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The Easy Riders (Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr and Frank Miller) released the album "Blue Mountain" in 1957 and in it is the first recording of "Green Fields" as composed by the trio. Bob Flick, Mike Kirkland, John Paine and Dick Foley were The

Once a supporting act for Tallulah Bankhead, Georgie Shaw (Shoester) first recorded "Honeycomb" (Merrill) in 1954. Jimmie Rodgers, not to be confused with the blues singer or the singing brakeman, had his biggest hit with "Honeycomb" as it hit the

Jim Croce's friend Don McLean composed "And I Love You So" which is contained on the excellent 1969 album "Tapestry". Following the incredible success of "American Pie" the album was re-released in 1972. Chet Atkins produced the Perry Como version of

Eric Weissberg of "Dueling Banjos" fame was once a member of The Greenbriar Boys (John Herald, Bob Yellin and Frank Wakefield) who first recorded Monkee Michael Nesmsith's "Different Drum" on what would be their final studio album "Better Late Than

Classically trained composer, producer, conductor, arranger, pianist, singer Bobby Scott started his professional career at the age of eight. Among others he's performed with Gene Krupa and Louis Prima and won a 1962 Grammy for "A Taste Of Honey". He

Many think that Canada's Guess Who were first to record "Hurting Each Other" (Udell - Geldd) but it isn't so! Produced by the composers, Jimmy Clanton and the Anne Phillips Singers did it first in 1965 as the B side to "Don't Keep Your Friends Away"

Gus ("Banjo Joe") Cannon's Jug Stompers (Noah Lewis and Hoses Woods) were first to record the 1929 composition "Walk Right In" (Cannon). Gus played the tune even when he turned 100 years. The Rooftop Singers (Erik Darling, Bill Svanoe and Lynne Taylor)

One of Bing's brothers, bandleader and vocalist Bob Crosby with girl singer Marion Mann (Bateson), gave us the original recording of "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)" (Mercer - Bloom) in 1940. In 1963 David's brother Ricky Nelson took the

German actor and vocalist Harald Paulsen played "Mackie Messer" in the original Kurt Weill, Bertholt Brecht "Three Penny Opera". "Moritat" (Deadly Deed) or "Mack the Knife" was the opening number. Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars had the first

Much has be written about this tune but it seems to come down to the fact that Charles Hart had the first published recording of "Are You Lonesome To-night" (Handman - Turk) in 1927. Composer Lou Handman spent much of his career in Hollywood where he

In 1955 Tommy Edwards hit the top twenty-five with "Morning Side Of the Mountain" (Manning-Stock). He released another version in 1959 and almost got to the same chart position. Donny (Puppy Love, Sweet and Innocent, Go Away Little Girl, Soldier of

The close harmonies of Don and Phil Everly hit the top ten in 1960 with Don's composition "When Will I Be Loved". They were with Warner Brothers Records at the time and this was a release on their old Archie Bleyer Cadence label. Grammy and Emmy

Kay Armen (Armemuhi Manoogian) starred in radio, television, nightclubs, stage and movies. She was the daughter of the professional wrestler "The Terrible Turk", her brother was the wrestler Bobby Managoff. Playwright William Saroyan and cousin Ross

Russell Smith composed "Third Rate Romance' and went to Montreal to witness and assist Jesse Winchester first record the song for the album "Learn to Love It". Jesse performed and recorded with The Rhythm Aces, Jeff Davis and David McDade. Russell

Pioneers in gospel rock the Art Reynolds Singers "Jesus Is Just Alright" comes from the 1966 album "Tellin' It Like It Is". Gary Paxton of Skip and Flip, Hollywood Argyles and production fame was the producer of record on this release. The Doobie

In 1962 Pete Seeger's half-sister Peggy Seeger recorded "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as composed for her by then boyfriend and now her "formal partner" Ewan MacColl. Roberta Flack's 1969 album "First Take" contains the 1972 hit cover that got

Torch singer Ruth Casey along with the Graham Prince Ensemble recorded "Cry" (Churchill Kohlman) as a single release a few months before Johnny Ray in 1951. Produced by Mitch Miller, Johnny Ray's cover with the Four Lads stayed at number one for eleven

In October of 1953 Rod Morris and the Missourians recorded "Bimbo" but couldn't get a hit even with a Capitol Records contract. The song's composition has also been credited individually to Rod Morris, Pee Wee King and Glenn O'Dell. Jim Reeves hit

Mainly a group of studio musicians, Gator Creek (Mike and Kathie Deasy, Dee Barton and Ray Neapolitan along with sometime members Michael Omartian and Kenny Loggins) recorded their only album, self-titled, in 1970. In that release was "Dirty Boogie"

