Sunday, September 30, 2012

#1 Records: September 30th to October 6th Over The Years (and some very viable covers to go with them!!!)




In 1960, Chubby Checker 
covered this Hank Ballard penned and recorded  1959 “Dance Tune”...

Here’s Hank’s ORIGINAL version…


And the Chubby Checker COVER 
that went to #1…


In 1964 Roy Orbison hit #1 with “Oh, Pretty Woman”…


Almost a couple of decades later, Van Halen put it on the charts again
 (check out this version with  a very cool two minute intro)…


The Box Tops hit the top of the chart in 1967 with “The Letter”…



 

And it didn’t take long for Joe Cocker
--one of the masters of cover tunes—
to cover it…


1968 saw The Beatles’
 “Hey Jude” in the #1 Slot…


Wilson Pickett was right on top of it when he recruited Duane Allman to play guitar on his 1971 cover of The Beatles hit…


SOME VERY COOL #1 HITS ON THIS WEEK THROUGH THE YEARS 



(and a lot of cool covers coming out of them in years that followed)…









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Friday, September 28, 2012

SEPTEMBER 29, 1956: Detroit’s own Bill Haley equals Ruby Murray's record set in 1955 by having five songs in the UK Top 30…





SEPTEMBER 29, 1956: 

Detroit’s own (well, actually, he’s from Highland Park) Bill Haley equals Ruby Murray's record set in 1955 by having five songs in the UK Top 30…

 "See You Later, Alligator" (#19)…













"Razzle Dazzle" (#17)…


















"Rock Around The Clock" (#13)…

  

"The Saints Rock 'n' Roll" (#11) 




"Rockin' Through The Rye" (#4)…


YES, DETROIT WAS ROCKIN’ THE WORLD...

PRIOR TO MOTOWN!!!


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 NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED  

SEPTEMBER 28, 1938: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN E. KING!!!




Benjamin Earl King 
(born September 28, 1938)

Better known as 
Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me," a U.S. Top 10 hit in both 1961 and 1986 and a #1 hit in the UK in 1987, and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group The Drifters.  

(From Wikipedia)

Benjamin Earl King was born on September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina and moved to Harlem, New York, at age 9…
When he was twenty-years-old, he joined 
THE FIVE CROWNS…




That same year, The Five Crowns replaced the original members of The Drtifters and became the new DRIFTERS!!! 

In 1959 Ben E. King wrote and sang lead on THERE GOES MY BABY…


He also sang lead on a succession of  other DRIFTERS hits (which he didn’t write)  including "Save the Last Dance for Me," This Magic Moment," and "I Count the Tears"

In May 1960, King left the Drifters, and became known as Ben E. King in preparation for a successful solo career. King scored his first solo hit with the ballad "Spanish Harlem" for the Atlantic subsidiary Atco…



In 1961 "Spanish Harlem" peaked at No. 10 thus just making the Billboard's Top 10 and it spent a total of 16 weeks in the Top 100...
There have been many cover versions; Aretha Franklin    took it to No. 2 in 1971 while King Curtis topped out at No. 89 in 1966...

 Other covers were The Rolling Stones, Jay & the Americans, Laura Nyro, Mamas & Papas, Leon Russell, Percy Faith, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Herb Albert, and countless others...

Next up was "Stand by Me," written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller…. 


 "Stand by Me," "There Goes My Baby," and "Spanish Harlem" were named as three of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll…

THANK YOU
  BEN E. KING!!!


THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED