The 100 Club - US Edition

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The Twisters (23 March 1959)

Another one of those that’s here because of a crediting quirk. The debut hit for Sammy Turner was credited to him “and The Twisters”, whereas every other single down to him - mostly covers of old standards including the monster follow-up to this single, “Lavender Blue”, a top five hit, and his one UK hit “Always” - were credited to him alone. All the way to his final non-charter in 1965.

Which means that The Twisters, who leave no imprint at all, with no other records credited to them, were surely a marketing creation. Just made up by Turner’s label Big Top to give some presence to an otherwise anonymous and standard set of backing musicians. And remember this was before Twistmania.

I would therefore suggest that The Twisters would oust The Excels as the most obscure act here, other than the fact that they weren’t ever an act. And it has proved impossible to identify who appeared on this record, but, given that he was Big Top’s resident saxophonist, I reckon we have here the first chart hit for King Curtis.

It was also the first, and only, hit for songwriter Rita Murphy. Which makes me wonder if that was a pseudonymous creation as well. But there must have been some hope for the song, given it was produced by Leiber and Stoller, who would produce Turner's more successful follow-up.

The name The Twisters was used for instrumental cash-in “Peppermint Twist Time” in 1961, much better incidentally than the Joey Dee cut, but I would stick a million quid on this being a different set of musicians.

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SPOILER: Click to show

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The Vontastics (3 September 1966)

Although the American Beatles album releases often featured different tracklists to the classic UK LPs, there was still often the same sort of feeding frenzy as was seen in the UK as to covering songs that might not be singles. And one of those covers provided a well-regarded vocal group with their sole Billboard chart success.

Like The 21st Century, The Vontastics were a Chicago group, who gained a record deal in 1965 off the back of winning a local radio contest. The radio station, WVON, gave the group their name - and their debut single was “I’ll Never Say Goodbye”, written by their lead singer Bobby Newsome. In fact Newsome wrote most of the band’s 45s, although fellow bandmembers Jose Holmes and Raymond Penn also chipped in from time to time, leaving only the fourth member of the quartet, Kenneth Gholar, co-vocalist with Penn, without a writing credit.

So it is a little unfortunate that the only one of their eight singles which was a cover was their hit, although the small St Lawrence label, on which it was recorded, somehow credited Newsome with writing “Day Tripper”.

After their brief taste of national success, their final four singles remained local only and the group split in 1967. Newsome went solo and recorded a couple of unsuccessful singles, one under the name Bobby James. Holmes joined Redd Holt Unlimited, whose one single and two albums did not chart. These apart, the foursome seem not to have had any other industry footprints, which is a shame given the quality of their self-penned singles. At least with “Day Tripper” they scored themselves a top ten on the R&B charts as well as a national hit.

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SPOILER: Click to show

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Danny White (26 February 1977) (2 weeks)

The most obscure singer on the list, and impossible to research, given that there are a whole load of Danny Whites. Including a New Orleans singer who appeared with Huey “Piano” Smith & The Clowns (a top ten outfit from the fifties) and had a couple of bubbling under hits in the sixties, another Danny White who had a one-off single in 1974, and a bloke from Matt Bianco. This one however is a disco singer, allegedly born in New Jersey, who came out with 2 known singles, that didn’t make any impact on the Cashbox, Record World or R&B charts, yet had a 50% Billboard success rate.

And that’s pretty much it. Both his singles were on the small Massachusetts-based Rocky Coast label (a subsidiary of TK), both produced by Ron Messina, both with strings engineered by Van Hunter, both with instrumental versions of the a-side on the b-side that point to an early example of a very cheap approach in creating one single for the price of two...

And that is absolutely, literally, it. I wonder if Danny White actually existed, or whether he was a random session singer (albeit one with an extremely pure falsetto) who was given a pseudonym for release purposes, and is still ignorant to this day he has had a Billboard hit. The song itself had been a bit more successful in Britain, Tina Charles taking it to the top ten the previous year.

