Articles by John Twang

Paul Williams issued "Out In The Country" (Paul Williams - Roger Nichols) in 1972 on his album "Life Goes On". Paul played the lead in Brian DePalma's wonderful 1974 film "Phantom Of The Paradise" and was Virgil in the 1973 hit "Battle For The Planet Of The Apes". He has made appearances in the motion pictures "Baby Driver", "Smokey And The Bandit", "The Muppet Movie" and "Bugsy Malone". The Three Dog Night (Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, Mike Allsup, Jimmy Greenspoon, Joe Schermie…

The Lucky Millinder (Lucius Venables) Orchestra were first to record "Ram-Bunk-Shush" (Millinder - Mundy) in 1952 on the LP of the same name. Through the years Lucky Millander Orchestra members included Sam "The Man" Taylor, Bill Doggett, Panama Francis and Dizzy Gillespie! The Ventures' (Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Howie Johnson and Don Wilson) 1961 cover of "Ram-Bunk-Shush" (Millinder - Glover - Mundy) is on their self-titled LP, just one of the group's over two hundred album releases. The s…

New Orleans native Chris Kenner wrote and recorded "I Like It Like That" (Chris Kenner - Allen Toussaint) while he was working with pianist and composer Allen Toussaint. It was released in 1961 and peaked at number two on both the Billboard pop and R&B charts. Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, The Dave Clark Five (Drummer, manager Dave Clark on drums, Mike Smith lead vocals, Lenny Davidson, Denis Payton and Rick Huxley) 1965 cover of "I Like It Like That" reached number seven on the…

This is the David Bowie (Jones) and John Hutchinson demo of "Space Oddity" (David Bowie) recorded in early 1969. The tune was issued for the promotional film "Love You Till Tuesday". Future member of Yes, Rick Wakeman is on the mellotron. Rick was also a noted session player for Cat Stevens, Elton John and T. Rex. Later in the year David re-recorded the song and reached number five in the U.K. "Space Oddity" was re-released in 1973 and peaked at number fifteen on Billboard while topping the B…

The Basin Street Boys (lead Ormand Wilson, Gene Price, Reuben Saunders and Artie Waters) recorded "I Sold My Heart To The Junk Man" (Basin Street Boys - Leon Rene) in 1946. In 1962 Patricia Holte aka Patti Labelle lead The Blue-Belles (Patty Holte, Cindy Birdsong, Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx) with "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" (Leon Rene - Otis Rene) and number fifteen on the Top One Hundred and number thirteen on the R&B chart. Wikipedia: "In 1962, the Chicago-based girl group the Starle…

The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalist Bob Eberly issued "All Or Nothing At All" (Arthur Altman - Jack Lawrence) as the first version in 1939. This was the B side to "In The Middle Of A Dream". Harry James recorded "All Or Nothing At All" later in 1939 with a relatively unknown twenty-three year old Frank Sinatra. The single was re-released as Frank Sinatra with Harry James and his Orchestra during a musicians strike and peaked at number two on Billboard. Professional recording artists cou…

The Hillbillies aka "Al Hopkins Original Hill Billies, Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters and simply "Hill Billies" (Charlie Bowman on fiddle, vocalist Al Hopkins, Joe Hopkins guitar and John Rector played the banjo) recorded "Sally Ann" in 1926. Apparently Harry Belafonte rejected this tune, but Round Robin (Lloyd) hit with "Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann" (P. Sloane - S. Barri) in 1964 with this Jack Nitzche arrangement. Darlene Love and the Blossoms are on back up vocals, Duane Eddy stalw…

In 1983 the soundtrack LP "A Night In Heaven" included Bryan Adam's "Heaven" (Bryan Adams - Jim Vallance). The next year it was on Bryan's album "Reckless" and in 1985 in peaked at number one on Billboard and number twelve on the Adult Contemporary chart. Bryan was vocalist for Sweeney Todd in the mid-seventies. DJ Sammy (Bouriah), DJ Yanou (Yann Peifer) and The Netherlands vocalist Do (Dominique van Hulst) released "Heaven" as a single and album in 2002. The re-imagined single reached numbe…

In 1918 Al Jolson (Asa Yoelson) recorded "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" (Schwatrz - Lewis - Young) while appearing in the Broadway musical "Sinbad". This topped the charts of the day. There was a decade when Al Jolson was the most famous and highest paid entertainer in the United States. Aretha Franklin recorded "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" as her one and only "hit" while signed to Columbia Records. This is from her 1962 LP "The Electrifying Aretha Franklin". The si…

Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra issued :"My Mammy" (Walter Donaldson - Joe Young - Sam Lewis) in 1921 and topped the chart. It was Paul who commissioned and introduced George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue". "My Mammy" (Walter Donaldson - Joe Young - Sam Lewis) was a big hit for "the world's greatest entertainer", Al Jolson (Asa Yoelson) with the Abe Lyman Orchestra. In 1928 this single charted at number two. Al sang "My Mammy" in the Broadway musical "Sinbad" but didn't record it until the 19…

Former corrections officer in West Virginia, Craig J. Martin co-authored "Don't Take The Girl (Craig Martin - Larry W. Johnson) and performs the hit at Jack Scott's 2009 Writer and Showcase in the Nashville area where the Showcase is featured at several venues. Tim McGraw's "Don't Take The Girl" is on the top Country album of 1994, "Not A Moment Too Soon". The single topped the Country chart and peaked at number seventeen on the Top One Hundred. The son of baseball great Tug McGraw, Tim is m…

The second single from Red Hot Chili Peppers (lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary aka Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith) 1991 LP "Sugar Sex Magik" was "Under The Bridge" (Kiedis - Flea - Frusciante -Smith) in 1992. The single reached number two on Billboard and rightly stayed on the Top One Hundred for more than half the year. "Under The Bridge" was covered by All Saints (Melanie Blatt, Shaznay Lewis, sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton) and seems to be pure commercialism almost…

Smiley Lewis (Overton Amos Lemons) recorded "Blue Monday" (D. Bartholomew) in 1954. His nickname came from the fact that he didn't have many front teeth. The musician died of stomach cancer in 1966, just days before a benefit concert organized by Dave Bartholomew. The late Fats (Antoine) Domino's "Blue Monday" (D. Bartholomew - A. Domino) was used in the 1956 Jayne Mansfield movie "The Girl Can't Help It". The single reached number five pop and one on the R&B charts. This is on the 1957 LP "…

Composer Dick Holler and the Holler Family: Reno, Logan, Jeremy and Diana Godet with Heiko Freund on guitar, piano and bass Dave Holler and drummer Yann Rouiller sing "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" (Gernhard - Holler) from a 2015 session. Co-writer Phil Gernhard produced many of the Lobo hits along with the original "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. The Royal Guardsmen didn't ask the permission of cartoonist Charles Schulz to use his characters so the Canadian distributer would not iss…

This is Jim Steinman's composition "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" (Jim Steinman) as the original 1982 demo with Jim on piano and Rory Dodd on vocals. Rory was the second voice on "Total Eclipse Of The Heart". Air Supply's (Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell) "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" peaked at number two on the Top One Hundred and the Adult Contemporary charts in 1983. Max Weinberg is on drums, Sid McGinnis and Rick Derringer on guitar while demo artist Rory Dodd is on backi…

It was Tiny (Myron) Bradshaw who wrote and released "Soft" in 1953 and reached number three on the R&B chart. That's Red (Wilburt) Prysock on saxophone. Early in his musical career Tiny was both a drummer and a vocalist. Bill Doggett's version of "Soft" peaked at number eleven R&B and number thirty-five on the Top One Hundred. The single is from the 1957 album "The Doggett Beat For Happy Feet". Bill arranged for the likes of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton.

Diane Warren (details elsewhere on this blog) composed "Look Away", just one of over a hundred songs she has charted. This version was recorded in concert. Chicago (Bill Champlin, John Pankow, Lee Loughnane, Danny Seraphine, Dawayne Bailey, Jason Scheff, John Campbell, Robert Lamm, Philip Ashley, Dan Huff, Chas Sandford, Charles Judge, Kiki Epsen and Walter Parazaider) topped the pop and Adult Contemporary charts with "Look Away" from their 1988 album "Chicago 19". This was the first album t…

Henry (Enrico Nicola) Mancini's "Tinpañola" aka "(I Love You) And Don't You Forget It" with Al Stillman's lyrics appears on the album "Dear Heart and Other Songs About Love". This was Henry Mancini's first all choral album in 1963. Perry Como's cover of "(I Love You) And Don't You Forget It" (Stillman - Mancini) was a Hugo and Luigi production that hit the top thirty pop and number sixteen Adult Contemporary in 1963. The track is from the album "The Songs I Love".