Monthly Archives: August 2024

The song that first made the Bee Gees a “disco” band was “You Should Be Dancing,” hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. The song is also part of the soundtrack from “Saturday Night Fever.” The 45, released … Continue reading →

Among the biggest hits for Connie Francis came in 1959 with the release of “Lipstick on Your Collar.” It hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The flip-side “Frankie,” about Frankie Avalon, also went top-10 making the single the most … Continue reading →

Otis Blackwell wrote some of the greatest hits of the early Rock N Roll era including “Great Balls of Fire” for Jerry Lee Lewis and “Don’t Be Cruel” and “All Shook Up” for Elvis Presley. Blackwell’s first song to become … Continue reading →

The Chocolate Watch Band broke out of San Jose, California in the mid-60s. Their music was a mix of Garage Rock and Psychedelic Rock. Heavily influenced by the Rolling Stones, they found little commercial top-40 appeal but were good enough … Continue reading →

One of the few Elvis movie soundtracks to hit #1 on the Billboard album charts in the mid-60’s was “Roustabout.” Also starring the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, the album featured no hit singles, unlike most Elvis films. Released on RCA, the … Continue reading →

One of the most unusual ways to promote an album happened in 1968 when the Waleeco Candy Company hired a Boston band to cut a commercial. The band known as Flat Earth Society has been recognized over the years as … Continue reading →

Ray Bloch and his orchestra first became famous as the band who played for performances on the “Ed Sullivan Show” when it was known as “Toast of the Town.” The band also played for the “Jackie Gleason Show.” Gleason would … Continue reading →

The Crests was perhaps the most diverse and racially integrated group in Doo Wop including two black men, a Puerto Rican, an Italian, and a black woman. That female was Patricia Vandross, older sister of Luther Vandross. But when Patricia’s … Continue reading →

The album “Smiley Smile” by the Beach Boys, released in 1967 on Brother Records, was their least successful up until that time. However, over the years it has become much more appreciated and sought after. Recorded in Brian Wilson’s home … Continue reading →

Former Golden Glove boxing champ and fellow student at Humes High School with Elvis, Johnny Burnette was one of the first and most successful Rockabilly singers. It all began in 1955 with “Go Mule Go” on Von Records. An original … Continue reading →