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SPOILER: Click to show

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Peter Yarrow (8 April 1972) (2 weeks)

A surprise to finish. Peter Yarrow followed the Gary S. Paxton model of peaking at 1 and 100; Peter Yarrow was, much more famously, the Peter of Peter, Paul & Mary, and co-writer of their first top five hit, “Puff The Magic Dragon”.

Peter, Paul & Mary’s chart run is close to the diametric opposite of Yarrow’s. Their final single “Leavin’ On A Jet Plane” (written by John Denver) was a Billboard, Cashbox and Record World number 1, they had a brace of 45s in the runner-up position and two albums that spent time atop the national charts.

As befits the archetypal sixties folk act (indeed, they had the final sixties number one), they split up for the seventies to pursue alternative careers. Until they reunited in 1978, remaining together until the death of Mary Travers in 2009. They remained close, with Neil “Paul” Stookey writing “The Wedding Song” for Yarrow’s wedding.

However the solo careers flopped to the extent that these two basement weeks were the best they managed between them. However away from the mike Yarrow had another number 1 - he wrote “Torn Between Two Lovers”, and produced Mary MacGregor’s 1977 chart-topping version.

Yarrow has consistently performed since, now as part of Peter, Bethany & Rufus (Bethany being his daughter), and has also consistently been involved in peace causes. To such an extent that he received a humanitarian award for his work in trying to spirit Jews out of the Soviet Union. Although, in an echo of Operation Yewtree, he also served three months inside in 1970 for interfering with a 14 year old girl. O tempora...

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But, although that's the end of the 100 Club, it's too easy to end the thread there. Firstly, we have to add in the bonus tracks...

Mariah Carey with Nicki Minaj (6 March 2010)

Demi Lovato & The Jonas Brothers (11 October 2010)

Christina Milian with Joe Budden (9 October 2004)

Rick Ross with Ne-Yo (16 June 2010)

All of the above have had Hot 100 hits in their own right, but under those particular combinations peaked at 100. I've put links in there if you want to hear the songs, but, frankly, I have not the slightest clue why anyone would want to do so, it's gash piled upon gash. (Christina Milian is cute though.)

The most interesting thing about the above is the Christina Milian cut was only the third song to peak at 100 since 1992. And makes Milian/Budden the only 100 Club entrant between 1927 (in 1985) and Trick-Trick (in 2005). That is so unlikely as a statistic that it must surely betray chart-rigging of one sort or another.

[Robbie]

Interesting thread vas though I have to say there are some horrors here!

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There might be some better tracks on the Deluxe Edition...indeed, I'd suggest the best of the lot is coming up.

But there are also some more horrors...

As I had the data for the Cashbox and Record World charts, I did some scraping there as well and found the 100 Clubbers in those charts as well. So here they are, with brief capsule profiles. Some of them at least are far more interesting than their Billboard equivalents, for one reason or another. Click on the name if you dare...

The Archibald Players (CB, 28 December 1958)

Basically a spoof of the popular western Gunsmoke, with characters being impersonated by a comedy* troupe, with voiceover artist character actor (and occasional Gunsmoke participant) Walker Edmiston on lead vocal. Gained a lot of airplay in California but did not cross over. For some reason, it was released on two labels under two different names - on Arch as The Archibald Players, and on Mark as The George Garabedian Players.

* although they ought to be charged under the Trades Descriptions Act

Pete Bennett & The Embers (RW, 20 November 1961)

If I tell the real name of Pete Bennett was Pietro Benedetto, that might prompt your memory. Pete Bennett, the drummer of his instrumental combo, is a cousin of Tony. From the Bronx, he moved into A&R work - making his reputation by breaking Motown’s first number one “Please Mr Postman” - and took over The Beatles’ promotion after Epstein’s suicide. And also worked with the Stones, Elvis, Dylan and Sinatra. At the same time. Plus helped move the Jackson 5 to Epic. Quite a big noise. Died last November, aged 77. No idea on The Embers, but they can’t be the one-hit wonder vocal group of the same era, who showed up the differences starkly between the charts; 36 in Cashbox, 44 in Music Vendor, but bubbling under only in Billboard.

Billy Carr (CB, 4 December 1965)

Fairly blatant major label cash-in on Barry McGuire (the Last Big Thing), on Columbia’s movie subsidiary label Colpix. Only this time demanding more soldiers to kill more Commies. Churned out by regular Tin Pan Alley-ists Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield (writers of “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”). Got a heavy promotion but, perhaps fittingly, bombed. As for Carr, he had a single the year before, but nothing else.

If he’s the same Billy Carr that worked as a producer for Capitol in 1968 and then a producer, writer and A&R rep at Cutlass Records (a country label) in 1972, he then got into some trouble for illegal tape distribution and was sued by K-Tel in the nineties for bootlegging the Chess back catalogue...

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Chester (CB, 1 September 1973)

One-hit wonder bubblegum pop band from Canada, their debut single written by their lead guitarist Mike Argue giving them a slight chart entry. Just after this minor success Argue left for an even less successful solo career and the band broke up, after one more single, in 1975. Two members resurrected the name for later projects - Glen Morrow (keyboards) in the disco era and Jim Mancel (singer) for a couple of 1977 singles - but otherwise that was it. Morrow was more notable as a session keyboardist (often with Chris de Burgh), Mike Argue died a few years ago.

Patti Dahlstrom (CB, 12 October 1974)

Texan singer more known as a songwriter - she was signed up in 1970 to Motown as part of their in-house team, moving to Uni Records for a performance career. Her song “Sending My Good Thoughts To You” was dedicated to Jim Croce, the folk-rock singer who had been killed in a plane crash in September 1973. Her only real success as a writer was her translation of the Veronique Sanson song “Amoureuse”, which she turned into “Emotion” for Helen Reddy, a top 30 hit in 1974. After four albums, she quit the performance side and concentrated on writing.

Billy Daniels (RW, 18 August 1962)

Immensely popular nightclub singer whose one hit - "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" - was from the musical Stop The World I Want To Get Off. And was fairly obviously a cash-in, at the same time there were versions by Shirley Bassey, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr, Billy Eckstine, Robert Goulet, Woody Herman and Anthony Newley available. In the end it was the Rat Packer who won the chart race, taking it into the Billboard top 20; bit unfair on Newley, as he was the co-writer. Perhaps surprising that this is Daniels’ one chart appearance; he had been a well-known figure for a while, being New York’s top cabaret attraction in the fifties before making his breakthrough in films in When You’re Smiling, having his own television series (the first for a black singer) and appearing in Memphis Bound and Golden Boy on Broadway. Died in 1988, aged 73.

Incidentally, I'm not sure if there's a copyright problem somewhere, but I can't find any trace of his hit single on any of his available material; it's not on retrospectives, amazon, itunes or spotify at all. The link above is to the flip side. If you want to hear the song itself, here's Newley's original.

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Bing Day (RW, 18 May 1959)

Session bassist whose sole solo success - sort of jazz-noir, the 45 equivalent of a Dashiell Hammett novel - came before his greatest moments, backing Johnny Rivers on his number one “Poor Side Of Town” and playing the backbeat guitar on “Monday Monday”. Quickly dropped the name Bing in favour of Chuck Day. Formed his own band in the eighties which played constantly around California; died in 2008, aged 65.

The Dreamers (CB, 18 February 1961)

Difficult as there are a dozen Dreamers. This particular group was a doo-wop quintet (Frank Cammarata, Bob Malara, Luke “Babe” Beradis, Bud Trancynger and Dom Canzano) from Yonkers, who formed at a family wedding in 1958 (all bar Trancynger were cousins). Their debut single was a local hit that brushed the Cash Box charts. Follow-up “Because Of You” got lost in a shuffle between labels, so they concentrated instead on their own stage show, which, like Freddie’s, included comedy elements, and which toured around until 1963. They broke up, re-united briefly in the eighties, and since then nothing.

