Monthly Archives: February 2023

James Sheppard was the lead singer for two popular Doo Wop groups of the early Rock N Roll era. In 1956, he led the Heartbeats on “A Thousand Miles Away.” An original copy on a black Hull record label can … Continue reading →

“The Banana Splits Adventure Hour,” consisting of Bingo the Gorilla, Fleagle the Beagle, Snork the Elephant, and Drooper the Lion was a Saturday morning favorite on NBC in 1968 and 1969. The album, “We’re The Banana Splits,” released on Decca … Continue reading →

Yvonne Baker and the Sensations began their career in 1955. It would be 6 years before they hit big and that was with “Let Me In,” which reached # 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1963, Argo Records released … Continue reading →

Every one is familiar with dances such as the Twist, the Pony, the Swim, and the Mashed Potatoes. But before them all, there was the Madison. “Madison Time” was a hit for the Ray Bryant Trio in 1960. With its … Continue reading →

Among the Rock N Roll stars to make the leap from music to movies was Connie Francis. One of the biggest selling female recording artists of all time, she starred in the 1961 film, “Where The Boys Are,” which was … Continue reading →

Jackie Wilson, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, first gained fame as a member of the Doo Wop group, Billy Ward & the Dominoes. In 1957, he had his first solo hit with “Lonely Teardrops.” … Continue reading →

Who is Percy “Thrills” Thrillington and why is his album worth money? Because Percy is Paul McCartney. In 1977, Capitol Records released the “Thrillington” album. The album, recorded by Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, is an instrumental version of … Continue reading →

One of the many Motown girl- groups was the Marvelettes, perhaps best known for their top-10 smash, “Please Mr. Postman,” which was later covered by the Beatles. Their second top-10 hit came a year later with “Playboy,” which can now … Continue reading →

It is generally believed that the most popular Big Band leader of the 30’s and 40’s was Tommy Dorsey. Until Elvis came along, Dorsey was RCA’s biggest selling recording star. Ironically, it was Tommy’s brother, Jimmy, who highlighted Elvis in … Continue reading →

A preacher at the age of nine, Solomon Burke was a pioneer in Soul music. Mick Jagger covered three of Burke’s songs on early albums by the Rolling Stones. Ironically, it was a Country song, “Just out Of Reach (Of … Continue reading →