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The Toppermost of the Poppermost - UK Number Ones : part 1 - The 50s

Started by daf, March 10, 2019, 03:16:57 PM

Previous topic - Next topic
I think Elvis got his version out just before Hess/Hill, or simultaneously. The Hess/Hill recording was not listed in the music press until April 1957:

http://www.45cat.com/record/nc680123us

daf

Anka's Away!, its . . .

63.  Paul Anka - Diana



From : 25 August – 26 October 1957
Weeks : 9
Flip side : Don't Gamble With Love

QuotePaul Albert Anka was born in Ottawa, Canada, July 30, 1941. He attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers. Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14.

In 1957, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. The song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it rocketed to No. 1 on the Canadian and US music charts.

He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which hit No. 4 and "(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Buddy Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959.

Anka composed Tom Jones's hit record, "She's a Lady", and wrote the English lyrics to "My Way", Frank Sinatra's signature song (originally the French song "Comme d'habitude").

In the 1960s, Anka began acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit film The Longest Day (which also was the official march of the Canadian Airborne Regiment), in which he made a cameo appearance as a US Army Ranger. For his film work he wrote and recorded one of his greatest hits, "Lonely Boy". During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he starred in such teen exploitation films as Girls Town (1959) and Look in Any Window (1961), in which he played a peeping tom.

He also wrote and recorded "My Home Town", which was a No. 8 pop hit for him the same year. Like most North American recording artists saw his career stalled by the British Invasion led by The Dave Clark Five and The Brumbeats. By the late 1960s, his career focused on adult contemporary and big-band standards, played regularly in Las Vegas.

Already locally famous as a teenage idol for his songs in English, Anka hit the Italian market with "Summer's Gone" in 1960; it was released as "Dove Sei". Anka then underwent an intense collaboration with Italian musicians of the time, his top hit was "Ogni Giorno" which scored No. 1 in 1962. In 1964, he released an album titled Paul Anka à Paris; the six tracks on side B were sung in French.

Frustrated after more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, Anka switched labels again, which marked a turning point in his career. This time he signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with Odia Coates to record the No. 1 hit, "(You're) Having My Baby", exposing Anka to a new generation of fans and proved his staying power among his original fan base that was now maturing.

In 1975 he recorded a jingle for Kodak written by Bill Lane (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (melody) called "Times of Your Life". It became so popular Anka recorded it as a full song, which peaked at No. 7 in the US pop chart in 1976.  Anka's last Top 40 hit in the US was in the summer of 1983: "Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes", which included backing vocals from then-Chicago frontman Peter Cetera, et cetera, et cetera . . .

In the mid-1980s, Anka was secretly recorded while launching a tirade against his crew and band members, berating them for behavior that he considered unprofessional. When asked about it on the interview program Fresh Air, he referred to the person who did the recording as a "snake we later fired". The recording became widely known after being uploaded to the internet around 2004, and a number of quotes from it became famous, including "The guys get shirts!"; "Don't make a maniac out of me!"; and "Slice like a fucking hammer". Some of the quotes were reproduced verbatim by Al Pacino's character in the 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen.

Quote"Diana" is a song written and sung by Paul Anka in 1957, recorded in May 1957 at Don Costa studio in New York City. Anka stated in his autobiography that the song was inspired by a girl named Diana Ayoub, whom he had met at his church and community events, and had developed a crush on. Session musicians on the record included Bucky Pizzarelli on Guitar, Irving Wexler on piano, Jerry Bruno on bass, and Panama Francis on drums.

After signing with RCA Records, Anka re-recorded "Diana", along with many other hits in 1963, for the album Paul Anka's 21 Golden Hits, and sang an Italian version of the song, also called "Diana"; the Italian lyrics were written by Mario Panzeri. This version was released on Anka's 1963 album Italiano.