Slightly surprised this wasn't a bigger hit, given some of the dross in this thread; this is a very strong track with powerful harmonies. Again it might be down to competition. The Billboard chart equivalent featured "Shop Around", "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "Calendar Girl", "Dedicated To The One I Love", "Ebony Eyes", "Spanish Harlem", "Apache", "Ghost Riders In The Sky", "Rubber Ball", "Walk Right Back", "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "Bye Bye Baby"...

Ralph Emery (CB, 2 September 1961)

Country music DJ who turned unexpected hitmaker in 1961 with an answer song - well, speech - to Faron Young’s country chart-topper “Hello Walls”; a minor success nationwide, but topped out at a very healthy 4 in the country charts. Emery’s career started via the dead zone on a Nashville station, but as such became the programme of choice for truck drivers in particular. Which meant a larger audience than expected, so attracted him some of the greatest country stars of the era. Acted as a sort of country John Peel by playing unknown acts and helping break them. Also had television shows from 1974 to 1993, and started a new one on a heritage channel in 2010.

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Yvonne Fair (CB, 22 May 1976)

A former backing singer for James Brown, Flora Yvonne Coleman did better with this song in Billboard, reaching 85, and considerably better in the UK, reaching number 5. (And I wonder if the video was shot for TOTP purposes.) In fact it was a hit in the UK first, her hard-driving voice (the clue was in her album title The b**** Is Black) and wah-wah guitar being more suited for a glam/northern soul audience than the vapidity of much American product of the era, provoking Motown to give it the try in the States; Billboard put it at 85, Music Vendor didn't have it at all. It was the last hit for Motown for producer Norman Whitfield; after this he formed his own label and Rose Royce. Fair’s other major collaboration with Brown was their daughter Venisha. She died aged just 51 in 1994.

Fair also married Sammy Strain, who, by coincidence, was a founder member of...

The Fantastics (RW, 28 December 1959)

...and later joined Little Anthony & The Imperials (who started out as The Chesters, in another link to this list) just before their glory days, and then The O’Jays, albeit after their chart-topping “Love Train”. Nevertheless Strain is one of the few inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame for membership of two different groups.

The one Fantastic hit was written by their lead Sonny Forrest, others appearing were Fred Warner, James Sutton and Larry Lawrence - whose name, if not himself, will also appeal a little lower down. Sax on the session was played by King Curtis. They were due to release it under their original name of The Passions, but had to have a late change of name because they were beaten to the chart punch. They did the 1927 thing and put suggestions into a hat. Larry Lawrence’s came out.

The song was big in their local New York market, and throughout the northwest, but did not break nationally. The other Fantastics continued for a while over the next decade as The Keynoters and later with groups like The VIPs and The Tradewinds, and they then got back together in 1990 before retirement. Forrest died in 2003, Warner soon after but the others are still alive.

Incidentally, this is not the same Fantastics as had a UK top ten hit in 1971, surfing the northern soul wave. Those later Fantastics were a New York group called The Velours at this particular time, changing their name in 1968 when they moved to Britain.

Dallas Frazier (CB, 7 May 1966)

Oklahoma-born country singer/songwriter who got an early break as a guitarist for Ferlin Husky when just 13. His performances did not make much of a chart impact, none of his 17 singles between 1954 (when he was 14) and 1973 making the country top 20, but as a writer he had much greater success; remember The Hollywood Argyles mention in The Stompers above? He co-wrote “Alley Oop”. “Elvira” later topped the country charts as recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys and Frazier was brought into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1976. Quit music for God in 1988.

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Gene & Tommy (CB, 14 October 1967)

Perm a combo from the New York trio of (1) Dennis Minogue, (2) Eugene Pistilli and (3) Thomas Picardo. Between 1967 and 1976 they all recorded together as The Buchanan Brothers and Cashman, Pistilli & West, (1) & (3) as Cashman & West and Morning Mist, (1) solo as Terry Cashman, and (1) & (2) as Gene & Tommy. Before even that Minogue/Cashman sang with The Chevrons, West/Picardo with The Criterions and all did a lot of session work.

