Search among John Twang's articles

Bessie Banks recorded the original "Go Now" (Banks - Bennett) in 1963. Co-composer Larry Banks was her husband. This version produced by Leiber and Stoller touched the top forty on Cashbox. The Moody Blues (Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, Graeme Edge, Mike

Former member of the Weavers, activist, the once blacklisted folk singer and man of the people, Pete Seeger composed the music for "Turn, Turn, Turn (to everything there is a season)" adapted from the Bible and the Book of Ecclesiastes in 1959 and

In 1958 The Drifters (Bobby Hendricks, Gerhart Thrasher, Tommy Evans and Charlie Thomas) original recording of "Drip Drop" (Leiber - Stoller) produced by the composers featured Bobby Hendricks on lead vocal. The single made it into the top sixty. Over the

The Drifters(Johnny Moore, Gene Parsons, Johnny Terry and Charles Thomas) single of "Ruby Baby"(Leiber - Stoller) was released in 1956 and peaked at number ten. This was after Clyde McPhatter left the group and sold his portion of the group name to his

Bobby Day (Byrd) recorded "Over and Over" as the B side of the highly successful "Rockin' Robin". The tune peaked in the top forty and was a double sided hit. "Little Bitty Pretty One" was another song in his repertoire. The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark,

Once a member of "The Hollywood Flames" and "Bob" of "Bob and Earl", Bobby Day composed and recorded "Littler Bitty Pretty One" in 1957 which got into the top sixty. The same year Thurston Harris and the Sharps peaked at number six on Billboard's pop

Grammy winner Big Maybelle's (Mabel Smith) "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (D. C. Williams) was released in 1955 and produced by the Quincy Jones. Cowboy Jack Clement of Sun Records produced the Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 recording of "Whole Lotta Shakin'

Originally written as a tribute to Duke Ellington saxophonist Johnny Hodges and titled "Duke's Stomp", Ray Noble and his orchestra recorded "Harlem Nocturne" (Earl Hagen) with session man Jack Dumont. Recorded Aug. 8, 1940, with Earle Hagen,

In 1963 The Chiffons (Judy Craig, Patricia Bennett, Sylvia Peterson and Barbara Lee) hit the number one position with their first single, "He's So Fine" (Ronald Mack) as produced by The Tokens. George Harrison began writing "My Sweet Lord" while on tour

The Everly Brothers were first to record "Chains" (Carole King - Gerry Goffin) complete with tambourine (?) sound effects in 1962. It wasn't released until many years later. The Beatles cover is on their first album "Please, Please Me" and that's

The talents of Lee Hazlewood teamed with then girlfriend Suzi Jane Hokom for the initial recording of "Summer Wine" in 1966. The 1967 single "Sugar Town" contains "Summer Wine" as the B side. "Sugar Town" peaked at number five while a re-release of

The prolific John D. Loudermilk composed "The Little Bird" for the album "Twelve Sides of John D. Loudermilk" in 1961. Singer and actress Marianne (Mariane) Faithfull's 1965 version of "This Little Bird" reached top ten in the U.K. and top forty in the

"Love Me With All Your Heart" originated with the Cuban trio Los Hermanos Rigual (Carlos, Mario and Pedro Rigual) as "Cuando Calienta el Sol" (Carlos and Mario Rigual) in 1961. The marvellous harmony of The Ames (Urick) Brothers (Ed, Vic, Joe and Gene

He may not have been the "Hi-Heeled Sneakers" guy, but this Tommy Tucker was the first to record "Miller's Cave" (Jack Clement) in January of 1960. This is from an album released decades later titled "Memphis Bad Boy". Incidentally the line is not "way

Ian Lloyd (Buonconsiglio) was a founding member of the group Stories along with Michael Brown of The Left Banke, a session player, background vocalist on many hits by Foreigner and the first to record "Straight From the Heart" (Adams - Vallance) for his

Richard Berry and the Pharaohs started the "Louie, Louie" (Berry) craze with what was originally a B side in 1957. You can hear the lyric with this release that became a regional hit in the Pacific northwest. From a fifty dollar one-take recording

A regional hit in the northwest, "Harden My Heart" (Marv Ross) was first recorded in 1980 by the group Seafood Mama. Rindy and Marv were married high school teachers who were the original band. Seafood Mama then teamed with members of another local group

Bob Crewe produced Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons "Working My Way Back to You" (Linzer - Randell). The song was a top ten hit in 1966. The Spinners' (John Edwards, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, Bobby Smith and Billy Henderson) medley "Working My

In December of 1965 underrated Grammy winner Jody Miller introduced "Magic Town" (Mann - Weil) on the album "Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe". The single did not hit the top one hundred on Billboard. Jody was "discovered" by movie star Dale Robertson.

