by Robert Wilkinson
August 7 would have been the 96th birthday of a voice that made ten thousand girls melt, as well as a notable one hit wonder, and a songwriter who gave us dozens of classic hits in the 50s and 60s. We also celebrated the birthday of one of the most distinctive sax men in history, This closes our weekend of dancing to classic tunes.
We’ll begin this dance with a short set by Ron Holden (August 7, 1939 – January 22, 1997), a truly obscure one hit wonder of the late Do-Wop era. Even if you don’t know who he is, you’ve probably heard his song “Love You So” at least once in your life, since it hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. After that he quickly faded into obscurity, returning to the charts only once with "Can You Talk?" which made it to #49 on the US R&B charts in 1974.
Again, from a different era in music, when a lame sax solo could be released on a track, here’s the studio original of Ron Holden in “Love You So”
I found this clip, which features “Love You So” but also give us the “B” side of that tune, a true classic twist rocker of the era that could just as well have been done by Little Richard or Jerry Lee had they still been playing during that era! For your enjoyment, “Love You So” and “My Babe”
If you don’t want to sit through “Love You So” again, here’s the glorious rock and roll of “My Babe.”
Here’s a very obscure Ron Holden release, obviously a rip off of “Love You So.” The piano and castanets give it all away... “True Love”
I found a few more tunes I never heard of, but they’re so bad I just can’t put you through the ordeal of listening to them. So we’ll close this very brief tribute with his last chart placement, a tune from the early disco era. It's a classic period piece when crooning about cheating on one’s mate was still in fashion. “Can You Talk”
RIP Ron. You were blasting from the tinny speakers on the boardwalk at Seaside Heights in the early 60s, and so became imprinted in my song files. Glad you had at least one hit.
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For our second set, we go even further back in time to the music of Herb Reed (August 7, 1928 – June 4, 2012). One of the founding members of the Platters in 1953, he was the only one to have sung on ALL of their 400+ songs. Featuring the great Tony Williams (April 5, 1928 – August 14, 1992) on lead vocals from 1953 to 1960, the Platters were the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America and were one of the seminal vocal groups in pop music in the 50s, bridging the doo-wop, crooner, and rock and roll eras.
For your enjoyment, the original Platters and a few songs from a different world.
From the 1956 Alan Freed “jukebox movie” Rock Around the Clock, a live performance by the original Platters of “Only You.” and “The Great Pretender”
I found this ancient clip from a 1956 Perry Como Show featuring a live performance by Tony and the Platters of “The Great Pretender”
From December 1957 on The Ed Sullivan Show, giving us live vocals over a backing track, “Only You.” (The guitar is playing a partial melody line from “Blueberry Hill.”)
Another smash hit! From an undated performance, a lip-synched video clip of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” Last year I had their March 1959 performance of the tune on The Ed Sullivan Show but it’s disappeared this year.
The studio version of their 1956 number one hit “My Prayer”
From Nov 1956, the studio version of “One in a Million”
From the late 50s, a live television performance of “He’s Mine”
From 1958, a live performance on The Ed Sullivan Show of their number 1 smash hit “Twilight Time”
Also from 1958, “Oh Promise Me”
From 1959 or 1960, a live performance of “Remember When”
From 1959, the studio version of their #12 hit, “Enchanted”
From August 1959 on The Ed Sullivan Show, the raunchy “Dance With Me Henry”
Though Herb kept going, here’s one of the last songs Tony did with the Platters, belting out “Orchids in the Moonlight”
From January 1960, the studio version of their top 10 hit “Harbor Lights”
For our finale today, the awesome voices of Herb and Tony in the studio version of “The Magic Touch”
RIP Herb. You were the music of my childhood, an era of sweet music, great melodies, and magical harmonies. I’m sure the last half of the 20th century blew your mind. Thanks for the memories.
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Today’s the birthday of one of the signature sounds of the early ‘60s! If you were twisting to the music back then, you definitely heard this guy’s sax work!
Gene Barge (August 9, 1926) was a founding member of the Church Street Five, the backing group for Gary "US" Bonds. Known as Daddy G, according to wiki he’s played with Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, Chuck Willis, the Rolling Stones and Natalie Cole, and had roles in major movies starring Gene Hackman, Chuck Norris, Harrison Ford and Steven Seagal.
Here’s your opportunity to twist to a short set of the wailing sax of Daddy G! (Next year I'll try to find some more live sets with the acts above.)