“Gene & Tommy”’s biggest success came in 1972, with their production work on Jim Croce’s three albums (q.v. Patti Dahlstrom - everything is connected to everything else). So successful, in fact, that on the Cashbox album charts Croce’s 2nd replaced his 1st at number 1...as far as their own recordings are concerned, the most successful combo was The Buchanan Brothers, whose "Medicine Man" nudged the US top 20s.

West is still active in production, Cashman seems to have retired. Cashman’s most famous song never made the charts - “Talkin’ Baseball” is so revered in the rounders world that the original sheet music is in their Hall of Fame.

Grapefruit (RW, 9 March 1968)

Not many British acts in this section, but here’s one - formed in 1967 by a manager at Apple Publishing suggesting that the one Young that did not form AC/DC (Alexander) join with members of The Castaways (John Perry and Geoff & Pete Swettenham), and named after a book by Yoko Ono. Only lasted a couple of years but that was long enough to make a couple of albums. Their US hit was a more substantial success here, just outside the top 20 in most charts.

Lee Greenlee (CB, 26 September 1959)

This is rather nice. Shame it did not break through. Popular on the east coast. Seems to have been the only single for Mr Greenlee, who co-wrote both sides. Was the third release on Brent records - the second was by Skip & Flip (q.v. The Stompers above). It was also released in the UK, which makes me think someone had hopes of Greenlee making it big - was it a nom de disque of someone who later became famous? The song certainly has an air of being a success, with a little bit of luck.

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Hodges, James & Smith (CB, 20 August 1977)

In 1972 the ex-Motown songwriter/producer Mickey Stevenson (“Dancing In The Street”, “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted”) - and even more successful head of A&R during the sixties - put together a girl group called Hodges, James, Smith & Crawford. Catchy. Then one of them left. Guess which one. Leaving Pat, Denita and Jessica, all from Detroit and the first two of whom had had one-off solo singles in the sixties. The idea was to take over the nightclub role The Supremes had just vacated, but after five unsuccessful albums they reverted to backing vocals before calling it a day.

Rhetta Hughes (CB, 26 June 1969)

Chicago-based singer/actress is better known for her roles in musicals; she was nominated for a Tony for her part in Amen Corner (not the group, obv) in 1984. Only 15 when her Doors cover nudged the lower chart reaches. Came close to a chart comeback in 1983 with a Hot Dance Club Play chart-topper “Angel Man (GA)”.

Chet “Poison” Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers (CB, 18 January 1969)

Worth a click just to see the song title alone...talk about two nations separated by a common tongue. The b-side was called “Handle With Care”, wonder whether that had a link with the a-side. One of seven funktastic singles over a decade from the band but the only one to hit a chart. Maybe their similar song titles put people off. No idea who the Fabulous Avengers were, other than their regular keyboardist, Ernie Hayes, was also their regular arranger. Decent enough single, but a little pointless when there was the real James Brown around, rather than a pale imitator.

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Kenny & Corky (CB & RW, 21-26 December 1959)

The song sold a million. By Art Mooney & His Orchestra. In 1955. But after the success of The Chipmunks and “Witch Doctor”, obviously every label worth its salt tried the speeded-up b****cks for a cheap hit. Fortunately this particularly pathetic slice did not follow suit. No idea who the duo are - they were represented on the single sleeve via a couple of wooden puppets created by MGM puppeteers Lou and Money Bunin. Possibly the worst entry on the entire list.

Managed to 100 in both alternative charts, didn’t even bubble under in Billboard. Rather curiously, K&C became RW 100 Club Members 1 week before The Fantastics.

Larry Lawrence & The Hub Caps (RW, 9 March 1959)

Not much info on him at all, not even a sound clip, other than one source claims he was a bandleader from Buffalo in New York; a DJ of that name operated out of the radio station there in the late forties, I can’t find if it’s one and the same, which suggests it wasn't. And as this was an instrumental I doubt it was the lover's rock singer who had a couple of singles in the seventies. His one hit ("Blue Guitar") was quite big in California. The Hub Caps were credited as The Beatnicks on some issues and as the Larry Lawrence Duo on others. Written by Frank Stanton and Larry Fotine, regular songwriters from the fifties to the seventies.

