John Twang's most read articles

Dianne (Hall) and Annita (Ray) issued "A Groovy Kind Of Love" (Wine - Sager) on Scepter Records in 1965. It was never officially released in North America. After backing Wayne Fontana (Game of Love) for many moons The Mindbenders (Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell, Eric Stewart and Grahame Foote) went on their own after Wayne left them in 1965 and this top ten cover comes from their 1966 debut album "The Mindbenders". Former Genesis drummer Phil Collins topped the charts in 1988 with his slower cover…

The original "Red Roses For a Blue Lady" includes an opening verse unknown to me. Actor, singer John Laurenz gave us the original in 1948 but it did not chart. The best selling version of "Red Roses For a Blue Lady" (Sid Tepper - Roy Bennett) was the top ten hit by Vaughn Monroe and the Moon Men released later in 1948. In 1965 an instrumental version by Bert Kaempfert hit the top twenty. At almost the same time Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton's vocal cover reached number twenty-four. A v…

Ruthann Friedman was born in 1944 and gradually headed to the west coast where Van Dyke Parks (exec producer on her lp Constant Companion) introduced her to The Association in 1964. The group recorded "Windy" three years later. Listen carefully and you'll hear the original lyric concerns a man while The Association version is about a woman.

Producer and writer Paul Vance composed "Gina" with Leon Carr. This can be found on his 1966 album "Ma Vie, My Life". Paul co-composed "Tracey", "Playground in My Mind" and "Itsy, Bitsy, Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", Leon Carr is at least partially responsible for "Hotel Happiness", "There's No Tomorrow", "Clinging Vine" and "Hey There Lonely Girl" along with wonderful jingles "See The U.S.A. in a Chevrolet" and the Mounds jingle "Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut". Jazz stylist, guitar…

Supposedly Jimmy Webb and Linda's cousin Susan Ronstadt broke up and that inspired Jimmy to compose "By the Time I Get To Phoenix". According to Wikipedia the first record he purchased was a Glen Campbell release. Jimmy wrote more hits than anyone to further Glen's career. "By the Time I Get To Phoenix" was first recorded in 1965 by Johnny Rivers (Ramistella) and is on the album "Changes" that was released the next year. The Glen Campbell cover from the 1967 album of the same name won Grammy…

The Motown team Holland - Dozier - Holland composed "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) in 1964 when it was recorded by Marvin Gaye. This was prodiuced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. This bit of perfection made it to number six on the pop chart and number four on the R&B chart. Background vocals were supplied by The Adantes, instrumental track by the Funk Brothers. This is simply a great record in every sense. Two years later Jumior Walker (Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr.) and the All Stars (J…

Mieko Hirota is a Japanese popular singer. Her nickname is Mico (also spelled Miko). In 1965, Mieko became the first Japanese singer to appear at the Newport Jazz Festival. The same year she recorded “Sunny”. In 1966 Nashville singer/songwriter Bobby Hebb released the top ten hit! Bobby wrote the song for his late brother in 1963 and was the first black man to appear at the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 12 as a member of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys.

The Stokes "Whipped Cream" (Naomi Neville) was composed by Allen Toussaint using his mother's maiden name while he was in military service in 1963. Allen formed the Stokes at his army base in Texas. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass recorded the album "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" in 1965 and topped the charts with the most delicious cover imaginable featuring model Dolores Erickson. That version of "Whipped Cream" was used as the theme to television's "The Dating Game" and made it into…

Flaming Star is a 1960 Western film starring Elvis Presley, based on the book Flaming Lance (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as the mixed-blood "Pacer Burton", a dramatic role. The film was directed by Don Siegel, and had a working title of Black Star. The film rights for Flaming Star had been circulating around Hollywood since 1958 when 20th Century Fox finally decided to cast Presley in the lead role. Originally Frank Sinatra an…

" That's Amore " is a 1952 song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Jack Brooks. It became a major hit, signature song for Dean Martin in 1953. Amore means "love" in Italian. The song first appeared in the soundtrack of the Martin & Lewis comedy film The Caddy, released by Paramount Pictures on August 10, 1953. In the film, the song is performed mainly by Dean Ma…

Brooklyn 's Neil Diamond is a man of legend and still going strong as of this date. His records for Columbia, Bang and MCA have sold millions world wide. His successful compositions include: "Sunday and I" for Jay & the Americans, the Monkees "I'm a Believer" and "Kentucky Woman" for Deep Purple. In 1968 Neil charted with "Red, Red, Wine". In 1988 the British reggae band UB40 version topped the hit parade.

DJ Tommy Shannon was on air at WKBW in Buffalo in the fifties when he met "The Rebels" (named after Duane Eddy and the Rebels) at a local high school. They entered a recording studio together and started fooling around with a jingle composed for the Shannon radio show. It was released in 1959 as "Wild Weekend". The track was re-released in 1962 and hit world-wide. The group's name became The Rockin' Rebels, The Buffalo Rebels and even The Hot Toddys. Tom retired from a noted radio career afte…

The Bell Sisters (Cynthia and Kay Strother) recorded "Boom, Boom (My Honey) (Milton Kellem) in 1956. The original recording was made by Roy Hogsed in late 1951 as "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" but was not released for quite some time. Patience and Prudence (McIntyre) followed their hit "Tonight You Belong to Me" with the 1956 version of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now". It peaked in Billboard at number eleven.

The late Robert Hazard (Robert Rimato) wrote "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and what you hear here is from a 1979 demo. In 1983 New York's Cyndi Lauper's version peaked at number two on Billboard. The Grammy and Emmy winner married actor David Thornton decades ago with minister Little Richard performing the ceremony.

It was 1949 when R&B musician Ivory Joe Hunter composed and recorded "I Almost Lost My Mind". As a songwriter many are familiar with his tunes "Since I Met You Baby", "My Wish Came True" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby". His career was eclectic going from country and appearances at the Grand Ole Opry to appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Pat Boone had the hit in 1956 reaching number one, yet it wasn't on an album until 1957 release "Pat's Great Hits".

Chase Webster (Gary Bruce) wrote and recorded "Moody River" in March of 1961 on Frank Slay's "Southern Sounds" label. Pat Boone's April 1961 hit reached the top spot on Billboard and was the title on one of his many albums.

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 Paris Sisters (Priscilla, Albeth and Sherrell Paris) top ten five in 1968. Sherrell Paris was a production assistant on the Price Is Right television show with Bob Barker.

The song “La Goualante de Pauvre Jean” means “The Ballad of Poor John” (Marguerite Monnot, René Rouzaud) yet in English it is usually called “The Poor People of Paris”. The tune was made famous by French songstress Edith Piaf. It was introduced in 1961 in the US, adapted by Jack Lawrence in 1954. A recording by Les Baxter's orchestra was a number-one hit in 1956.

Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison of the Crickets wrote and recorded "More Than I Can Say" in 1959. Since then it's been released by Bobby Vee in 1961 and Leo Sayer had the hit in 1980. It's almost difficult NOT to sing along with the tune.

"Silhouettes" was composed by the legendary producer/songwriter Bob Crewe and Frank Slay. We start off with Bob Crewe's version. It was Bob who produced The Rays (Harold Miller, Wally Ford, Harry James and David Jones) release in 1957 and it went to the top five. Herman's Hermits (Peter Noone, Barry Whitwam, Keith Hopwood, Karl Green and Derek Leckenby) "Silhouettes" hit the top five in 1965. It's said that Jimmy Page plays guitar during the session.