Category: Sixties

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The 1910 Fruitgum Co.

The catchy, childlike pop songs that emanated from the studios of Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, in New York City, between 1967 and 1969, were dubbed bubblegum music.

Principal exponents of this sound included The Lemon Pipers and Ohio Express, both of whom emerged from the state after which the latter was named, and The 1910 Fruitgum Co., from New Jersey.

The 1910 Fruitgum Co. had as its leading singer, Mark Gutkowski. His boyish voice suited the songs, which the band came to record.

Officially, the group was comprised of Mark Gutkowski on vocals and the organ; Frank Jeckell, vocals and rhythm guitar; Floyd Marcus, vocals and drums; Steve Mortkowitz, on bass; and Pat Karwan, on vocals and leading guitar. Nonetheless, replacements were always in the wings and as these were often used, just who played what on which recordings appears blurred.

Placing to one side the actual composition of the group, there is no denying that its relatively short career produced recordings that the young, and young at heart, thoroughly enjoyed.

“Simon Says”, so obviously based upon the children’s game, swiftly brought the group international fame, in 1968, when it reached No.5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart; as well as, for example, No.2, in Britain, and No.12 in Australia. The recording’s success in Great Britain was to also mark the band’s last there.

Seven months after the release of its initial hit, The 1910 Fruitgum Co. had another on hand this time in the form of “1, 2, 3, Red Light”, which peaked at No.5 in both America and Australia. “Goody Goody Gumdrops” faired considerably better in Australia (No.13) than in America (No. 37).

http://youtu.be/u8bQ6sI44HQ

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The new year came and with it, one last major success, “Indian Giver”. It ascended to No.5 in the United States and No.9, in Australia. I particularly like the intergration of the tom-toms in this cleverly written recording, which, emulated the group’s previous two major successes by managing to sell in excess of a million copies. “Indian Giver” was covered by The Ramones in the 1980s.

http://youtu.be/oWBiVmOJIyM

http://youtu.be/hfuJnyKkO2o

In all, seven of the quintet’s singles entered the charts while five albums were released in its name.

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The Upsetters

The Upsetters was an early Jamaican reggae band which, in late 1969, released its only notable recording when the double A-sided single, “Return Of Django” and “Dollar In The Teeth”, ascended to No.5 on the British charts.

http://youtu.be/Ckyfb1B1h7U

http://youtu.be/5IOFkldJ8hc

Decades later, these two tracks were used in the soundtrack to ‘Grand Theft Auto: London’, a video game series of the late 1990s. “Return Of Django” can also be heard in ‘This Is England’, a dramatic British film from 2006.

Some members of the group by 1972 had become Wailers alongside Bob Marley.

You can find “Return Of Django” on the list of my favourite recordings, which is located in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list from time to time.

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Bobby Vee

Robert Thomas Velline was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in April of 1943. When Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed in that devastating plane crash in Iowa, on the 3rd of February, in 1959 it was Robert, at the age of just fifteen, who was called upon to fill in for Buddy at the tour’s next venue, in Moorhead, Minnesota.

From there this singer, songwriter soon adopted the pseudonym of Bobby Vee and within two years had emerged as an international popstar. The third single he released, under the livery of Liberty Records, was a revival of The Clovers’ ballad, “Devil Or Angel”, from 1956.

http://youtu.be/Pg4aL97Fn8c

However, it was to be his fourth single, “Rubber Ball”, that was to stamp him as an international success. The song was co-written by singer, Gene Pitney, who substituted his mother’s maiden name of Orlowski on the record’s label.

http://youtu.be/zHihhau3j8I

Bobby, between 1959 and 1970, was to enter the American charts with singles which numbered almost forty in total. This was no mean feat when one considers just how highly competitive entrance to the charts was in those days, what with such a stellar array of talent, both ensconced and burgeoning, on hand.