We begin with an obscure classic! He recorded this instrumental in 1961 which didn’t get much traction on the airwaves, but please take a listen, since you’ll hear what it became! “A Night With Daddy G – pts 1 & 2
Yes, later in 1961 it was given words, and became a classic across the ages! It’s a unique “live in the studio” hit made to sound like a party was happening after hours in the studio! Here’s the original by Gary “US” Bonds of “Quarter to Three”
Here’s another one where he clearly rips himself off! This followed “Quarter to Three” and made it all the way to #5! Time to twist to “School is Out”
Here was Gary “US” Bonds’ second hit from 1962, very much in a twisting groove and sounding like Toots Hibbert! “Dear Lady Twist”
Here’s one from a few months later in 1962, Gary “US” Bonds twisting up a storm with “Twist Twist Senora”
Here was his first big hit which went all the way to #6 in 1960! This was all over the radio waves back then! “New Orleans”
His 1954 tune “Country” has disappeared, as has his 32 minute album of sax work of great covers Dance With Daddy G.
Instead, from 1965, “Fine Twine”
Later on Gene did this version of the Dobie Gray/Ramsey Lewis classic “The In Crowd”
From 2013 in Chicago, Gene fronting Sound Mine cranking out “Hurt Me Once”
Our closer is a great upbeat version of his best known work! In 2016, Gary US Bonds got together with Gene, Chuck D, and Daddy O and did this great live video of a hiphop influenced “Quarter to Three”
Our first encore comes from the October 2016 Richmond Folk Festival, 24 minutes of Gary and Daddy G! Gary US Bonds and Gene Barge at the 2016 Richmond Folk Festival – A Night With Daddy G
For the second encore, a video of Gary US Bonds giving us a great 1962 twist tune with the classic rock and roll chords and Daddy G delivering in the solo! ”Seven Day Weekend”
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For our last set of the night, we dance to the music of the legendary songwriter and record producer Luther Dixon (7 August 1931 – 22 October 2009). He wrote a ton of hits, and his music was recorded by the Beatles, Elvis, Jerry Lee, BB King, Dusty Springfield, and many more. He also created the prototypical “girl group sound” through producing the first girl group in pop music, the Shirelles.
For your dancing pleasure, the music of Luther Dixon. He wrote, co-wrote, or produced every song you’re about to hear!
He co-wrote this #5 hit for Pat Boone in 1957! “Why Baby Why” Here Pat’s live on tv doing “Why Baby Why”
In 1958, he and Otis Blackwell wrote this for Bobby Darin! “All The Way Home”
That same year, this song he co-wrote went to #2 for Johnny Maestro and the Crests! “16 Candles”
In 1960 he started producing the Shirelles featuring the voice of Shirley Alston Reeves, and this classic blew some doors down! It was highly controversial at the time, since it was one of the first tunes written about a woman’s feelings about losing her virginity. In 2010 Rolling Stone listed it as one of the best songs of all time!
“Tonight’s the Night” Here’s Shirley later in her career cranking up another great version of this classic! “Tonight’s The Night”He followed that with the 2 sided smash hit! Written by Carole King, this was the first #1 hit by a girl group! Here they are in the early 60s on tv, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” Here’s the original studio version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”
They also scored on this flip side of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" with “Boys” and yes, that's King Curtis on wailin' sax at the break! Since that was one of the Beatles’ biggest live tunes, sung by Ringo, here it is! “Boys”
After that, they hit a string of hits in 1961, beginning with reissuing this earlier effort from 1959, which went to #3 in 1961! “Dedicated to the One I Love”
They followed it with this #4 smash just a few months later! “Mama Said”
Remember this? Went to #8 in late 1961! “Baby It’s You”
Two other bands did covers of that great tune! First, the Beatles’ version as we heard it way back when! “Baby It’s You,” and here’s the version which went to #5 for Smith! Here they are live and belting it out! “Baby It’s You”
This hit # 1 in early 1962 when I was a kid after the Bay of Pigs and before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Stand up, sit down, and salute the flag, believing all is good. “Soldier Boy”
Here’s their studio version of the standard “What’s the Matter Baby”
For our closer, one of the songs that shaped rock and roll! Here’s the great Jimmy Reed studio version of Luther’s song “Big Boss Man” And here’s Jimmy, live in 1968, giving us a great performance of “Big Boss Man”
For our encore, three more versions of this classic tune! First, the King giving us a pop R&B version of “Big Boss Man”
Next up, the Steve Miller band backing the great James Cotton live on The Midnight Special in 1974 cranking out “Big Boss Man”
For the last encore, two Grateful Dead versions of the tune! The first is their studio version of “Big Boss Man” and this one features Jerome Garcia taking lead vocals in a live 1983 New Year’s Eve performance in San Francisco of “Big Boss Man”
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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