Articles by John Twang

Singer of soul, Charlie Whitehead issued "Love Being The Fool" (Jerry Williams Jr. - Charlie Whitehead) in 1975. This made the Billboard R&B chart. Mr. Williams also recorded using the moniker "Raw Spitt". Later that year Travis Wammack released "(Shu-doo-pa-poo-poop) Love Being Your Fool" on the LP "Not For Sale". The fun "southern rock" single peaked at thirty-eight. Travis was Little Richard's band leader for more than a decade and is a member of The Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Yes, I lik…

David Allan Coe's 1978 LP "Family Album" contains the writers version of "Take This Job And Shove It". The singer has opened for Kid Rock and Grand Funk Railroad. David was part of the "Outlaw Movement" with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck. In 1977 Johnny Paycheck (Donald Lytle) solidified a career with "Take This Job And Shove It" from the album of the same name. The single topped the Country chart and was the impetus of a movie with that title. Both Johnny…

Johnny Paycheck (Donald Lytle) was first to record "She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft)" (Tim Dubois) on the 1981 LP "Lovers And Losers". Johnny is buried in the same Nashville cemetery, Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, as George Jones and Roy Orbison's wife Claudette along with two of their children. Months later Jerry Reed (Hubbard) recorded "She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft)" in 1982 peaking at number fifty-seven pop and topping the Country charts. This track is on the album "The…

Here is the demo of "Breakaway" (Matthew Gerrard, Bridget Benenate - Avril Lavigne) Avril Lavigne recorded for her 2002 debut LP "Let Go". The track didn't fit the album so it wasn't issued. Avril was born in my hometown of Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The Disney 2004 movie soundtrack "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" features Kelly Clarkson's version of "Breakaway". The single reached number six on Billboard while topping the AC chart for almost half the year! "Breakaway" was also…

Let me listen to this for hours. A cigarette and a glass of good whisky would also be appreciated. This is Paul Desmond (Breitenfeld) and the composer's version of "Take Five" (Desmond) recorded in a 1966 concert. Paul's father, Emil was a pianist, organist, arranger and composer for music accompanying silent films. The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello and Eugene Wright) 1961 success of "Take Five" with Paul Desmond on alto sax became what may be the biggest sellin…

The 1968 Italian documentary film "Sweden: Heaven and Hell" featured "Mah Na Mah Na" original title "Hooray For The Swedish Sauna" and the soundtrack by Piero Umiliani. Lead vocals were by Alessandro Alessandroni and Giulia de Mutiis. Alessandro also worked on soundtracks for Ennio Morricone. It's Alessandro Alessandroni's twang guitar on "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" and his whistling on "A Fistful Of Dollars". The original "Mah Na Mah Na" was used often on The Benny Hill Show and The Red Sk…

Napoleon Jones alias the late David Christie (Jacques Pepino) aka composer James Bolden released "I Love To Love" (Jack Robinson - James Bolden) on the 1975 LP "Napoleon Jones". Tina Charles (Hoskins) "I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance)" is from her 1976 debut album of the same name. The single topped the U.K. charts and elsewhere while peaked at number seventeen on Billboard's Top One Hundred and reaching number two on the Disco chart.

Joe Venuti and his orchestra first recorded the jazz standard "Moon Glow" (Hudson - Mills - DeLange) in 1933. It was Joe who took the lead in introducing the jazz violin and played with Jean Goldkette, Red Nichols, Roger Wolfe Kahn and Paul Whiteman. The Benny Goodman Orchestra topped Billboard in 1931 with "Moonglow". Members of the orchestra have included Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Gene Krupa, Helen Ward, Buddy Greco, Lionel Hampton, Al Hirt, Peggy Lee and Zoot Sims. The Benny Goodman…

Queen and David Bowie recorded "Under Pressure" (Freddie Mercury - Brian May - Roger Taylor - John Deacon - David Bowie) in 1981 as the result of a jam session. The next year it topped the U.K. charts while reaching the Billboard top thirty. This is on the LP "Hot Space". The Used (Bert McCracken on vocals, Quinn Allman, Jeph Howard, and Branden Steinckert) and My Chemical Romance (Gerard Way on lead vocal, Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Ray Toro and Mike Way) issued a version in 2005. The single ap…