Other versions include :  Frankie Lymon (1958)  /  Bobby Rydell (1965)  /  Australian band Ol' 55 (1975)

On This Day :
Quote
31 August : Glenn Tilbrook, (Squeeze), born in Woolwich, London.
1 September : Gloria Estefan, (Miami Sound Machine), born in Havana, Cuba
4 September : publication of the Wolfenden Report
4 September : Ford Motor Co introduces Edsel - the world's ugliest car
10 September : Siobhan Fahey, (Bananarama), born in Dublin, Ireland
10 September : Carol Decker, (T'Pau), born in Huyton, Merseyside
11 September : Jon Moss, (Culture Club drummer), born in Wandsworth, South London
20 September : Alannah Currie, (Thompson Twins xylophonist), born in Auckland, New Zealand
22 September : Nick Cave, (The Bad Seeds), born in Warracknabeal, Victoria, Australia
25 September : Great Britain performs nuclear test at Maralinga, Australia
26 September : "West Side Story" premieres at the Winter Garden Theater in NYC
29 September : Mari Wilson, singer with Beehive, born in Neasden, London
2 October : "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is released in cinemas
3 October : Tim Westwood, (DJ), born in Lowestoft, Suffolk
4 October : USSR launches Sputnik I, 1st artificial Earth satellite
7 October : Jayne Torvill, (Olympic ice dancer), born in Nottingham
11 October : Jodrell Bank Observatory becomes operational.
11 October : Dawn French, Comedian, born in Holyhead, Wales
11 October : Blair Cunningham, (Haircut 100 drummer), born in Memphis, Tennessee
17 October : Jailhouse Rock starring Elvis Presley premiered on October 17, 1957, at Loews State Theater in Memphis,
19 October : Karl Wallingher, (World Party), born in Prestatyn Wales
21 October : Julian Cope, born in Deri, Monmouthshire, Wales

purlieu

Ah, we're well into the C / Am / F / G era now. I wonder how long before I begin to tear my hair out from those bloody chords.


machotrouts

WARNING: the top version of Diana on Spotify is a re-recording. Presumably the 1963 version mentioned above. Seems to be the most common version on compilations, too. Hadn't clocked it until I listened to the B-side and thought, hang about, did he record this, go through an entire puberty, then record the A-side? I couldn't figure out why it sounded like a fully grown, thoroughly post-pubescent bloke rudely singing "I'M SO YOUNG AND YOU'RE SO OLD" at some poor lass. I was sat here thinking, is this just what a normal teenager sounds like and my perception is being skewed because I have somehow become too aware of Paul Anka as a contemporary public figure? Didn't have that problem with anyone up till now. "Well this Guy Mitchell song is fine but I can't help but picture him singing it as a skeleton, as he looks these days, having long since died and decomposed, so sadly I'm going to have to take marks off for that."

daf

The Day the Music Lived, its . . .

64.  The Crickets - That'll Be The Day



From : 27 October – 16 November 1957
Weeks : 3
Flip side : I'm Lookin' For Someone To Love

QuoteBuddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley on 7 September, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas.

In 1955, after graduating from Lubbock High School, Holley decided to pursue a full-time career in music. He was further encouraged after seeing Elvis Presley performing live in Lubbock, whose act was booked by Pappy Dave Stone of KDAV. In February, Holley opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, in April at the Cotton Club, and again in June at the Coliseum. By that time, he had incorporated into his band Larry Welborn on the stand-up bass and Allison on drums, as his style shifted from C&W to rock and roll due to seeing Presley's performances and hearing his music. In October, Stone booked Bill Haley & His Comets and placed Holley as the opening act to be seen by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall. Impressed, Crandall persuaded Grand Ole Opry manager Jim Denny to seek a recording contract for Holley. Stone sent a demo tape, which Denny forwarded to Paul Cohen, who signed the band to Decca Records in February 1956. In the contract, Decca misspelled Holley's last name as "Holly"; from then on, he was known as "Buddy Holly".

In April 1956, Decca released "Blue Days, Black Nights" as a single, with "Love Me" on the B-side. The label later released Holly's second single "Modern Don Juan", backed with "You Are My One Desire". Neither single made an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, but insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.

Holly was unhappy with the results of his time with Decca; he was inspired by the success of Buddy Knox's "Party Doll" and Jimmy Bowen's "I'm Stickin' with You", and visited Norman Petty, who had produced and promoted both records. The group recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", a song they had previously recorded in Nashville. Now playing lead guitar, Holly achieved the sound he desired. Petty became his manager and sent the record to Brunswick Records in New York City. Holly, still under contract with Decca, could not release the record under his name, so a band name was used; Allison proposed the name "Crickets". "That'll Be the Day" topped the US chart on September 23 and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November.