In the wake of “Devil Or Angel” and “Rubber Ball”, in 1960, Bobby’s most popular recordings proved to be “More Than I Can Say”, Take Good Care Of My Baby”, “Run To Him”, “Walkin’ With My Angel” (all from 1961), “Please Don’t Ask About Barbara”, “Sharing You”, “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes” (1962), “Charms” (1963) and “Come Back When You Grow Up” (1967).

http://youtu.be/4v3J2FeUqAA

http://youtu.be/QyOqFVzrMVQ

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Across the Atlantic, “More Than I Can Say”, which had only risen to No.61 in his homeland, ascended to No.4. Similarly, “How Many Tears”, in 1961, also performed considerably better in Britain, where it peaked at No.10. In 1962, in Britain, “A Forever Kind Of Love”, reached No.13 and stayed in the chart for nineteen weeks.

http://youtu.be/wkZ6h9Nkk64

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“Rubber Ball” and “One Last Kiss” (which Bobby shared with Crash Craddock, who had released a simultaneous version) both reached No.1, in Australia, in early 1961, and, in the second half of the year, his revival of the classic, “Baby Face”, from the 1920s, reached No.4 there.

“More Than I Can Say” spent four weeks at No.2, in America, in 1980, when the song was revived by Englishman Leo Sayer. Leo became a naturalised Australian citizen, in 2009.

Bobby Vee has continued to tour into his sixties.

I have included Bobby Vee’s original recording of “More Than I Can Say” on my list of favourite recordings, which is located in the suggested playlists.

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Lolita

Edith Zuser was a pop singer who recorded under the stage name of Lolita. She was born in January of 1931, in St Polten, Austria.

Lolita’s recording career began in 1957 and in December of 1959 she recorded her only truly international success, the single, “Seeman, deine Heimat ist das Meer” (“Sailor, Your Home Is The Sea”). It peaked at No.5 in the United States, No.6 in Australia, and performed well in Japan as well as, of course, certain European nations.

Multilingual British singer, actress Petula Clark took her English cover titled “Sailor” and her French equivalent, “Marin (Enfant du voyage)” to the top of the charts on both sides of the English Channel, in 1961.

Lolita died from cancer in Salzburg, Austria, in June of 2010, at the age of seventy-nine.

 

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Alvin Stardust

Bernard William Jewry was born, in September of 1942, in London. While he was still a child, his family moved north to live in Nottinghamshire.

Bernard was a roadie with the group, Shane Fenton and The Fentones, and when Shane Fenton (nee John Theakstone) died, as the result of having rheumatic fever as a child, he was invited to become the new Shane Fenton.

The combination had four relatively minor hits covering a period of twelve months from October of 1961. The last of these, “Cindy’s Birthday”, was also the largest, ascending to No.19 on the singles chart in Britain. It was actually a cover of Johnny Crawford’s recording that had risen to No.8 in America, just a few months earlier. Johnny played Mark McCain in the highly popular television series, ‘The Rifleman’. In the series, his father, Lucas McCain, was portrayed by Chuck Connors; back in what truly was the golden age of television.

Once Shane Felton and The Feltones had disbanded, little was heard of Bernard. That is, until the early 1970s when he re-emerged having acquired the persona, Alvin Stardust, in the era of glam rock.

Alvin’s first single, “My Coo-Ca-Choo”, entered the British chart in November of 1973 and, in spite of peaking at No.2, was to spend some five months there.

http://youtu.be/J4Y93Qucbt0

Nineteen seventy-four was to be Alvin’s most successful year. He took “Jealous Mind” to No.1, “Red Dress” to No.7, “You You You” to No.6, and “Tell Me Why” to No.16.

http://youtu.be/xrgiS7ZFuPo

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Alvin’s only real achievement, in 1975, was to have “Good Love Can Never Die” reach No.11. Thereafter, a hiatus of some six years ensued before “Pretend” rose to No.4. The song had been a hit for Nat ‘King’ Cole, in 1953, and Gerry and The Pacemakers, in 1965.

http://youtu.be/iJRZTSvNUxI

Three more years passed before “I Feel Like Buddy Holly” (No.7) established him as an extant recording artist, yet again.

In late 1984, “I Won’t Run Away” followed, reaching its zenith, at No.7, in early 1985.

In Australia, Alvin’s “My Coo-Ca-Choo”, was virtually his only hit, having risen to No.2, as it had in Great Britain. To my knowledge, he remains an unknown to the vast majority of Americans.

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Bill Anderson

James Willaim Anderson III was born in November of 1937, in Columbia, South Carolina. Nevertheless, he spent his adaptational years in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

‘Bill Anderson’, as he became known, learned how to play the guitar while in his teens. He formed a hillbilly band, which he named The Avondale Playboys, in honour of his high school.