Teenage blues guitarist Bobby Parker composed and recorded "Blues Get Off My Shoulder" and the B side "You Got What It Takes" with the Paul Hucklebuck Band in 1957 and it failed to chart. Through the years others credited with the composition were:

Although it was written for Kay Starr, she turned it down so Lynn Howard and the Accents first recorded "Walkin' After Midnight" (Block - Hecht) in 1956 as a single and the B side of "Red Thunderbird". At first Patsy Cline also declined to record

Geri Hall and Huey Smith recorded the original "Sea Cruise" (Smith). Now comes the story: without anyone's permission the Ace Records owner erased the vocals leaving the great instrumental track and overdubbed the sound effects with Frankie Ford's

Grammy winner and consummate composer, singer and pianist Carole King (Klein) sings her demo of "Every Breath I Take" (Goffin - King). Phil Spector producer the Gene Pitney 1961 cover that went into the top fifty. "Every Breath I Take" is track eleven

Tony Award winner Glynis Johns originated "Send In the Clowns" when she played Desiree in the Stephen Sondheim 1973 musical "A Little Night Music". It's said that he wrote the song specifically for the beguiling singer, stage and screen actress. Judy

Former rodeo cowboy and folk singer Peter LaFarge wrote the powerful and heartfelt "Ballad of Ira Hayes". The 1964 Johnny Cash album "Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian" contains the track that reached the top five on the Billboard Country

Jazz singer Marion Montgomery (Maud Runnells) was first to record "That's Life" (Kay - Gordon) as a single for Capitol in 1964. In 1969 composer Kelly Gordon released the song as a single. Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra's excellent top five

Rita Robbins (Winters) released the single "(They Call It a) Teenage Crush" (A. Allison - J. Allison) in 1956. That's Chet Atkins on guitar, Bob Moore on bass and the background vocals by the Jordanaires. Singer/actor and the former Mr. Nancy Sinatra,

Grammy winner and renown writer Mark James (Francis Zambon) composed "Moody Blue" and recorded his original single in 1975. Why wasn't this guy a star? This was Elvis Presley's last number one country hit during his lifetime. It hit the top forty on

Sue Thompson (McKee) and the Dude Martin Band first recorded "You Belong To Me" (Stewart - King - Price) in 1952. This is the same Sue Thompson who gave us "Sad Movies", "Norman" Willie Can", James (hold the ladder steady)" and "Paper Tiger" in the

Soul Brothers Six contained more than a handful of members during their decade of recording which included the release of the one tune that charted for them barely getting into the top one hundred, "Some Kind Of Wonderful" (Ellison) in 1967. "All the

Nashville's Jimmy Isle was signed to the Everest label by the formidable Leroy Holmes in 1959. It was on this label that he released "Patches" (Mann - Kolber) in 1960. Like Jimmy Isle, Dickey Lee (Lipscomb) once recorded for Sun Records. He's the

Roy Hawkins' "The Thrill Is Gone" is credited to Hawkins - Taub on the original Modern label, then Hawkins - Darnell on the album, it got into the R&B top ten in 1951. William Staples is featured on sax, Floyd Montgomery on bass and Ulysses James on

Ace producer/composer Bob Crewe heard this Pepsi jingle and decided to form "The Bob Crewe Generation" specifically to record "Music To Watch Girls By" (Ramin) and got to the top twenty. The album featured the title track and many hit tunes that Bob

The prolific Barry Mann co-wrote "I Love How You Love Me" (Mann - Kolber) in 1961. The tune has been performed more than four million occasions. It's been said that Larry Kolber (Kolberg) wrote the lyrics in seven minutes! Phil Spector produced the

Bronx doo-wop group The Regents (Guy Villari, Chuck Fassert, Sal Cuomo and Tony Gravangna) were supposedly named after Regents Cigarettes and/or Regent Sound Studio in NYC. Recorded in about a ten minute period, "Barbara Ann" (Fassert) reached the top

Paper Lace (Phil Wright, Dave Manders, Mick Vaughan, Cliff Fish, Roy White and Mike Harper along with several others over time) topped the charts for three weeks in the U.K. with the anti-war tune "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" (Murray - Callander) in 1974.

In 1965 Ian (Tyson) and Sylvia (Tyson/Fricker) were first to record "Early Morning Rain" from the album of the same name. Composer Gordon Lightfoot's 1966 album "Lightfoot" contains his version of "Early Morning Rain". Although not one of the versions