George McCannon III (RW, 31 August 1963)

Although this was the Connecticut-born singer’s only Record World hit, he did make 97 in Cashbox (and bubbled under in Billboard) with “Birds Of All Nations” in 1970. Put out 21 singles between 1963 and 1973 with very little return. “Lana” - a cover of a Roy Orbison cut from the previous year - had most of its success in New York and Baltimore. McCannon himself was a part-time host of Dick Clark's Bandstand tours. (Reminds me a lot of “Diana”...)

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Mighty Sam (RW, 24 September 1969)

AKA Sam McClain. And listening to this, wow. The best vocal performance in the thread, and a shame that he gave so much effort without the deserved reward. Blues shouter from Louisiana who is a survivor of the Chitlin’ circuit, and a professional since 1958, albeit with a hiatus between 1971 and 1986 when The Neville Brothers tempted him back. And he is still going - his most recent album Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey), perhaps the greatest album title of the decade - came out in 2012, and the title track gained him a nomination in the Blues Music Awards. As far as I can see, he has recorded 15 albums, albeit his debut only coming out in 1988, but this is his only charter of any sort.

Mrs Miller (CB, 7 May 1966; 14 May 1966)

After the best vocal performance, the most unique, insofar as one can have gradations of uniqueness. Coloratura-crazy novelty act Elva Miller who became notorious in the sixties as being the worst singer ever. Discovered by a manager when she was cutting her own recording (a la Elvis), an EP called “Songs For Children”, to be distributed to orphanages, and who managed to get a comedian-cum-DJ interested enough to give her airtime. Opinion is divided as to whether she was in on the joke. Both sides of her first major single made the Cashbox charts in successive weeks - they got higher in the others. Them both peaking at 100 suggests someone was having a laugh...

Managed to emit five albums before the novelty wore off. Amazing to say, her debut - Mrs Miller’s Greatest Hits (more worthy of the title than Blue, at least) - reached the top 20 in the Billboard and Cashbox listings (and at 59 one of the oldest chart debutantes on, er, record). Died in 1996, aged 89.

Freddy Morgan (RW, 20 April 1959)

Former member of The Sunnysiders, who enjoyed upper chart success in the States in 1955 with Morgan’s composition “Hey! Mr Banjo” - on which Morgan obviously played the titular instrument. Before then Morgan had been a member of Spike Jones & His City Slickers, a comedic big band which suited the rubber-faced Morgan (see him in action here, and with whom he had topped the charts in 1949.

Again, no sound clip, but you'll know his single - it was a number one hit for Russ Conway. Imagine a banjo version of this...Russ’ piano - just about - beat Freddy’s banjo. Morgan died in 1970, aged 60. 24 years later he was introduced into the, er, National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame.

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The Newcomers (CB, 9 October 1971)

Not the same band who backed Wade Flemons on a minor hit 13 years earlier, but, my God, I would be amazed if Stax Records (who released this) were not sued by Motown. It’s almost a note-for-note copy of “I Want You Back”, only without a charismatic lead vocalist. Perhaps deservedly this was the only hit out of five for the trio of Terry Bartlett, William Somlin and Bertrand Brown. In 1980, as Stax imploded, they added a fourth member and changed their name - I suppose they were scarcely newcomers by then - to Kwick, which was perhaps not the best choice. Three albums and eight singles were even less successful. Were one of the house backers at Stax.

New Riders of the Purple Sage (CB, 30 October 1971)

With a name like that, it would be amazing if they emerged at any time other than 1969 and any place other than California. Fortunately they fulfilled both particular criteria. ; indeed they were essentially a spin-off of The Grateful Dead as Jerry Garcia was a founder member. Although this track was their only Cashbox appearance, in 1972 they reached 81 in Billboard (and 79 in Record World) with “I Don’t Need No Doctor”.

