The Orlons

Philadelphia has produced many famous recording artists over the years and while The Orlons might not be as famous as some of the others, the group certainly had its time in the spotlight. The quartet differed from the female groups of the time, in that one of its members was a male, baritone Steve Caldwell. Its other members were Marlena Davis, Rosetta Hightower and Shirley Brickley.

When The Orlons’ first two singles failed to chart, the group’s record label, Cameo, remained loyal. Finally, the label’s prolific songwriters, Kal Mann and Dave Appell, came to believe that they had written the song which would  launch The Orlons’ career; the breezy “The Wah-Watusi”.

So correct were they, that the single rose to as high as No.2 on Billboard’s pop chart, in the middle of 1962. The Orlons was off and running, with Rosetta now installed as the principal vocalist.

“Don’t Hang Up”, the following release, soared into the Top Five. The duo of hits, coupled with constant touring and regular appearances on the nationally televised Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, meant that it was no surprise when “South Street” jumped up the chart, peaking at No.3, in the first half of 1963.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2MuhY3sBjo

Little did the group know that this was to be its last visit to the Top Ten, although there were two Top Twenty entrants to come, namely “Not Me”, which had been originally recorded by Gary “U.S.” Bonds, and “Crossfire”.

The George Baker Selection

Shocking Blue, Tee Set and The George Baker Selection were three Dutch groups that emerged on the global scene almost simultaneously. The George Baker Selection had begun as The Soul Invention but was to change its name when Hans Bouwens joined the group.

Hans became the composer of all of the group’s material, which began, at least on a worldwide basis, when the lively “Little Green Bag” entered such charts in 1970. The band followed this initial global success with “Dear Ann”.”Baby Blue” followed, in 1974, and, in 1975, The George Baker Selection enjoyed what was probably its most popular release, the light and breezy “Paloma Blanca”.

Strangely enough, there wasn’t anyone in the group by the name of George Baker! In addition to its leader and principal vocalist the band’s original members were bass guitarist Cor Veerman, leading guitarist George The, organist Jaques Greuter, and drummer Jan Hopp.

The names of additional recordings by The George Baker Selection can be found in the suggested playlists.

Billy Joe Royal

Valdosta, Georgia, was where Billy Joe Royal was born, in March, 1942 and his home town, that is, until he moved to the outskirts of Atlanta, by the age of eight. It was his good fortune to met singer, songwriter and guitarist, Joe South, at a relatively young age, for it was to be South who would pen Billy Joe’s biggest hit, “Down In The Boondocks”, in 1965.

Nevertheless, “Down In The Boondocks” was far from being Billy Joe Royal’s first recording, for he had been painstakingly struggling to achieve such success since 1961. Joe South’s band The Believers backed Billy Joe on most of his recordings and “I Knew You When”, released in the wake of his initial hit, was no exception. Although it performed almost as well, it was to be another long four years before Billy Joe would experience having another hit in the Top Twenty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPJvk4t6SQ

“Cherry Hill Park” was to be this hit and it revived Billy Joe’s flagging status as a recording artist in the process. However, this time it was to be sixteen years and many recording companies later before he was to once again to make a meaningful impact upon the charts — the country charts.

Having virtually exhausted every other available opportunity at his disposal Billy Joe had begun recording in Nashville and, in 1985, his first hit in country music, “Burned Like A Rocket”, entered the charts. His biggest hit came, in 1989, when “Tell It Like It Is” peaked at No.2. Ironically, this song had been a hit — which had also reached its zenith at No.2 — on the pop charts, for Aaron Neville, in 1967. The very charts Billy Joe had tried so hard to conquer, all those years ago.