On September 20, Coral (a subsidiary of Decca Records) released "Peggy Sue", backed with "Everyday", with Holly credited as the performer. By October, "Peggy Sue" had reached number three in the US chart and number six in the UK. As the success of the song grew, it brought more attention to Holly, with the band at the time being billed as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets".

On January 25, Holly recorded "Rave On"; the next day, he made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing "Oh, Boy!". In March, the band toured the United Kingdom, playing 50 shows in 25 days. The same month, his debut solo album, Buddy Holly, was released.

During a visit to the offices of Peer-South, Holly met María Elena Santiago. He asked her out on their first meeting and proposed marriage to her on their first date. The wedding took place on August 15. Petty disapproved of the marriage and advised Holly to keep it secret to avoid upsetting Holly's female fans. Petty's reaction created friction with Holly, who had also started to question Petty's bookkeeping. The Crickets, frustrated because he controlled all of the proceeds from the band, were also in conflict with Petty.

In October, Holly recorded tracks for Coral; these were backed by saxophonist Boomie Richman and an 18-piece orchestra composed of former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The three-and-a-half-hour session produced "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", "Raining in My Heart", "Moondreams" (written by Petty), and "True Love Ways".

Holly ended his association with Petty in December 1958. His band members kept Petty as their manager, and Holly also split from the Crickets. Petty was still holding the money from the royalties, forcing Holly to form a new band consisting of Waylon Jennings (electric bass), Tommy Allsup (guitar), and Carl Bunch (drums), and return to touring.

Before their appearance in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa, for Jennings, Allsup, and himself. Holly's idea was to depart following the show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and fly to their next venue, in Moorhead, Minnesota, via Fargo, North Dakota, allowing them time to rest and launder their clothes and avoid a rigorous bus journey. Immediately after the Clear Lake show (which ended just before midnight), Allsup agreed to flip a coin for the seat with Valens. Valens called heads; when he won, he reportedly said, "That's the first time I've ever won anything in my life,". Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), who had influenza and complained that the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for a man of his size.

The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, although he was not certified to fly by instruments only. Shortly after 12.55 am on February 3, 1959, Holly, Valens, Richardson, and Peterson were killed instantly when their plane crashed into a frozen cornfield five miles northwest of the Mason City, Iowa airport shortly after takeoff.

Buddy Holly left behind dozens of unfinished recordings: In June 1959, Coral Records overdubbed two of them with backing vocals by the Ray Charles Singers and studio musicians in an attempt to simulate the established Crickets sound. The finished tracks became the first posthumous Holly single, "Peggy Sue Got Married" / "Crying, Waiting, Hoping".

The demand for Holly records was so great, and Holly had recorded so prolifically, that his record label was able to release new Holly albums and singles for the next 10 years. The final "new" Buddy Holly album, "Giant", was released in 1969; the single chosen from the album was "Love Is Strange".

Quote"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. Holly's producer, Norman Petty, was credited as a co-writer, although he did not contribute to the composition.

In June 1956, Holly, Allison and Sonny Curtis went to see the movie The Searchers, starring John Wayne, in which Wayne repeatedly used the phrase "that'll be the day".

The song was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes for Decca Records at Bradley's Barn, in Nashville, on July 22, 1956. Decca, displeased with Holly's previous two singles, did not issue recordings from this session. After the song was re-recorded by the Crickets in 1957 and became a hit, Decca released the original recording as a single on September 2, 1957, with "Rock Around with Ollie Vee" as the B-side.

Holly's contract with Decca prohibited him from re-recording any of the songs recorded in the 1956 Nashville sessions for five years, even if Decca never released them. To evade this restriction, the producer Norman Petty credited the Crickets as the artist on his re-recording of "That'll Be the Day" for Brunswick Records. Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca. Once the cat was out of the bag, Decca re-signed Holly to another of its subsidiaries, Coral Records, so he ended up with two recording contracts. Recordings with the Crickets were to be issued by Brunswick, and his solo recordings were to be on Coral.

The second recording of the song was made on February 25, 1957, seven months after the first, at the Norman Petty studios in Clovis, New Mexico, and issued by Brunswick on May 27, 1957.

