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Publication date  /  2017  /  February   -   28 articles

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  • I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

    - 01 Feb 2017
    Produced by co-writer Jerry Ross, Dionne Warwick's sister, the late Dee Dee Warwick's (Delia Warrick) "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (Gamble - Ross) was issued in 1966 and just barely entered the Top One Hundred. Ashford and Simpson helped provide the

  • Fool Number One

    - 02 Feb 2017
    This is a demo of Loretta Lynn's (Webb) "Fool Number One" (Fulton) recorded in 1960, Owen Bradley wanted it for Brenda Lee and he traded the song for Brenda Lee in return for Owen signing Loretta to Decca records. Like so many other posts here, it's not

  • Ruben James

    - 03 Feb 2017
    "Reuben James" is based on Wesley Watkins and Walter DeBerry, two men who worked out of a little sharecropper's shack across the road from Alex Harvey's father's country store. When young Harvey's father was hospitalized with tuberculosis, those two men

  • Tulsa Time

    - 04 Feb 2017
    Session musician Danny Flowers wrote "Tulsa Time" in about a half-hour during bad weather and while staying at a Tulsa hotel. This was probably recorded at his home with him and his guitar. Once a member of The Pozo Seco Singers, Texan Don Williams

  • Whatever Lola Wants

    - 05 Feb 2017
    Tony Award winner Gwen Verdon starred in the 1955 Broadway hit and the 1958 movie "Damn Yankees" where she sang "Whatever Lola Wants" (Richard Adler - Jerry Ross). It was Lola Montez who initiated the phrase. Lola was the mistress of Bavaria's King

  • Take Me To The River

    - 06 Feb 2017
    "Take Me To the River" (Green - Hodges) first appeared on the 1974 Al Green album "Explores Your Mind" as produced by Willie Mitchell. The song was not issued as a single. The 1978 Talking Heads album "More Songs About Buildings and Food" contains the

  • Now Is The Hour

    - 07 Feb 2017
    The first two verses are in Maori, the next two in English on the original 1927 issue of "Po Atarau" (Maewa Kalhau - Clement Scott) by Ana Hato and Deane Waretini. This was used to say farewell to Maori soldiers heading to WW 1. The tune is based on

  • Sleep

    - 08 Feb 2017
    Waring's Pennsylvanians (Fred and brother Tom Waring, Freddy Buck, Poley McClintock and various orchestra members) recorded "Sleep" (Earl Lebieg) late in 1923. This topped the charts of the day and was the band's theme song for years. The orchestra issued

  • Gimme Dat Ding

    - 09 Feb 2017
    According to Wikipedia: When Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood wrote and composed "Gimme Dat Ding," it was one selection from their musical sequence "Oliver in the Overworld," which formed part of the British children's show, Little Big Time, hosted by

  • When You Tell Me That You Love Me

    - 10 Feb 2017
    Albert Hammond interprets his own composition "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Albert Hammond - John Bettis) in a live casual television appearance. Diana Ross recorded "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" as the lead single from her 1991 album "The

  • Why Do Fools Fall In Love

    - 11 Feb 2017
    Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (Jimmy Merchant, Herman Santiago, Joe Negroni and Sherman Garnes) reached the Billboard top ten in 1956 with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" (Santiago - Lymon - Goldner). The song was originally titled "Why Do Birds Sing So

  • Upside Down

    - 12 Feb 2017
    Session musicians Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers formed Chic with Alfa Anderson, Luci Martin, Tony Thompson and Raymond Jones. This is the group's interpretation of "Upside Down" (Nile Rodgers - Bernard Edwards). Guitarist, songwriter, producer,

  • I Cross My Heart

    - 13 Feb 2017
    Steve Dorff performs "I Cross My Heart" (Dorff - Kaz) with a simple electric keyboard but he sure gets the emotion across. Steve composed a bunch of themes for television shows, movie soundtracks and hits like "Every Which Way But Loose", "Through The

  • Teach Me Tonight

    - 14 Feb 2017
    Five foot one, blonde jazz vocalist Janet Brace was first to record "Teach Me Tonight" (Gene De Paul - Sammy Cahn) in late 1953. The single peaked at number twenty-three on Billboard the next year. With Carmen Miranda as their mentor, The DeCastro

