Monthly Archives: July 2021

One of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ biggest hits was not written by a group member, which was a rarity. Motown’s song-writing team Holland, Dozier, & Holland wrote “Mickey’s Monkey” and the Miracles brought it to the Billboard Hot 100 … Continue reading →

Among the founding fathers of Rock N Roll is Little Richard. He would say he started Rock N Roll and it would be difficult to argue against it. Most people think his recording career began in 1955 with the release … Continue reading →

“Records you should know about”are records that most people have never heard of but are worth a lot of money like the single “I’m Higher Than I’m Down” by the Ardvarks. Released in 1968 on Vark Records, an original copy … Continue reading →

Clyde McPhatter began his career as a member of Billy Ward & the Dominos and was featured on their big hit “Have Mercy Baby.” He then became lead singer for the Drifters on their early hits like “Money Honey.” His … Continue reading →

Before John Cougar added Mellencamp to his name, he recorded for local Indiana record label, Gulcher Records, and released an EP called “U.S.Male” revealing his more “garage grease” style. Recorded in 1976 and released in 1978, it was the style … Continue reading →

In 1964 King Records recorded James Brown live at the Royal Theater in Baltimore. The only song on the album recorded in the studio was “Oh Baby Don’t You Weep.” However, crowd noise was added to make it sound live. … Continue reading →

The Marvelettes was the first of Motown’s girl-groups to have a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It happened in 1961 with “Please Mr. Postman.” With the rise of the Supremes, the Marvelettes were given less promotion. But despite … Continue reading →

“Hey Joe” was the last song sung at Woodstock by Jimi Hendrix and mostly associated with him. The song’s authorship is not clearly known. First copyrighted in 1962 by Billy Roberts, a local California folk singer, the song tells the … Continue reading →

Eddie Cochran is included among the early Rock and Roll giants who died young and tragically. Only 21-years-old when his life ended in a car accident, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, thirty … Continue reading →

As the Funk Brothers was the studio band for Motown, so was the Mar-Keys for Stax Records where some of the greatest Soul songs of the sixties were recorded. In 1961 the Mar-Keys hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 … Continue reading →