Other versions include :
    The Ravens (1957)  /  Bobby Vee (1963)  /  The Everly Brothers (1965)  / Skeeter Davis (1967)
    Paul and Barry Ryan (1967)  /  The Flamin' Groovies (1972)  /  Foghat (1974)  / Linda Ronstadt (1976)

On This Day :
Quote28 October : Stephen Morris, (New Order drummer) born in Macclesfield, Cheshire
1 November : Lyle Lovett, country singer, born in Klein, Texas
3 November : USSR launches Sputnik 2 with a dog (Laika), 1st animal in orbit
6 November : "Rumple" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 45 performances ("Tuneful songs, ruggedly mediocre lyrics")
8 November : Great Britain performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island

Dr Rock


purlieu

It feels a bit like someone's sacked all the world's orchestras suddenly.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: purlieu on May 12, 2019, 05:54:10 PM
It feels a bit like someone's sacked all the world's orchestras suddenly.

That's a great way of describing what's happening here. All those gloopy ballads and novelty numbers are being usurped by, to all intents and purposes, raw minimalists.

The 1956 version of That'll Be The Day is very raw but probably more exciting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew9oKSTqG_I

Of course, Crickets gave us Beatles: there's a version of this on Anthology 1

daf

Cheers - That's a better quality version than the one I linked to in the notes (is it the same take?) :

QuoteThe song was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes for Decca Records at Bradley's Barn, in Nashville, on July 22, 1956.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(apologies if the youtube links get broken - I had to scrabble for a replacement when my original one went "tits up". This was the only one that would open on my clapped out browser : it's like russian roulette out there!)

machotrouts

I used 'That'll Be the Day' in another music connection in my Fauxnly Connect quiz I mentioned earlier – the other songs were 'Crazy' by Patsy Cline, 'More Than a Woman' by Aaliyah, and 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' by John Denver. Same connection later appeared on actual Only Connect, with Otis Redding and Glenn Miller subbing for Patsy and John. I'm not saying that the BBC have implanted parasitic brain robots to steal my boring ideas that are trivially easy to have independently, but in a way, I also am saying that.

famethrowa

I learnt about Buddy Holly from the first Young Ones episode, a Grumbleweeds impression, and a video on my computer in the 90s. Is that enough?

Jockice

I've been deliberately avoiding this thread but the temptation has just got too much. There goes my morning.

daf

Welcome along!

I posted this updated list a few pages back for the first 44 - where the links had got broken.

buzby

Quote from: daf on May 12, 2019, 02:00:00 PM
The Day the Music Lived, its . . .

64.  The Crickets - That'll Be The Day


On a related note this is probably the first UK number one single to feature a Fender Stratocaster, a very early 1954 production model that Holly swapped his Gibson Les Paul for after seeing his guitar teacher playing one.  It was used on all of The Crickets' early recordings and was stolen from their tourbus in Michigan in late 1957. It's this guitar on the cover of The Chirping Crickets that made Hank Marvin want to get one:

daf

Day O! . . . Da-a-a-y O! . . . Jesus come, and me wanna go home, its . . .

65.  Harry Belafonte - Mary's Boy Child



From : 17 November 1957 – 4 January 1958   
Weeks : 7
Flip side : Eden Was Just Like This

QuoteHarry Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. on 1 March, 1927 in Harlem, New York. From 1932 to 1940, he lived with one of his grandmothers in her native country of Jamaica, where he attended Wolmer's Schools. When he returned to New York City, he joined the Navy and served during World War II.

Belafonte started his career in music as a club singer in New York to pay for his acting classes. The first time he appeared in front of an audience, he was backed by the Charlie Parker band, which included Charlie Parker himself, Max Roach and Miles Davis, among others. At first, he was a pop singer, launching his recording career on the Roost label in 1949.

Belafonte's first widely released single was "Matilda", recorded April 27, 1953. His breakthrough album Calypso (1956) introduced American audiences to calypso music (which had originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 20th century), and Belafonte was dubbed the "King of Calypso". One of the songs included in the album is the now famous "Banana Boat Song" (listed as "Day O" on the original release), which reached number five on the pop charts.

He was one of many entertainers recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the inaugural gala of President John F. Kennedy in 1961. That same year he released his second calypso album, Jump Up Calypso, which went on to become another million seller. During the 1960s he introduced several artists to American audiences, most notably South African singer Miriam Makeba and Greek singer Nana Mouskouri. His album Midnight Special (1962) included a young harmonica player named Bob Dylan.

