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Former big band vocalist and recognized golfer Don Cherry first recorded "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (Loudermilk) in 1962. Although it was a decent production for the time the single failed to chart. The great composer John D. Loudermilk's version of

Cousin of country music's Louvin Brothers (Ira and Charlie Loudermilk), the great John D. Loudermilk aka Johnny Dee aka Ebe Sneezer wrote "Thou Shalt Not Steal" and RCA released it as a single in 1962. Regulars on "Shindig" Dick (Gosting) and Dee Dee's

The Playmates (Carl Cicchetti aka Chic Hetti, Donny Conn (Claps) and Morey Carr) were known as The Nitwits when they attended the University of Connecticut. The million seller "Beep, Beep" (Clapps - Cicchetti) was recorded in 1958 and peaked at number

Teddy Randazzo co-composed and recorded "Hurt So Bad" (Teddy Randazzo - Bobby Weinstein - Bobby Hart). Teddy Randazzo arranged and produced the Little Anthony (Gourdine) and the Imperials (Sammy Strain, Ernest Wright and Clarence Collins) 1965 top ten

The distinctive Dallas Frazier composed the addictive song "Mohair Sam". This track is on the 1966 album "Elvira" "The Silver Fox" Charlie Rich played it all: country, blues, jazz, soul and gospel. In the fifties he was a session musician at Sun Records

In 1957 Grammy nominated Dallas Frazier wrote "Alley Oop" based on the comic strip of that era. Dallas left entertainment for the ministry. Gary Paxton and Kim Fowley co-produced the studio band The Hollywood Argyles "Alley Oop" which topped the charts

Wrecking Crew member Billy Strange wrote this on the dashboard of a car after a $100 bet that he couldn't write a tune better than the one that was aired on the car radio at the time. Billy didn't think much of his five-minute composition and named it,

The eight members of The Undisputed Truth (vocals by Joe Harris, Billie Rae Calvin, and Brenda Joyce) were first to record "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (Norman Whitfield - Barrett Strong) in 1971. The next year they peaked with this Norman Whitfield

The colourful and talented Al Kooper (Kuperschmidt) co-composed "This Diamond Ring" (Al Kooper - Bob Brass - Irwin Levine). This is from the 1976 album "Act Like There's Nothing Wrong" featuring a tongue in cheek naked Al on the cover! If you think this

"Rising Sun" and "Rising Sun Blues" are other titles for this traditional folk song. As far as my research goes (Clarence) Ashley and (Gwen) Foster were the first to actually record "House of the Rising Sun" in 1934. The Animals (Eric Burdon, Alan

What a story! According to many sources including Wikipedia, when Carl Perkins played a dance on December 4, 1955, he noticed a couple dancing near the stage. Between songs, Carl heard a stern, forceful voice say, "Uh-uh, don't step on my suedes!" Carl

Here is the demo of "Manic Monday" (Christopher) by Apollonia 6 and Prince. Prince Nelson composed this using the pseudonym "Christopher" in 1984 as a duet specifically for Apollonia 6 and himself but he held back release of the tune. "Different Light"

Originally recorded in 1975 as the B side of a single by The Arrows (Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker and Paul Varley) "I Love Rock and Roll" (Alan Merrill - Jake Hooker) was produced by Mickie Most (Michael Hayes). Like listing Mickie Most's charted hits I

Kenny O'Dell (Gist) worked with Duane Eddy, ran Bobby Goldsboro's publishing company "House of Gold", had a top forty hit with "Beautiful People" wrote "Behind Closed Doors" and "Next Plane to London". Co-producer Pat Pipolone was Kenny O'Dell's cousin

Eddie Durham, trombonist, guitarist, and arranger with Count Basie's Orchestra, wrote "Topsy" in 1937. Later that year Count Basie recorded the tune and in March of 1938, "Don't You Miss Your Baby" became the A-side and "Topsy" was relegated to the

While the roots of "Jimmy Crack Corn" or "Blue Tail Fly" go back to the 1840's, no one seems to have recorded it before one of my favourite media personalities, Burl Ives. He performed it on his 1940 radio show The Wayfarin' Stranger but didn't formally

Lee Hazlewood wrote "The Fool" (Naomi Ford) using his wife's name because at the time you apparently couldn't legally have the same person listed as composer, producer and manager. Lee Hazlewood was "instrumental" in Duane Eddy's career and that of Nancy