Bill obtained a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia, while he worked as a disc jockey and wrote articles on sport for a local newspaper. Another string to his bow was that of a songwriter and, in this regard, he did not have to wait for long to taste success as Ray Price recorded “City Lights” which spent thirteen weeks at No.1 on the country charts, in 1958.

Moving to Nashville, Bill was signed to Decca Records as a recording artist in his own right. “The Tip Of My Fingers” awarded him with his first Top 10 hit, in 1960, and, in 1961, he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

http://youtu.be/AHeECfl3lQ8

The songs and hits kept coming throughout the 1960s and the 1970s and, in the 1980s, Bill branched out to work on television. In 1989, his autobiography, ‘Whisperin’ Bill’, was published.

Many contemporary stars of country music have recorded material written by Bill Anderson. These artists include Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss.

My favourite recordings of Bill Anderson’s are “Walk Out Backwards” (No.9, in 1960), “I Love You Drops” (No.4, in 1966) and “Wild Weekend” (No.2, in 1968). His largest hits were “Mama Sang A Song” (1962) and “Still” (1963). Each spent seven weeks at No.1 in its respective year.

http://youtu.be/yMBNTK7cMUs

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http://youtu.be/rslUN5okfTs

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Jimmy Charles

Jimmy Charles was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1942. When he was sixteen, his uncle took him to New York City to compete in amateur talent shows.

There, Jimmy attracted the attention of Promo Records and after he had recorded a demonstration of “A Million To One”, was contracted to record the record. The Revellettes, a trio which was from Jimmy’s home town, provided the backing vocals.

Written by Phil Medley, “A Million To One”, had originally been recorded, in 1957, by The Five Satins, albeit with somewhat different lyrics.

Jimmy Charles and The Revellettes’ version reached its zenith at No.5 on Billboard’s Hot 100, in September of 1960. I particularly like the line about forgetting each other’s lies.

http://youtu.be/d-HLDSfySfE

While this same combination achieved minor success with the release of “The Age Of Love”, at the end of that year, Jimmy’s career as that of a recording artist was to be of short duration.

“A Million To One” can be found in the list of my favourite recordings, which is located in the suggested playlists.

 

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Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer was a suave French actor who was born in August of 1899 and died, in Phoenix, Arizona, in that same month, in 1978, at the age of seventy-eight.

Charles appeared in more than eighty films between 1920 and 1976. Many of these had him cast opposite some of the world’s leading actresses. I best remember him in ‘Gaslight’, from 1944.

Even more memorable to me was his part in the television series, ‘The Rogues’, in which he appeared with David Niven, Gig Young, Robert Coote and Gladys Cooper; in the mid-1960s.

Each time I watch the much more recent British series, ‘Hustle’, I remark to Tiki, “This reminds me of ‘The Rogues’!” She must be tired of me saying it.

Anyway, in what must have been 1965, in Australia, Charles Boyer released the single, “Where Does Love Go”, on the Stateside label. I was enamoured of it from the first time I heard it, as were quite a few others for it rose to No.2 on the chart, having entered it in January of 1966.

http://youtu.be/N3Aky8vLgFQ

It should go without saying but you can find “Where Does Love Go” on the list of my favourite recordings, located in the suggested playlists.

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Mark Williams

Mark Williams was born, in 1954, in the Northland region — which is above Auckland — in New Zealand. When he was sixteen he started a band, The Face, with classmates. The Face finished third in the final of the ‘National Battle Of The Bands’ in Auckland, in 1970.

Mark was convinced to become a solo performer, in 1973, and was offered a position as a regular guest on a new television show, ‘Free Ride’.

Towards the end of 1974 Mark was signed to record on the EMI label and, in 1975, released a song, that had been written by Harry Vanda and George Young ( see the post, ‘The Easybeats’), “Yesterday Was Just The Beginning Of My Life”. The single rose to sit at No.1 on the national charts in New Zealand.

http://youtu.be/C_gsh9hfbe0

Regardless, the next couple of years were somewhat of a struggle as Mark sought to replicate this success. It took until 1977 and an excellent revival of the classic track by Buddy Holly, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”, for him to achieve this.

Later that year, Mark relocated across the Tasman to Australia. There he was paid well for singing on many commercials, made for radio and television, while also obtaining work as a session vocalist to established artists.