As The Dave Clark Five and The Brumbeats from Britain began to dominate the U.S. pop charts, Belafonte's commercial success diminished; His last hit single, "A Strange Song", was released in 1967 and peaked at number 5.

Belafonte has starred in several films. His first film role was in Bright Road (1953), in which he appeared alongside Dorothy Dandridge. The two subsequently starred in Otto Preminger's hit musical Carmen Jones (1954). Ironically, Belafonte's singing in the film was dubbed by an opera singer, as Belafonte's own singing voice was seen as unsuitable for the role.

Belafonte supported the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s and was one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s confidants. He provided for King's family since King made only $8,000 a year as a preacher. Like many other civil rights activists, Belafonte was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. During the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, he bailed King out of Birmingham City Jail and raised thousands of dollars to release other civil rights protesters. He financed the 1961 Freedom Rides, supported voter registration drives, and helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington.

Quote"Mary's Boy Child" was written by Jester Hairston. The song had its genesis when Hairston was sharing a room with a friend. The friend asked him to write a song for a birthday party. Hairston wrote the song with a calypso rhythm because the people at the party would be mainly West Indians. The song's original title was "He Pone and Chocolate Tea".

Some time later Walter Schumann, at the time conducting Schumann's Hollywood Choir, asked Hairston to write a new Christmas song for his choir. Harry Belafonte heard the song being performed by the choir and sought permission to record it.

It was recorded in 1956 for his album An Evening with Belafonte. An edited version was subsequently released as a single, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1957. It was the first single to sell over one million copies in the UK alone.

In 1978, German Disco band Boney M took it to the top of the UK Christmas Charts for the second time.

Other versions include :
Jim Reeves (1963)  /  The Lettermen (1966)  /  The Merrymen (1969) /  Tom Jones (1970)
The Gospel Clefs (1973)  /  Evie Tornquist (1977)   /  The Schytts (1979)  /  The Tin Lids (1991)

On This Day :
Quote17 November : Debbie Thrower, (TV Newsreader), born in Nairobi, Kenya
22 November : Simon & Garfunkel appear on "American Bandstand" as "Tom & Jerry"
1 December : Sam Cooke & Buddy Holly and the Crickets debut on Ed Sullivan Show
9 December : Donny Osmond, (The Osmonds), born in Ogden, Utah
10 December : Paul Hardcastle, (19), born in Kensington, London
14 December : "Rumple" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 45 performances
17 December : The last episode of The Nat King Cole Show airs on NBC due to lack of national sponsorship
17 December : Dorothy L. Sayers, writer, dies age 64
19 December : Meredith Willson's classic musical The Music Man, starring Robert Preston, debuts on Broadway.
20 December : Billy Bragg, singer born in Barking, Essex
20 December : Elvis Presley receives his draft notice to join the US Army for National Service
25 December : Shane MacGowan, (The Pogues), born in Pembury, Kent
26 December : Dermot Murnaghan, (TV Newsreader), born in Barnstaple, Devon
1 January : Grandmaster Flash, born in NYC, New York
3 January : Edmund Hillary reaches South Pole overland
4 January : Sputnik 1 (launched on October 4, 1957) falls to Earth from its orbit and burns up.

Jockice

Quote from: daf on May 13, 2019, 11:35:38 AM
Welcome along!

I posted this updated list a few pages back for the first 44 - where the links had got broken.

Thanks Daf. You're addictive you are.


purlieu


machotrouts

Is this the poshest patois ever committed to record?

Quote from: Satchmo Distel on May 13, 2019, 03:21:35 PM
Doris Day has passed away.

Day? Oh!

Quote from: daf on March 27, 2019, 01:49:16 PMDoris Day (born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922) is an American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist. And at the age of 96, she is the first of our UK Number Ones to be still alive!!

I believe the earliest #1 hitmaker to be still alive is now Vera Lynn. A notably unlikely feat, given that she was already an ancient-in-pop-chart-terms 37 at the time.

Quote from: machotrouts on March 27, 2019, 04:51:46 PM...and the first person to be on my Derby Dead Pool theme team of UK #1 hitmakers! "Thank you for this honour", Doris is reported to have said

Doris Day is a hit for this team – a mixed blessing, as I hedged my bets by also playing her in a separate "survivor pool", where you predict which popular dead pool picks won't die in the next year.

