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Nella Dodds first released "Come See About Me" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) as a single on the Wand label in 1964 and it reached #74 on Billboard's Top 100. This triggered the release of the Supremes (Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson) single

Petula Clark entertained the troops as a child during World War Two and even appeared in "experimental" television in the forties. Her British and European recording career shone in the fifties. She is still classified as a French chanteuse in many

Rumour has it that John Lennon wrote "Bad To Me" specifically for Billy J. Kramer (William Ashton) and the Dakotas, also managed by Brian Epstein, while John was vacationing in Spain. According to Wikipedia the John Lennon demo was recorded May 31 of

Buddy Clark (Samuel Goldberg) died at 37 when his plane crashed on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. Five other passengers survived the 1947 accident. Buddy hit the top ten with songs like "I'll Dance at Your Wedding", "How Are Things in Glocca Mora",

Bucks Fizz is a cocktail like mimosa made of champagne and orange Juice. In 1981 the group Bucks Fizz, (Bobby G who is still with the group, Sheryl Baker, Jay Aston and Mike Nolan), top selling UK group of the eighties, won the Eurovision song contest

Years ago it was common to refer to someone from Arkansas as "Arkie". Guess where Arkie Shibley (Jesse Lee Shibley) was born? "Hot Rod Race" (George Wilson) could well be the first "car-racing song". It climbed to number five in 1951. Our second

Robert Gordon (often referred to as sounding like Elvis at Sun Records) and Link Wray (Rumble) together were the first to record Bruce Springsteen's "Fire". In 1978 they recorded the album "Fresh Fish Special" featuring background vocals by the

Cuban bandleader Perez Prado was "The King of the Mambo". At one time Mongo Santamaria (hit with Herbie Hancock's composition Watermelon Man) played percussion in his orchestra. The composer of "Mambo Number 5" in 1949 hit the charts with "Cherry Pink

Originally this song can be found on Little Eva's debut 1962 album. The Drifters' (there must be close to one hundred people who were group members through the years) "Up on the Roof" is a Carole King (she plays piano here), Gerry Goffin classic the

Motown's Marvelettes (Gladys Horton, Wanda Young, Katherine Anderson and Georgeanna Tillman) had the label's first number one hot with "Please Mr. Postman" featuring Marvin Gaye on drums in 1961. The tune has been credited to a bevy of various

"Fool on the Hill" originally recorded by Paul McCartney as a solo demo is followed by the studio version from the Magical Mystery Tour released in 1967. Brazil's Sergio Mendes hit the top ten with "Fool On The Hill" in 1968.

In 1964 Paul Simon composed "The Sounds of Silence" for the album "Wednesday Morning: 3 a.m.". After it was determined that the mainly acoustic album was a bust, Paul went to England and co-authored "Red Rubber Ball" with the Seeker's Bruce Woodley. It

Paul Anka gave us many solid hits ("Diana", "Lonely Boy", "Puppy Love", "(You're)Having My Baby", "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", etc) and wrote many too ("The Tonight Show Theme", "My Way"). One of those became a hit for Tom Jones. In 1971 Sir Tom

Left-leaning Earl Hawley Robinson wrote the music to "Black and White" in 1954 with actor Allan Arkin's father David providing the lyrics. Earl is the first voice you'll hear on this post. Three Dog Night (group details elsewhere on this blog) hit the

"There Was a Crooked Little Man" was an English nursery rhyme (www.rhymes.org.uk/there_was_a-crooked_m an.htm) first physically recorded by James Halliwell in the 1840s. It was also part of the Mother Goose Collection. Not The Singing Brakeman or the