the B side to "Where The Boys Are" in 1960. The song reached number thirty-four on Billboard. The tune appears on the 1991 LP "More Greatest Hits" and the 1965 issue "Connie Francis Sings For Mama". "No One" was issued by the great Ray Charles and the Raelettes in 1963. The single peaked at number nine R&B and twenty-one of Billboard's pop charts. Ray tested actor Jamie Foxx before he had the role in "Ray". The movie…

Remember the million seller "Baby Sittin' Boogie"? This is the same Buzz (Reese) Clifford who wrote and performed the original "Echo Park" for his 1969 album "See Your Way". In the late sixties Buzz was in a band called "Carp" with songwriter Daniel Moore and actor Gary Busey. Like so many other entertainers Keith Barbour was a member of The New Christy Minstrels. Keith covered "Echo Park" and had the top forty hit the same year. This wasn't a big hit but it contains a universal message and…

Star of the stage, singer and songwriter Chauncey Olcott was first to record "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's An Irish Lullaby)" (James Royce Shannon) in 1913. It was composed for the musical "Shameen Dhu (Black-haired Jimmy) and recorded before the play's premier. The 1947 film "My Wild Irish Rose" as a biography of Chauncey Olcott's life. Bing (Harry) Crosby made the tune famous when he sang "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's An Irish Lullaby)" in the 1944 film "Going My Way". Bing won the Best…

Joe "Fingers" Carr (Lou Bush) and the Carr Hops were first to record "Sam's Song" (Jack Elliott - Lew Quadling) in 1950 and peaked at number seven on Billboard. When Joe divorced actress Janet Blair he married singer Margaret Whiting. Bing Crosby and Friend (seventeen year old son Gary Crosby) with Matty Matlock's All-Stars hit number three with "Sam's Song" (The Happy Tune) later that year. This was the B side to "Play A Simple Melody".

The 1995 animated Disney film "Pocahontas" introduced "Colors Of The Wind" (Stephen Schwartz - Alan Menken) as sung by the operatically trained soprano Judy Kuhn on the soundtrack. It was Vanessa Williams who sang the Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar winning "Colors Of The Wind" over the closing credits of the movie. The single is on both the "Pocahontas" soundtrack and Vanessa's LP "The Sweetest Days". The track reached number four pop and number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts…

This is posted for several reasons but mainly because of the strange way it became a hit. "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" was written by Bob Dylan and recorded for the album "Bringing It All Back Home" but not released until the "Bootleg Series". This particular track is rather rare and was issued in 1967 as a single in several European countries. "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" was issued first, although uncharted, by The Liverpool Five (Steve Laine, Dave Burgess, Ken Cox, Ron Henley and Jimmy May) in…

Maurice Williams wrote "Stay" when he was 15 years old and first recorded in 1960 by Williams with his group the Zodiacs (lead vocalist Maurice Williams, Wiley Bennett, Henry Gaston, Albert Hill, Willie Morrow and Henry Thomas). The single clocked in at one minute and thirty-six seconds topping the Billboard chart. The Four Seasons (lead singer Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi) included "Stay" on the 1963 LP "The 4 Seasons Sing Ain't That A Shame And 11 Others". "Stay"…

"Auf Wiedersehen (Ederhand Storch) was released by movie and recording star Rudi Schuricke in the original German in 1950. "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" (Storch - Turner - Parsons) was on the first published UK singles chart in November of 1952 where it peaked at number ten. Servicemen accompanied Vera Lynn along with the Johnny Johnston Singers. In the U.S. the song was the first ever chart topping single in the that country not performed by an American.

(Kenny) Loggins and (Jim) Messina included "Your Mama Don't Dance" (Loggins - Messina) on their 1972 self-titled album. Early the next year the single peaked at number four on the Top One Hundred and number nineteen on the Easy Listening chart. Glam metal band Poison (lead vocalist Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, C.C. DeVille and Rikki Rockett) covered "Your Mama Don't Dance" in 1989 and reached number ten on the Billboard pop chart. This track is from the five times platinum LP "Open Up And Say…

"Obsession" (Knight - Des Barres) first appeared in 1983 by the duo Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres. The song was used in the movie "A Night In Heaven". Holly has authored for Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, Meat Loaf, Ozzy Osbourne, Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, Aaron Neville and Bon Jovi. Michael Des Barres is a noted musician and also an actor having appeared in "To Sir, With Love" and "Ghoulies". The next year Animotion (lead vocalists Astrid Plane and Bill Wadhams, Paul Antonelli, Don Kirkpatri…