Harry Belafonte is also on my #1 Hits team, and the person on it I will be least happy to see die. Great man. Continue to deny me points! Hate the song, like, but.

daf

Quote from: daf on May 13, 2019, 02:00:00 PM
Day O! . . . Da-a-a-y O! . . . Jesus come, and me wanna go home, its . . .

That was weird - I prepare these immaculately polished turds posts a few days ahead, so wasn't intended as a comment on Doris Day's imminent trip to heaven.

In tribute and salute, please raise a small glass of Sarsaparilla, and join in on the chorus of probably her most famous song.

daf

Goodness! Gracious!, its . . .

66.  Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls Of Fire



From : 5 – 18 January 1958
Weeks : 2
Flip side : Mean Woman Blues
bonus video : Saturday Night Beechbut Show

QuoteJerry Lee Lewis was born September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, Concordia Parish, in eastern Louisiana.

His mother enrolled him in the Southwest Bible Institute, in Waxahachie, Texas, so that he would be singing evangelical songs exclusively. But Lewis daringly played a boogie-woogie rendition of "My God Is Real" at a church assembly, which got him expelled. After that incident, he went home and started playing at clubs in and around Ferriday and Natchez, Mississippi, becoming part of the burgeoning new rock and roll sound and cutting his first demo recording in 1954.

In November 1956, Lewis traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to audition for Sun Records. Label owner Sam Phillips was in Florida, but producer and engineer Jack Clement recorded Lewis's rendition of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms" and his own composition "End of the Road". In December 1956, Lewis began recording prolifically, as a solo artist and as a session musician for other Sun artists, including Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

Lewis's own singles (on which he was billed as "Jerry Lee Lewis and his Pumping Piano") included hits such as "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", a Big Maybelle cover, "Great Balls of Fire", "High School Confidential", and "Breathless".

Lewis's turbulent personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London's Heathrow Airport (the only journalist present), learned about Lewis's third wife, Myra Gale Brown. She was Lewis's first cousin once removed and 13 years old – while Lewis was 22 years old. The publicity caused an uproar, and the tour was cancelled after only three concerts. The scandal followed Lewis home to the United States; he was blacklisted from radio and almost vanished from the music scene.

In 1961 Lewis recorded his only major hit during this period, a rendition of Ray Charles's "What'd I Say". In Europe, other updated versions of "Sweet Little Thirteen Sixteen" (September 1962) and "Good Golly Miss Molly" (March 1963) entered the hit parade.

One major success during these lost years was the concert album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, recorded with the Nashville Teens in 1964. The album showcases Lewis's skills as a pianist and singer, honed by relentless touring.

Lewis returned to the pop charts with "Me and Bobby McGee" in 1971 and "Chantilly Lace" in 1972, and this turn of events, coupled with a revitalized public interest in vintage rock and roll, inspired Mercury to fly Lewis to London in 1973 to record with British and Irish musicians, including Rory Gallagher, Kenney Jones, and Albert Lee. By all accounts the sessions were tense. The remake of Lewis's old Sun cut "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" would be the album's hit single, reaching number 41 on the US charts.

Between 1968 and 1977, Lewis had 17 Top 10 hit singles on the Billboard country chart, including : "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out of Me)", "To Make Love Sweeter For You", and "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)". The production on his early country albums was sparse, quite different from the slick "Nashville sound" that was predominant on country radio at the time.

In 1993, Lewis moved to a rented house in Westminster Road, Foxrock, Dublin. Lewis returned to the US in 1997 after his "tax issues" had been resolved by Irish promoter Kieran Cavanagh.

On February 28, 2019, Lewis suffered a minor stroke in Memphis. He is expected to fully recover, and continues to perform live to this very day.

Quote"Great Balls of Fire" was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer, and is best known for Jerry Lee Lewis's original recording, which was recorded in the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 8, 1957, using three personnel: Lewis (piano/vocals), Sidney Stokes (bass), and a session drummer, name unknown, instead of the usual Sun backups Jimmy Van Eaton (drums) and Roland Janes (guitar). It reached No. 2 on the US charts, and  No. 1 in the UK.