Billed as "the female Elvis", Janis Martin recorded the original "Love Me To Pieces" (Endsley) as a B side in 1956. In July, 1957 the television program "Studio One Summer Theatre" put the spotlight on "Love To Me To Pieces" as sung by Jill Corey (Norma

Chips Moman produced fellow musician, songwriter, singer, producer, Grammy winner and co-composer Wayne Carson's "No Love At All" (Carson - Christopher). There is no known reason why this wasn't a hit. When released in 1970 the only place it charted was

If somehow you missed out on the story, "Google" the man! Hank (Hiram) Williams composed and recorded "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" in 1949 and watched it peak in the top five on the country chart. This was the B side to "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" and

Grammy and Academy Award winner Barry Mann (Imberman) co-composed "I Just Can't Help Believing" (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil) and released his tune in the summer of 1968. Bobby Vee (Veline) was the first to record "I Just Can't Help Believing", outside of

Johnny Kidd and the Pirates (Johnny Kidd, Alan Caddy, Brian Gregg, Clem Cattini and Joe Moretti) were the originals on "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd). Their single topped the U.K. chart in 1960. Winnipeg's Chad Allen and the Expressions (Chad Allen,

The Twin-Tones (brothers James Cunningham and Johnny Cunningham) recorded "Jo-Ann" in 1957. It was released on an EP "Teenagers Love The Twins" but not a single. The Playmates (Carl Cicchetti, Morey Carr and Donald Claps) hit the top twenty with their

Jessie Mae Robinson wrote the Patti Page hit "I Went To Your Wedding" along with hits for singers like Jo Stafford and Frankie Laine. She composed "Let's Have a Party" in 1957 it was sung by Elvis Presley in his second motion picture, "Loving You" but it

Musician, arranger, composer, singer, producer and New Orleans ambassador Allen Toussaint aka Clarence (father's name) Toussaint and Naomi Neville (mother's maiden name) wrote "Working in a Coal Mine" (Allen Toussaint). The Lee Dorsey recording of

Tenor, trombone player and composer, Jack Fulton was a member of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra from 1925 to 1933. Jack Fulton composed and recorded "Ivory Tower" (Fulton - Steele) in 1955. Jack and Lois Steele also wrote "Wanted" which hit number one on

"The suburbanite didn't realize he got off the commuter train at the wrong station until he got up to his front door and the key didn't fit." Malvina Reynolds wrote a great song called "Little Boxes" in 1962. Malvina was also responsible for "Morningtown

"Every Day Of My Life" (Al Jacobs - Jimmie Crane) by Denise Lor (Briault) never charted when it was released in 1954. Denise was a recurring singer on the Garry Moore Show. In 1972 Bobby Vinton peaked at number two on Billboard's AC chart and top thirty

Kristine Sparkle (Hodgeson) was once a member of the group The Family Dogg (Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood were once group members along with Steve Rowland, Doreen De Veuve and Pam Quinn) using the name Christine Holmes. In 1976 she recorded the

"The Tip(s) Of My Fingers" hit the top ten on the country chart in 1960 for "Whispering" Bill Anderson (the third) with his self-penned tune from the album "Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs". This was his first top ten hit. In 1963 one of the

The incomparable Hildegarde (Loretta Sell) recorded "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" (Herpin - Rome - Jamblan) in 1944, two years after it was issued in the original French by Jean Sablon (Herpin - Blanvillain). Mel Carter reached the top forty "(All

"Ebb Tide" (Maxwell) was introduced as an instrumental by harpist Robert Maxwell in 1953. The original title was "The Sea". Robert also wrote "Fantasy For Harp" known better as"Shangri-la" then there's "Solfeggio", performed by his orchestra and the Ray

The Beatles 1965 classic "Rubber Soul" album contains "Michelle" (Lennon - McCartney). It became the 1967 Grammy Award winner for song of the year despite competition from the likes of "Born Free", "The Impossible Dream", "Somewhere My Love" and

This is Paul McCartney's demo for "Woman" (Bernard Webb) and it was issued using the writer's name Bernard Webb to see if a song could succeed without the Lennon - McCartney moniker. This being said it was still published under the Lennon - McCartney

"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" (Lennon - McCartney) is from The Beatles 1965 album "Help!" with John Scott on various flutes. Signed by the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, The Silkie (Sylvia Tatler, Ivor Aylesbury, Kevin Cunningham and Mike Ramsden)

The Beatles "Do You Want To Know a Secret" (Lennon - McCartbney" was on their first album "Please Please Me". The song was offered to Shane Feldon (Alvin Stardust) who turned it down. On the other side of the coin later Paul McCartney offered Billy J.

The Crickets (Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison and Joe Mauldin) featuring Buddy Holly (Holley) recorded "Maybe Baby" (Holly - Petty) for the album "The Chirping Crickets" in 1957. It reached the top forty charts almost everywhere the next year. Some labels list