Long story short: they’ve had 27 albums come out, albeit most of the recent ones being live shows from the seventies, and the band’s still going. However with numerous line-up changes. At the time of their hits, they were founder members John Dawson and David Nelson on guitar and vox, Dave Torbert on bass, Spencer Dryden (nephew of Charlie Chaplin, who, to keep it chart-friendly, wrote "This Is My Song" and "Theme From Limelight") on drums and Buddy Cage on pedal steel guitar. Nelson and Cage were constants with the band until 1982 and Dawson was until 1997, when the band went on hiatus. Dawson died in 2009, aged 64; a revived NRPS reformed in 2005, with Nelson and Cage returning. Torbert (ex-Grateful Dead) left in 1974 to form Kingfish and died in 1982, Dryden (ex-Jefferson Airplane) left in 1977 to become NRPS’ manager and died in 2005.

Philadelphia International All Stars (CB, 8 October 1977)

Sort of proto-Band Aid idea, a number of acts on the Philadelphia label - namely, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Archie Bell, Teddy Pendergrass, The O’Jays, Dee Dee Sharp and habitual house band MFSB - coming together for a one-off appeal that extended to an album (featuring a few others like The Three Degrees). All of whom had plenty of hits outside this particular combo. Slightly oddly, they took “clean up the ghetto” in the same spirit as Marshal P. Knutt did to cleaning up Stodge City in Carry On Cowboy.

[thehitparade]

Interesting that the Philly All-stars song did so much better in the UK (and is one of the few songs in this thread I know). Still a big Steve Wright In The Afternoon fave.

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The Players (CB, 10 September 1966)

Another song about the war that seems to have had a disproportionate impact on the US 100 Club. A thematic follow-up single (“I’m Glad I Waited”) bubbled under, but otherwise they were all player-ed out. Probably because none the original Players - the Chicago trio Herbert Butler and the song’s composers Collis Gordon and, er, John Thomas - nor the touring Players - Butler, Thomas and Otha Lee Givens (who died in 1996, aged 54) - was the quintet (obviously) who sang on it. The dual band situation came about because Minit Records was happy enough with Butler’s vocals on the demo, but not so happy with Gordon and Thomas in the studio. So, although Butler took the lead on the single, the backing vocalists were four-fifths of The Dells (specifically Chuck Barksdale, Johnny Carter, Vern Allison, and Mickey McGill - lead Dell baritone Marvin Junior was surplus) who had a run of hits from 1956 to 1992. Indeed The Dells’ line-up only changed in 2009 when Carter died of cancer and the remaining four still perform.

Ronnie & Robyn (CB, 23 July 1966)

A sad one this. Ronnie was Bobby Arquette, who originally sang lead with The Daytonas (not the ones who had a hit with “GTO”), and met and fell in love with Robyn Casey to such an extent that her parents agreed that not only could R&R live together but they would pay for their recording sessions - perhaps helped by Mr Casey being the owner of the Sidra label. Even more remarkably, the re-christened Ronnie and Robyn were both 16; perhaps Casey Sr thought he had a long-term duo project on his hands; perhaps, given that there was a tie-in with Hanna-Barbera, there were even bigger plans. And this rather bouncy twist on nursery rhymes showed distinct promise - indeed it's almost a short-cut from doo-wop to bubblegum pop.

It was not to be. The next year Bobby/Ronnie went for a medical before starting college and found he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma - from which he sadly died a few years later. Robyn Casey had one other record as part of Rick, Robyn & Him, otherwise apparently nothing.

The Rouzan Sisters (RW, 2 April 1966)

And they were sisters, from Louisiana; Wanda, Barbara and Laura. Another Vietnam single, although this time taking its cue more from fifties ballads than Barrys Sadler or McGuire. Their first appearance on vinyl was backing one of the many Danny Whites that was not the one in the US 100 Club. A follow-up written by Laura bombed and that was it for the sisters as a recording combination, although they remained popular as a live attraction in the deep south. Wanda Rouzan still performs on the cabaret circuit and in musicals, indeed is quite the celebrity in the Big Easy (and is due in Brazil this summer), and her most recent CD came out in 2001.


And tomorrow is my favourite of the whole lot...