In 1980 Mark released his first Australian album, ‘Life After Dark’. He formed the group, Boy Rocking, which was based in Sydney and, in 1988, toured with Ian Moss’s band on the highly successful ‘Matchbox’ tour. Mark, in duet with Karen Boddington, recorded the theme song to the extant Australian soap, ‘Home And Away’.

Mark began working on new material in collaboration with Vanda and Young and from his new album, ‘Mark Williams ZNZ’, came the single “Show No Mercy”, in 1990.

Mark Williams continued to find work throughout the years and, in spite of still being based in Sydney, in 2005, was invited by Todd Hunter of the New Zealand rock band, Dragon, to join the re-formed group. Mark accepted the offer.

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The Easybeats

The members of The Easybeats first met as they were being accommodated in a hostel for migrants, at Villawood, a western suburb of Sydney.

Leading guitarist, Harry Vanda (22nd of March, 1947) and bassist, Dick Diamonde (28th of December, 1947) were Dutch, while vocalist, ‘Little Stevie’ Wright (20th of December, 1948), rhythm guitarist, George Young (6th of November, 1947) and drummer, Gordon ‘Snowy’ Fleet (16th of August, 1945) were British.

George Young, a Scot, is the older brother of AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm Young.

The Easybeats formed in 1965 and tasted immediate success when “She’s So Fine” went to No.1 on the Australian pop charts. Before year’s end “Wedding Ring” (No.6) and “Sad And Lonely And Blue”/”Easy As Can Be” (No.9) had followed it into the Top Ten.

http://youtu.be/JqvRxmjDy_E

Nineteen Sixty-Six was even more sensational for the group, for in the first six months it had racked up three consecutive number one hits: “Women (Make You Feel Alright)”, “Come And See Her” and the 45 r.p.m. EP (extended play), “Easyfever”, which included “Too Much” and “I’ll Make You Happy (Just Like Your Mama Wants)”.

http://youtu.be/KgDM3PfPP_s

Understandably, The Easybeats decided that it was time to spread its wings and the band was soon en route to England. Meanwhile, “Sorry” reached No.4 on the Australian charts.

It did not take long for The Easybeats to realise that it had gone from being a big fish in a small ocean to being a small fish in a big one. Nonetheless, Harry Vanda and George Young managed to pen “Friday On My Mind”, which symbolised the thoughts of many teenagers in the rebellious ‘Swinging Sixties’.

Recorded in London, the single occupied six weeks at No.1 back in Australia, and entered the British charts, peaking at No.6. It even received airplay across the Atlantic, where its zenith was to be No.16.

However, the excesses that could become available to those who achieved success were starting to take their toll on at least one of the group’s members. Homesickness for Australia, and the fame that that country had represented, also became a factor in the unease that had developed within the group, and it was eventually decided that the five should return.

Even there, things were not as they had been and the best result the group achieved, during its remaining three years as an entity, was that of taking the double A-sided compositions of Vanda and Young, “Heaven And Hell”/”Pretty Girl”, to a height of of No.11, in mid-1967.

Harry Vanda and George Young formed their own group, Band Of Hope, and, in 1972, Marcus-Hook Roll Band. Neither was noticeably successful, however, the pair was to become notable as producers of records. In 1974 and 1975 they produced the first two albums by AC/DC: ‘High Voltage’ and ‘TNT’.

They formed and wrote for another Australian group, Flash And The Pan. It experienced two hits in Australia, “Hey St. Peter” (No.2, in 1977) and “Down Among The Dead Men” (No.8, in 1978). Then, quite out of the blue, the band found success in the United Kingdom, when, in 1983, “Waiting For A Train”, reached No. 7.

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In 1974, Vanda and Young resurrected Stevie Wright’s recording career when, as a solo artist, he took “Evie (Part 1)” to No.1 and “Guitar Band” to No.16. In fact, the pair’s compositions were recorded by many Australian artists; with one further example being that of John Paul Young’s international hit, “Love Is In The Air”, which climbed as high as No.7, in the United States, in 1978.

http://youtu.be/In1VeSjsBT8

http://youtu.be/f6L0D0SSmKU

You will find “She’s So Fine” on my list of favourite recordings, located in the suggested playlists. I remember turning the volume on my radio up, to make the single’s introduction as loud as possible.