by Robert Wilkinson
We begin our Saturday celebrating the birthday of one iconic voice and one iconic Musitron genius! You’ve definitely heard the music of these two singular talents, both great for a Saturday morning party. Our early show features Jay and the Americans and Del Shannon!
Jay and the Americans were all over the charts in the 1960s, giving us some very memorable tunes and once Jay Black (November 2, 1938 - October 22, 2021) took over from Jay Traynor (March 30, 1943 – January 2, 2014). Jay Black had one of the biggest sets of pipes ever to belt out sustained high notes, and sliped in and out of falsetto with amazing ease! He just left a few days ago, so today we remember him at his peak!
Live on The Mike Douglas Show, here are Jay and the Americans delivering a live performance of their #3 hit in 1964, the very funny, very vampy, and very campy “Come A Little Bit Closer”
Here’s another huge hit that went to #11 US and #1 Canadian, lip synched in a live performance on Shindig! For your dancing enjoyment, the very upbeat “Let’s Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)"
Here’s a great live performance on Shindig! of the 1965 #4 hit “Cara Mia” Yes, Jay Black really did hit those notes! If you want a great performance proving that, here he is on the PBS oldies special in 2011 belting out "Cara Mia"
From Hullabaloo in 1965, a live performance of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller's iconic tune, a somewhat scathingly satiric commentary on the lack of civil rights at the time, “Only In America” (Originally written for the Drifters, it is not the tune "America" from West Side Story. From Songfacts: The song was written at a time before integration, and the lyrics were originally about racism. It had the following chorus: "Only in America, land of opportunity, can they save a seat in the back of the bus just for me. Only in America, Where they preach the Golden Rule, will they start to march when my kids go to school." Atlantic Records had a problem with the lyrics, so the songwriters changed them to be a satiric message of patriotism.)
Here’s a rare live performance by Jay and the Americans of the Ronettes hit that went to #19 in 1970, “Walkin’ in the Rain”
Here are some studio versions that were hits by this group!
Even though the next two feature Jay Traynor rather than Jay Black, it seems that if we’re doing Jay and the Americans it’s okay to compare the two Jays. First, here’s their very first top 10 hit that went to #5 in 1962, “She Cried” Here's the flip side of "She Cried," with Jay Traynor again on lead vocals. A great 1962 late era doowop tune called "Dawning"
Back to Jay Black! From 1966, "Livin' Above Your Head"
Though this was originally a hit for the Drifters, Jay and the Americans brought it back in a huge way, going to #9 on the charts in 1969! “This Magic Moment”
Here's an obscure tune written by Neil Diamond that Jay and the Americans put on the charts, sounding very much like the cousin to "Come A Little Bit Closer" with Jay doing a unison with the horn section from time to time. This clip includes the studio chatter just before they rolled tape. For your enjoyment, the very upbeat "Sunday and Me."
One of the few show tunes ever to be converted to a pop format successfully! “Some Enchanted Evening”
Here Jay and the boys belt out the Bob Gaudio/ Bob Crewe tune written for Franki Valli that the Walker Brothers made a huge hit, set to a very strange movie scene! “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”
We’ll close with the tune that brought us here to begin with! From late 1964 on Shindig, “Come A Little Bit Closer”
For the encore, here’s another lip synched “live” performance of Jay and the Americans being goofy on the beach cranking out “Come A Little Bit Closer”
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Monday was also the birthday of someone who created a unique instrument and a unique sound! The great musical pioneer Max Crook (November 2, 1936- July 1, 2020) invented one of the first electronica instruments, which he called a “Musitron.” From Wikipedia:
Crook first learned to play the accordion, before taking up the piano, and by the time he was fourteen he had already built his own studio. In 1957, after studying at the University of New Mexico, he enrolled at Western Michigan U… where he formed a rock and roll group called The White Bucks, who released a single, "Get That Fly", on Dot Records in 1959.In the same year he built a monophonic synthesizer, which he called the Musitron, out of a clavioline heavily enhanced with additional resistors, television tubes, and parts from household appliances, old amplifiers, and reel-to-reel tape machines. Crook was unable to patent the Musitron because most of its components were previously patented products. He first used it for recording at a session at Berry Gordy’s studio in Detroit, on an unreleased version of "Bumble Boogie" … for which he also used a crude self-made four-track tape recorder. The sound of the Musitron was influential on other musicians and producers, including Gordy, Joe Meek, Ennio Morricone, John Barry, and Roy Wood.
He met Del Shannon in 1959, signed a contract in 1960, and in January 1961 helped create one of the greatest, most dramatic songs in history that sat at #1 for 4 straight weeks! For your enjoyment, Maximillian Crook and Del Shannon in the studio version of his iconic monster hit "Runaway."
Here are a few more from his Del Shannon years! When you hear an organ, it’s Max.
Del's second giant hit that went to #5, featuring Max's Musitron in the solo. They did "Runaway" and "Hats off" in one recording session! "Hats Off To Larry"
Here's the original 1962 studio version of the #12 hit, with Funk Brother Bob Babbitt on bass! "Little Town Flirt."
From the Summer of 1963, Del released this gem before "The Fab Four" did! Yes, Del was the one who first put a Beatle tune on the US music charts! "From Me To You"
From Where the Action Is in 1964, Del lip synching his #22 hit "Handy Man."
Live from Top of the Pops in 1965, the haunting #9 hit "Keep Searchin'" From the same era, a good lip synched performance of "Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)"
Here's the studio version of Del doing the Searcher's hit, "Needles and Pins."
Another haunted tune with Del on the move! Here's Del lip synching to his hit "Stranger In Town"
Del ripping himself off with a song that sounds like a mash of any three that preceded it! Max’s organ solo is great! “Stand Up”
Here’s something he did on his own that became a hit! Proto-electronica! “The Snake”
We'll close with two from his early solo sessions! In 1961, he did “Greyhound” and from 1962, “The Twisting Ghost”
Thanks for the exciting tunes in the 60s, guys! You made history!!
© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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