Other versions include : Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas (1964)  /  Tiny Tim (1968)  /  The Newbeats (1969)  /  Mae West (1972)  /  Dolly Parton (1979)  /  Amii Stewart (1981)

On This Day :
Quote6 January : Gibson patents Flying V Guitar
11 January : Vicki Peterson, (Bangles), born in Los Angeles, California
13 January : Edna Purviance, actress (Charlie Chaplin sidekick 1915-1923), dies at 61 (<-- that's her getting a cwtch in my pic)

blackcockerel

Number one of the decade for me. Loved reading when researching my blog how Lewis went from feeling nervous about recording it to a bootleg recording which has him saying 'I would like to have a little pussy if I could have some'. The power of the devil's music, right there.

daf

Co-written by the gloriously named "Jack Hammer" :

QuoteEarl Solomon Burroughs, known professionally as Jack Hammer, wrote a song, "Great Balls of Fire", and submitted it to songwriter Paul Case, who liked the title but not the song itself. Case passed the idea to Otis Blackwell, and commissioned him to write a song of the same title for inclusion in the film Jamboree, with Hammer taking a half share of the songwriting royalties.

Much of Hammer's songwriting work is credited to various aliases including Earl Burrows, Early S. Burrows, George Stone, and T.T. Tyler. His song "Plain Gold Ring" appeared on Nina Simone's 1958 debut album Little Girl Blue.

In 1961 he moved to Paris, where he performed impersonations of Sammy Davis Jr. and Chuck Berry in cabaret, and then to Belgium. There, he recorded a series of twist songs, including "Kissin' Twist", which became a big hit in Belgium, Germany, France and Sweden. He became known in Europe as "The Twistin' King".

In the mid 1970s, he was scheduled to play the part of Jimi Hendrix in a movie that was never made.

He died from inflammation of the testicles on April 8, 2016 at home in Oakland, California.

Dr Rock

Jack Hammer also wrote and recorded Down In The Subway, what Soft Cell covered. Good ol' suicide song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvTywrXKtLs

Flip side : Mean Woman Blues

This is awesome. Elvis did a version but this kicks its arse.

machotrouts

What a different era this was! It's so charming that there used to be a time when rock 'n' roll was considered "the devil's music", and that it was considered in some way "immoral" and "sinful" to be whacking it up your 13-year-old cousin on the regular. Fortunately we have moved on from those less enlightened times.

daf

Quote from: Satchmo Distel on May 15, 2019, 01:02:27 AM
Flip side : Mean Woman Blues

This is awesome. Elvis did a version but this kicks its arse.

That link is banjaxed - try this : Jerry Lee Lewis - Mean Woman Blues

Here's the arse-kicked version : Elvis - Mean Woman Blues / Film version - from "Loving You" (1957)


daf

If you can't find a partner, use a wooden chair!, its . . .

67.  Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock



From : January 19 – February 8 1958
Weeks : 3
Flip side : Treat Me Nice
Film versions : Jailhouse Rock  /  Treat Me Nice

The Story So Far :
QuoteThe trio of Elvis, Winfield "Scotty" Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (upright Bass), played publicly for the first time on 17 July 1954 at the Bon Air club — Presley still sporting his child-size guitar. At the end of the month, they appeared at the Overton Park Shell, with Slim Whitman headlining. A combination of his strong response to rhythm and nervousness at playing before a large crowd led Presley to shake his legs as he performed: his wide-cut pants emphasized his wanglin' and a danglin' penis movements, causing young women in the audience to start screaming. Soon after, Moore and Black left their old band, the Starlite Wranglers, to play with Presley regularly, and DJ/promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager.

Presley made what would be his only appearance on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry stage on October 2; after a polite audience response, Opry manager Jim Denny told Phillips that his singer was "not bad" but did not suit the program. In November 1954, Presley performed on Louisiana Hayride—the Opry's chief, and more adventurous, rival. The Shreveport-based show was broadcast to 198 radio stations in 28 states. Presley had another attack of nerves during the first set, which drew a muted reaction. A more composed and energetic second set inspired an enthusiastic response. House drummer D. J. Fontana brought a new element, complementing Presley's movements with accented beats that he had mastered playing in strip clubs. Soon after the show, the Hayride engaged Presley for a year's worth of Saturday-night appearances. Trading in his old guitar for $8, he purchased a Martin instrument for $175, and his trio began playing in new locales, including Houston, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas.

Elvis made his singular product endorsement commercial for the Louisiana Hayride sponsor, The Southern Maid Donut Flour Company (Texas), which was never released, recording a radio jingle, in exchange for a box of hot glazed doughnuts.