  • Separate Lives

    - 15 Feb 2017
    The film "White Nights" with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp and other famous folk was released in 1985 and featured the song "Separate Lives" composed by Stephen Bishop. The tune was nominated for an Academy Award, losing out to Lionel Richie's "Say

  • Hushabye

    - 16 Feb 2017
    The Mystics (Al Contera, Albee and Phil Cracolici, Bob Ferrante and George Galfo) issued "Hushabye" (Doc Pomus - Mort Shuman) in 1959 peaking in Billboard's top forty at number twenty. Al Caiola was on guitar. Alan Freed used the song as his closing theme

  • Young Love

    - 17 Feb 2017
    Ric Cartey's 1956 release "Young Love" (Ric Cartey - Carole Joyner) with The Jiva-Tones was a B side when first issued. The single, written by Ric and his girlfriend, never charted even though it was issued later on RCA Victor. "The Southern Gentleman"

  • Somewhere Out There

    - 18 Feb 2017
    The 1986 animated movie "An American Tale" highlighted "Somewhere Out There" (Horner - Mann -Weil). Wikipedia: "Steven Spielberg, the producer of An American Tail, invited songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to collaborate with James Horner on four

  • Bad Case Of Loving You

    - 19 Feb 2017
    "Shots From A Cold Nightmare" (Moon Martin) is the Moon (John) Martin 1978 album containing "Bad Case Of Loving You". The song didn't chart. Robert Palmer's 1979 cover of "Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" from the album "Secrets" peaked at

  • Morning Has Broken

    - 20 Feb 2017
    The Christian hymn "Morning Has Broken" (Farjeon) was published in 1931. The melody is the same as the Christmas Carol "Child In the Manger" and the Scottish Gaelic poem "Bunessan" or "Leanabh an Aigh" (Child Of Wonder) with lyrics by Scotland's Mary

  • Here Comes My Baby

    - 21 Feb 2017
    Cat Stevens commercial version of his "Here Comes My Baby" was never released as a single from the 1967 debut album "Matthew and Son". Born Steven Georgiou he is now Yusuf Islam. Wikipedia: "In 1976 Stevens nearly drowned off the coast of Malibu,

  • More Love

    - 22 Feb 2017
    Super talented Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (Smokey and Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers and Ronnie White) hit number twenty-three pop and number five on the Billboard R&B charts with "More Love" (Smokey Robinson) in 1967. Written for

  • Behind Closed Doors

    - 23 Feb 2017
    Kenny O'Dell's (Gist) 1978 album "Let's Shake Hands And Come Out Lovin'" contains the writer's version of "Behind Closed Doors". The eclectic Charlie Rich, The Silver Fox, charted with the first recording of "Behind Closed Doors" from the 1973 album of

  • Living Doll

    - 24 Feb 2017
    Producers of the movie "Serious Charge" commissioned the late composer Lionel Bart (Begleiter) to write songs for the film, One of those songs, "Living Doll" was written in ten minutes as a "light rock and roll song". The star of the movie, Cliff Richard

  • Dark As A Dungeon

    - 25 Feb 2017
    In 1946 Merle Travis recorded "Dark As A Dungeon" and "Sixteen Tons" for the album "Folk Songs of The Hills, Back Home/Songs Of The Coalmines". Many of Merle's songs were inspired by his Kentucky home. Merle had a unique guitar style that influenced Chet

  • Like A Virgin

    - 26 Feb 2017
    This is the original demo of "Like A Virgin" (Billy Steinberg - Tom Kelly) sung by Tom Kelly using a Roland Jupiter 8 keyboard at his home studio in 1983. This was played for Michael Ostin, at Tom Kelly's home. Michael was Senior Vice President at Warner

  • All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You

    - 27 Feb 2017
    John Robert "Mutt" Lange wrote "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You" for Don Henley who turned it down. Dobie Gray (Lawrence Brown) recorded the song in 1979. Heart's (Anne and Nancy Wilson, Howard Leese, Denny Carmassi and Mark Andes) completely

  • Cinnamon

    - 28 Feb 2017
    Songwriter, singer, producer the late Johnny Cymbal sings "Cinnamon" (Tobin - Cymbal) from a writer's circle recorded in Nashville in 1993. Johnny recorded under many aliases including "The Sideshow", "Dallas", "The Non-Conformists", The Cymbal Roberts