John Twang's articles

Ian (Tyson) and Sylvia (Fricker) were first to record "Hey, What About Me" (Scott McKenzie) on the album "Play One More" in 1966. The songwriter, Scott Mckenzie aka Philip Bondheim, is the same artist who hit the next year with the monster recording of "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair). Grammy winner Anne Murray first recorded "Hey, What About Me" for her debut 1968 Canadian LP of the same name issued on the Arc label. The next year she was signed to Capitol and launched…

"Warm Ride" (Barry - Robin and Maurice Gibb) was written especially for Rare Earth even though the trio started recording the demo for the 1977 "Saturday Night Fever" sessions. This then unreleased demo is from that time and features Barry Gibb as lead vocalist. This was to be the comeback record for Motown's Rare Earth (lead vocals Peter Hoorelbeke, Gil Bridges, Eddie Guzman, Ray Monette, Mark Olson and Mike Urso). From the 1978 album "Band Together" their version of "Warm Ride" peaked at n…

Even I can dance to Don Covay (Randolph) and "Seesaw" (Steve Cropper - Don Covay). The original hit number five R&B and number forty-four on the Top One Hundred in 1965. The next year it was a track on the LP of the same name. In 1957 Don was chauffeur for Little Richard and was an opening act in his revue. Aretha Franklin recorded "See Saw" for the 1968 top ten LP "Aretha Now". This time the song hit number fourteen pop and number nine on Billboard's R&B chart. Aretha has won more Grammys t…

The first single issued by singer, pianist Johnny Ace (Alexander) was "My Song" (D. James) in 1952. Backed by The Beale Streeters the recording topped the R&B chart. It is widely thought that the writer was actually Duke Records owner David James Mattis. Wikipedia "It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. However, Big Mama Thornton's bass player, Curtis Tillman, who witnessed the event, said, "I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking and…

It was Lou Pardini of the group Chicago who co-wrote "Just To See Her" (Jimmy George - Lou Pardini). This was from his album released in 1996. Smokey Robinson's 1987 LP "One Heartbeat" features "Just To See Her" . The single reached the Billboard number eight position, number two R&B and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. The tune is responsible for Smokey's first Grammy!

The late Harley Allen sings "The Little Girl" in a live performance at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. Country music and tissues often go hand in hand. It was Grammy winner Harley who was the vocalist on "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow" on the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack. With help from vocalists Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski on mandolin this is John Michael Montgomery and the hit version of "The Little Girl" from the LP "Brand New Me". The song topped the Country chart and peaked at nu…

This surprised me, there was a 1939 film called “Some Like It Hot”! Not to be confused with the Billy Wilder classic this was later retitled "Rhythm Romance". The movie starred Bob (Leslie) Hope and Shirley Ross (Bernice Gaunt) and together they introduced "The Lady's In Love With You" (Burton Lane - Frank Loesser). In the film it was sung by Shirley with the Gene Krupa Orchestra. We continue with the unusal as Glenn Miller's voice is actually heard on "The Lady's In Love With You" along wit…

Multi-talented Shorty (Frederick) Long issued "Devil With The Blue Dress" (Shorty Long - William Stevenson) as his debut Motown single in 1964. The song didn't chart. Shorty played drums, harmonica, organ, piano and trumpet. Mitch Ryder (William Levise) and The Detroit Wheels (John Badanjek, Joe Kubert, Mark Manko, Jim McAllister and Jim McCarty) used "Devil With The Blue Dress On" (W. Stevenson - F. Long) in a dynamite medley with "Good Golly Miss Molly" (J. Marascalco - R. Blackwell) in 1…

Otis Redding wrote and recorded "I Can't Turn You Loose" as a B side in 1965. The issue out performed the A side when it reached number eleven on the R&B chart. The track was the on the LP "History Of Otis Redding". Booker T. Jones on keyboards, Al Jackson Jr. is the drummer, Donald "Dunn" Dunn plays bass while Steve Cropper is on guitar. Hmmm, this may have been recorded in Memphis. Three years later The Chambers Brothers (George, Joe, Lester and Willie Chambers) version of "I Can't Turn Yo…

According to co-writer Luke Laird he and Natalie Hemby were meeting with a music executive when the exec asked about a tune they wrote called "Fine Tune" but it was mistakenly referred to as "Pontoon". This comment got the creative juices flowing and the duo wrote "Pontoon" with Barry Dean. The talented Natalie Hemby sings "Pontoon at the 2016 Key West Songwriter's Festival. Little Big Town (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook) included "Pontoon" as the lead…

Smokey Robinson wrote "When I'm Gone" and produced it for "The Queen Of Motown" the late Mary Wells as the follow up to "My Guy". After it was recorded in 1964 Mary apparently decided to leave Motown saying that she wasn't receiving her just royalties and the contract she signed was not legal. Mary's contract expired and the single wasn't released for years. Brenda Holloway had recently signed with Motown and they convinced her to have Smokey Robinson produce "When I'm Gone". The deed was do…

Barbra Streisand sings an early demo of "The Way We Were" (Alan Bergman - Marilyn Bergman - Marvin Hamlisch) that must have been recorded here on the sly by someone who should not have done that. Despite obvious sound problems this does show off her talents. The lyrics are quite different from the final product. This is yet another demonstration recording of "The Way We Were" by Barbra. Note the use of the lyric "daydreams" and not "memories". The composers won an Oscar for Best Original Son…

The second single from the top ten LP "The Second Barbra Streisand Album" was "My Coloring Book" (Fred Ebb - John Kander). The song was recorded in November of 1962. The single was re-recorded for the album. Wikipedia: "At the time of his death, Ebb was working on a new musical with Kander, Curtains: A Backstage Murder Mystery Musical Comedy. The project had already lost its book writer, Peter Stone, who died in 2003. The show's orchestrator, Michael Gibson, also died while the project was under…

"Cocktails For Two" (Arthur Johnston - Sam Coslow) first appeared in the 1934 film "Murder At The Vanities" when it was sung by Rosalind Russell's father-in-law Carl Brisson (Pedersen). Co-composer Arthur Johnston also wrote the music for "Pennies From Heaven" while Sam Coslow was responsible for the lyrics of "Sing, You Sinners". Despite the fact that it was released by the likes of Duke Ellington, it was Spike (Lindley) Jones And His City Slickers (L.A. studio musicians for the most part)…

The Beatles song "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" (Lennon - McCartney) is on the 1969 LP "Abbey Road" as part of a three-tune medley. Paul McCartney has said that it was inspired by fans hanging around the studios and the group's homes. One of those fans was Diane Ashley "We were bored, he was out and so we decided to pay him a visit. We found a ladder in his garden and stuck it up at the bathroom window which he'd left slightly open. I was the one who climbed up and got in." She then o…

Orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and arranger Bert Kaempfert (Kampfert) recorded "Lady" (Bert Kaempfert - Larry Kusik - Charles Singleton) for the 1967 album "Hold Me". The trumpet is played by Manfred Moch. Manfred also played with the famous James Last Orchestra. Grammy winning singer and actor Jack Jones spent almost one month atop the Adult Contemporary chart with "Lady" while peaking at number thirty-one on the Top One Hundred in 1967. This is from his album o…

Country musician Johnny (Lehman Monroe) Tyler wrote and sang the western swing dance number "Oakie Boogie" in 1947. Through a rather short career Johnny recorded for the Fargo, Liberty, Stanchel, Starday, Bixby, Specialty, Rural Rhythm, Ekko and RCA Victor labels. Ella Mae Morse joined the Jimmy Dorsey band when she was only fourteen years old. It was Ella Mae who covered "Oakie Boogie" in 1952 peaking at number twenty-three on Billboard. This was one of the first recordings arranged by Nels…

Saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. was the first to release "In The Name Of Love" (R. MacDonald - W. Salter - B. Withers) on the wonderful album "Winelight". The LP won the Grammy for Best Jazz Fusion Performance in 1982 and includes "Just The Two Of Us" with Bill Withers. Listen to the definition of smooth. The most popular version of "In The Name of Love" came from the co-writer and percussionist Ralph MacDonald with vocals by Bill Withers in 1984. The single from the album "Universal Rhyth…