It was Otis Redding who was first to record the Steve Cropper produced "Hard To Handle" (Jones - Isbell - Redding) in 1967 and released as a single from the posthumous LP "The Immortal Otis Redding". The 45 reached number thirty-eight on the R&B and fifty-one on the Billboard pop chart. Among the many acknowledgments given Otis: The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Black Crowes (vocalist Chr…

Frankie Vaughan (Abelson) recorded "From The Vine Came The Grape" (Whitcup) in 1953. Actor and singer Frankie received an OBE in 1965 and was the first British singer to star in Las Vegas. He also broke house records at New York's Copacabana. The Gaylords cover of "From The Vine Came The Grape" (Cunningham - Whitcup) hit number seven on Billboard in 1954. According to group member Bonaldo Bonaldi "We actually got our name, "The Gaylords," because Don and Ronnie could grow beards really easy.…

"Per un Bacio D'Amor" (Testa - Poes) was first recorded by Tony Dallara (Lardera). Tony won the San Remo Music Festival in 1960. The Gaylords had their first hit and a million seller with "Tell Me You're Mine" in 1952 when the single peaked at number two on Billboard.

Francis Lemarque had success in his native France with "Le Petit Cordonnier" (Rudi Revil - Nathan Korb) in 1953. Nathan Korb was an alias for singer Francis Lemarque. "The Little Shoemaker" (Geoffrey Parsons - Nathan Korb - John Turner) hit for the Gaylords (Ronald Fredianelli aka Ronnie Gaylord, Bonaldo Bonaldi aka Burt Holiday and Don Rae) in 1954 when it reached number two on Billboard. Obviously sung in Italian and English.

Brooklyn trio, The Chuckles (Teddy Randazzo, Tommy Romano and Russ Gilberto) recorded "Run Around" (Cirino Colacrai) as a B side but had a top twenty hit with the song in 1954. They were named after a popular candy bar of the late forties and early fifties. In 1960 high school friends, The Fleetwoods (Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher and Barbara Ellis) covered "Runaround" for the album "The Fleetwoods: Gretchen, Gary and Barbara). The single peaked in the top thirty.

Toronto multi-instrumentalist and Juno Award winner Lisa Dal Bello recorded the original "Pretty Girls" in 1978 for the LP of the same name. Composer, award winning singer and actress, Melissa Manchester's cover of "Pretty Girls" hit the Billboard pop top forty and top thirty Adult Contemporary. The single was the lead track from her 1979 self-titled album. Melissa was a member of Bette Midler's Harlettes. Melissa's father played for the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) seems to be responsible for much of The American Songbook and here is yet another example from 1939. "On A Monday" (Leadbelly) was adapted from another Leadbelly song called "Yallow Women's Door Bells". Leadbelly aka Lead Belly was known as "The King Of The Twelve String Guitar". Johnny Cash cut "I Got Stripes" (Charles Williams - Johnny Cash) in 1959. The single, from the album Old Golden Throat, hit number five Country and entered the pop top forty. Co-author C…

Grammy winner Tracy Chapman's debut 1988 self-titled album had it's lead single "Fast Car" (Tracy Chapman) peak at number six on the Top One Hundred. The song was performed by Tracy on the Nelson Mandala 70th Birthday Tribute concert which aided in the tune's success. In 2015 English DJ, re-mixer and record producer Jonas Blue (Guy Robin) with vocalist Dakota (Sophie Elton) covered "Fast Car" as their first single. The release peaked higher in the U.K. at number two than the original which h…

The Zombies (Rod Argent, Paul Atkinson, Colin Blunstone, Hugh Grundy and Chris White) recorded "I Love You" (Chris White) in 1965 as a B side. The song did not chart in either the U.K. or the U.S. One-hit wonder, People (Denny Fridkin, Geoff and Robb Levin, Gene Mason, Larry Norman and Al Ribisi) covered "I Love You" in 1968. This well produced single topped many world charts and peaked at number fourteen on Billboard. Like the Zombie issue it was a B side. This is on the album "I Love You"…