By early 1955, Presley's regular appearances on the KSLA-TV television broadcast of Louisiana Hayride, constant touring, and well-received record releases had made him a regional star, from Tennessee to West Texas, which brought him to the attention of Colonel Tom Parker. Having successfully managed top country star Eddy Arnold, Parker was working with the new number-one country singer, Hank Snow. Parker booked Presley on Snow's February tour.

Presley renewed Neal's management contract in August 1955, simultaneously appointing Parker as his special adviser. The trio became a quartet when Hayride drummer Fontana joined as a full member. In mid-October, they played a few shows in support of Bill Haley, whose "Rock Around the Clock" track had been a number-one hit the previous year.

Several record companies had by now shown interest in signing him. After three major labels made offers of up to $25,000, Parker and Phillips struck a deal with RCA Victor on November 21 to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $40,000. Parker arranged with the owners of Hill & Range Publishing, Jean and Julian Aberbach, to create two entities, Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music, to handle all the new material recorded by Presley. Songwriters were obliged to forgo one third of their customary royalties in exchange for having him perform their compositions.

The Song :
Quote"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. RCA Victor released the song on a 45 rpm single on September 24, 1957, the song had a film release of Presley's motion picture under the same name, Jailhouse Rock.

Presley's performance of the song in the film, choreographed as a dance routine involving himself and a large group of male prisoners.  The film version differs from the single version of the song, featuring backing instrumentation and vocals not heard on the record.

The single, with its B-side "Treat Me Nice" (another song from the film's soundtrack) was a US number one hit for seven weeks in the fall of 1957, and a UK number one hit for three weeks early in 1958. It was the first record to enter the UK charts at number one.

Also in 1957, "Jailhouse Rock" was the lead song in an EP (extended play single), together with other songs from the film, namely "Young and Beautiful," "I Want to be Free," "Don't Leave Me Now," and "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care". It topped the Billboard EP charts, eventually selling two million copies.

Other Versions include :
Frankie Lymon  (1958)  /  Melvis Rock Band  (1959)  /  Conway Twitty  (1961)  /  Chuck Jackson  (1966) 
Albert King  (1969)  /  Ross McManus  (1970)  /  The Residents  (1983)  /  Prince Charles and the City Beat Band (1984)

The Film :
QuoteJailhouse Rock is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, and Mickey Shaughnessy. Dramatized by Guy Trosper from a story written by Nedrick Young, the film is about a young man sentenced to prison for manslaughter who is mentored in music by his prison cellmate who realizes his musical abilities. After his release from jail, while looking for a job as a club singer, the young man meets a musical promoter who helps him launch his career. As he develops his musical abilities and becomes a star, his self-centered personality begins to affect his relationships.

Jailhouse Rock was Presley's third film and his first for MGM. It was filmed at the MGM studios in Culver City, California. The film was originally titled The Hard Way, which was changed to Jailhouse Kid before MGM finally settled on Jailhouse Rock.

Before the production began, rock 'n' roll songwriting partners Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were commissioned to create the film's soundtrack. The writers, who accepted the work, did not send any material to MGM for months. In April 1957, the studio called a meeting with the writers in New York City to be updated on the progress of the work. Leiber and Stoller, who had not written any material, traveled to New York where, instead of working, they toured the city. They were confronted in their hotel room by Jean Aberbach, director of Hill & Range music publishing company, who asked to see the songs. When he was told that there was no material, Aberbach decided to lock the songwriters in their hotel room by blocking the door with a sofa. Aberbach told them that they would not leave the room until they had created the material. Four hours later, Leiber and Stoller had written "I Want to Be Free", "Treat Me Nice", "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care", and "Jailhouse Rock".

Jailhouse Rock was Judy Tyler's last film; two weeks after shooting was completed, she died in an automobile accident that also killed her husband. Presley, moved by the death of his co-star, did not attend the film premiere on October 17, 1957, at Loews State Theater in Memphis, Tennessee.

On This Day :
Quote24 January : "Mr Boogie-Woogie" Jools Holland, (Squeeze), born in Blackheath, London
28 January : The Lego company patents their design of Lego bricks
30 January : UK House of Lords passes bill allowing women to take seats
31 January : James van Allen discovers radiation belt
6 February : "Busby Babes" Manchester United Team involved in the Munich Air Disaster