| Artists | Snippets | My History |
| Jeff Barry went on to work with Phil Spector, the Monkees and the Archies. He wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Hanky Panky," "Leader of the Pack," "Sugar, Sugar," "Montego Bay" and "I Honestly Love You." A collection of his own recordings, Mr. Make Believe (Brill Tone JBW 333) is out of print but available for a price. | soon! | I have had "The Face from Outer Space"/ "Lonely Lips" (RCA 47-7797) since 1962. Imagine my surprise when I learned ten years later that the same Jeff Barry had written a bunch of other songs I liked. Jeff Barry has not gotten the credit he deserves for his contribution to pop music. At some point I will list all of his significant recordings here. |
| Marlin Greene recorded a number of obscure singles in the early 1960s, but his work in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with Percy Sledge and the Allman Brothers is unforgettable. He also recorded an amazing album, Tiptoe Past the Dragon, in 1972 (Elektra EKS-75028). | | "General of Broken Hearts" (Philips 40103) was the first song I played drums with to show my mom how my drumming was progressing. Maybe a dozen songs were in heavy rotation on Seán's turntable, and this was one of them. He has a great voice.
Hideki Watanabe's Site |
| Jerry Jackson sang with all the soul of Sam Cooke, but something just did not click for him. His complete recordings are on the fabulous Bear Family label (BCD 15481). He's well worth a listen. | | The title "La Dee Dah (Ha Ha Ha)" (Kapp K448) appealed to a toddler, but now I appreciate his smooth vocals. Guess who wrote the flip side, "You Don't Wanna Hurt Me?" Jeff Barry. |
| Pérez Prado was truly an international success, with one of the longest runs at #1 (ten weeks) with "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White." My 78 was his other #1 hit, "Patricia," but the song I latched onto was "Why Wait." RCA has been remastering some of his work, but despite dozens of compilations, much of his output is unavailable on CD. It's time for a complete works box set. | | I found 78s fascinating, because the label spun too fast to read (I couldn't read yet anyway), and because you could actually see the tonearm move toward the center of the disk. Apart from that, "Why Wait" blew me away, with its rhythm and horns. I played that 78 every day for ten years. I am affronted by RCA's failure to release this version on CD. I am glad I have the song on an almost scratch-free LP from Mexico. |
| The Highwaymen were just college boys when they got picked up by United Artists during the folk craze of the early 1960s. Their vocals blended flawlessly, and they chose good material. They had a #1 hit with "Michael" and made the Top 40 again with "Cotton Fields." Note that Waylon and Johnny, et al. used this name but had to deal with the repercussions. Collectors' Choice Music has reissued some of their albums, but they may be gone again. | | I ground a few singles to dust: "The Stroll," "My Dad" and "Cotton Fields"/"The Gypsy Rover" (United Artists 370) among them. Since "The Gypsy Rover" is an old Irish song, I guess I had an affinity for the music from the start. Of course, I was exposed to it on the Irish Hour on Gary radio on Sundays, and my dad's parents had a bunch of Irish LPs. I had to like this stuff. I want to record all five (or more?) verses of the song. |
| Mitch Torok had an extensive career that included one Top 40 hit, "Caribbean." His work is well-documented on a Bear Family compilation. However, the later recordings for Inette did not make it onto this compilation, so the songs I own are still scratchy. | | A few songs scared me badly. "Laughing Over My Grave" by Ray Stevens was one, and another was "(The Land of) Bobby Beeble" (Inette 105). What a creepy song for a five-year-old! Sometimes I would put it on and then be unable to stay in the room while it played. I think there was some masochism involved in playing the scary records at all. I'm glad I kept the ones that survived the Meltdown; they're good for a laugh. Except at night. In the dark. |
| Patti Page had an impressive Top 40 run, so there is little need to cover well-traveled ground. I know my dad liked "Tennessee Waltz," so that could be why there was a Patti Page 45 in my collection. | | "Mama from the Train" (Mercury 70971) made me cry. Patti sings, "Throw Mama from the train" (a probable inspiration for the movie), and any kid who loves his mom will have a problem with that idea. I was playing the record and bawling, and my mom said in a scary voice, "I'm Mama from the train!" That made me mad, so I threw away the record. When I got it on an LP 20 years later, I could still remember the key in which the song was recorded. |
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