B.W. (Louis Charles) Stevenson had "Shambala" (Moore) and "My Maria" (Stevenson - Moore) both released on the album "My Maria" and the "My Maria" single hit the top ten pop chart in 1973 while topping the Easy Listening chart. It's been said the "BW"

The Rare Breed (Larry Tyre, Herb Ratzloff, Dan Hortter, John Knox and Danny Gorman) released "Come On Down and Take a Ride in My Boat" (Wes Farrell - Jerry Goldstein) in 1966. It was produced by composer Wes Farrell. Every Mother's Son's (Dennis Larden,

Max Edward "Mark" Dinning was a brother of the forties trio The Dinning Sisters. Mark is also the uncle of Dean Dinning of Toad the Wet Sprocket. He released "What Will My Mary Say" (Eddie Snyder - Paul Vance) as a B side in 1961. He may have been a

"Fascination" was written in 1904 by Marchetti as an instrumental titled "Valsr Tzigane" (Gypsy Waltz). Jane Dyt originally recorded "Fascination" (Fidenco Dante Marchetti - Maurice De Féraudy) in 1905. Rumours abound that the waltz was ghost-written by

"I Hear You Knocking" was composed by Dave Bartholomew and Earl King (pusing the pname "Pearl King") and first recorded in New Orleans by Smiley Lewis (Overton Amos Lemons) in 1955. According to the Imperial label it was written solely by D. Bartholomew

Composed in 1958 "Tivoli Melodie" (Heino Gaze) as a tribute to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens the tune became known in Germany as "Take Me Dreaming" by the Richard Hayman Orchestra ". In 1960 Winifred Atwell released the record as "Nicolette". Played here

In 1961 "Right or Wrong" (Wanda Jackson) was the result of one the first Wanda Jackson recording sessions in Nashville. The song peaked in the top ten on the Country chart and top thirty on the top one hundred Billboard chart. Wanda has a career with many

Dancer, pianist, entertainer, singer, actor, comedian, songwriter, bandleader, and night club performer Harry Richman (Reichman) recorded "Puttin' on the Ritz" (Irving Berlin) in 1929. Harry starred in the movie of the same name the next year. This

Lionel Richie wrote the tune and pitched "Lady" to The Commodores. They turned it down. Kenny Rogers did not! This is from Lionel's 1998 album "Time". Kenny Rogers was the first performer to record "Lady". He did so in 1980 for his "Greatest Hits" album.

The poem was composed by Juluis Brammer in 1924, the music by Leonello Casucci in 1928. "Schoner, Gigolo, armer Gigolo" (Casucci - Brammer) is performed by Irene Bondoni in 1931. Bing Crosby and the Gus Arnheim Orchestra had Bing's first solo hit with

Boyd Bennett and his Rockets (John Young and Carl Gorman) according to the King label featured the vocal of "Big Moe" and Bobby Jones alto sax on "Seventeen" (Gorman -Young - Bennett). It peaked at number five. in 1955. In ultra high fidelity The Fontane

Stan Jones composed "Ghost Riders in the Sky" aka "Ghost Riders" aka "Riders in the Sky" aka "A Cowboy Legend" while working for the National Perk Service in Death Valley, California. Stan and the Death Valley Rangers recorded this for Mercury Records in

One of the original members of The Four Preps, Ed Cobb composed and produced the Gloria Jones original "Tainted Love" in 1964 when it was released as a B side. The song was recorded again by Gloria in 1976 on the album "Vixen" produced by her boyfriend

The Left Banke (Michael Lookofsky, Tony Sansone, Bob Calilli and Steve Martin Caro) "Walk Away Renee" (Michael Brown aka Lookofsky - Bob Calilli - Tony Sansone) released the single in 1966 peaking at number five. Although Michael Brown was the leader of

It doesn't take much to see that Gerald Wilson's "Viva Tirado" (Gerald Wilson) is a true jazz piece. Trumpeter, arranger, band leader and composer Gerald Wilson and his orchestra were truly "in the groove" with this release. A few members of his band over

One listen and you can tell Ray Stevens produced Layng Martine's "Rub It In" (Layng Martine Jr.). The 1971 issue was released as a single for the composer of the Elvis Presley hit "Way Down". Billy "Crash" Craddock's 1974 cover of "Rub It In" from the