LaVern Baker (born Delores Williams) sang as a teenager in nightclubs under the stage name Little Miss Sharecropper. She recorded under that and other pseudonyms (including Bea Baker in 1951 while recording for Okeh Records), finally adopting the name LaVern Baker while singing for Todd Rhodes and His Orchestra in 1952. During her years at Atlantic Records (1953-62), Baker cut half a dozen singles that rose to high positions on both the pop and R&B charts, including "Tweedle Dee"(#4 R&B, 1954), "Jim Dandy”(#1 R&B, 1956), and “I Cried A Tear”(#2 R&B, 1958). She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.amfmsw said:
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Dee Clark, born Delectus Clark, is regarded by many as a one-hit wonder -- his recording of "Raindrops" on the Vee-Jay label peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961 -- but the Chicago-based R&B singer actually had 10 singles which charted between 1958 and 1963.
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One of the premier groups that recorded on Vee-Jay records was The El Doradoes, lead by the late Pirkle Lee Moses Jr. Some of their hits inclued, "At My Front Door," "At My Back Door (Bim Bam Boom)," "I'll Be Forever Loving You," and "Three Reasons Why." "They also had a jump tune called "Tears On My Pillow," which was a totally different record than the Lee Andrews tune, a great ballad called "Love Of My Own," and also a very cool song called "What's Buggin' You Baby."
It's hard to believe that Creedence Clearwater Revival never had a #1 song, but they were still one of the most popular and influential groups of the late 60s and early 70s with their Bayou sound; they did have nine hits chart in the top 10 between 1969 and 1971, all written, produced, and arranged by guitarist John Fogerty, and all million-sellers -- "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down On The Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Up Around The Bend," "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," and "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" -- and Fogerty sings them all (plus his great anti-War anthem "Fortunate Son") in his high-powered stage show (which I saw in Nashville).
Jim Lowe worked as a disc jockey in Chicago in 1954 and was trying to establish himself in the music business. After signing with Mercury in 1954 he wrote and recorded C/W material, songs which received airplay but not much else. Lowe moved to New York and signed with Dot Records in 1955, where he had a #1 hit in 1956 with “Green Door”, a novelty tune he recorded in a Greenwiich Village apartment. After a few more moderate hits he concentrated on his radio career with most success on WNEW –AM in New York.AlexBrowne said:
And don't forget that both James Brown and Johnny Cash never hit #1 on the Pop Charts! Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" peaked at #2, his highest Pop charting song.
Lloyd Price had formal musical training in trumpet and piano, sang in his church's gospel choir, and was a member of a combo in high school. His first hit in 1952 on Specialty Records was "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", with Dave Bartholomew and his band (which included Fats Domino on piano) doing the arrangements and backing in the recording session. After serving in the Army in Korea, Price formed his own label, KRC Records, and released his first single, "Just Because". It was picked up by ABC Records and from 1957 to 1959 Price recorded a series of national hits on ABC Records, such as "Stagger Lee", "Personality", and "I'm Gonna Get Married”.thatwasradio said:
The opening phrase on “I’m Gonna Get Married” goes:
(Johnny, you're too young.)
But I'm gonna get married.
(You're so young.)
My name she'll carry.
(You're too young, and Johnny, you're so smart.)
But not smart enough to hide an aching heart.
GridLeakBias said:
LOL, I always thought he was saying "SHUCKS I WANNA' GET MARRIED", instead of "BUT I'M GONNA' GET MARRIED", I always had the lyrics wrong in my head!
Hank Snow wrote and released “I’m Movin’ On” in 1950, a 12 bar blues based Country/Western (Hillbilly in 1950) tune. This recording reached #1 on the Billboard country singles chart and was the first of seven #1 hits Snow scored throughout his career on that chart. "I'm Movin' On" was one of three in the history of the Billboard charts to spend 21 weeks at #1, and spent a record 41 weeks in the Top 10.thatwasradio said:
Another forgotten Country great is Charlie Pride. In the 70's, an interviewer asked him why he had artist schetches on his RCA Victor album covers instead of his pictures. He replied it was the same reason he never did concerts or TV appearances in the beginning. "I wanted to have a million dollars in the bank before I let anyone know I was Black".
“I wrote about cars because half the people had cars, or wanted them. I wrote about love, because everyone wants that. I wrote songs white people could buy, because that’s nine pennies out of every dime. That was my goal: to look at my bankbook and see a million dollars there.”amfmsw said:
~Chuck Berry
The Coasters had four records make the top forty in 1960 and 1961. Their last record to chart was with a Leiber and Stoller re-produced "Love Potion #9" in 1971.GridLeakBias said:
“I took my troubles down to Madame Ruth
You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth
She's got a pad down at 34th and Vine
Sellin' little bottles of
Love potion number nine”
OK, I cheated. So, fire me. Looking for the 10,000 mark here.
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Ruth and Al were a duo with a similar sound to that of Shirley & Lee who recorded an R&B record called "Real Gone Party."
Lol. Getting close!
Lol. Getting close!
Lesley Goldstein reverted to her original Russian family name of Gore when she recorded “It’s My Party” for Mercury Records on March 30, 1963. One week later it was receiving airplay due to being rush-released when Quincy Jones, Music Director at Mercury, found out that Phil Spector had plans to record the same song with the Crystals. By May of 1963, the 17 year old Lesley Gore had the number one hit in the nation. Her followup, "Judy's Turn To Cry" that same year went to #5, and she recorded eleven Top 40 hits in total, all before her 21st birthday.Those RRRRs said:
The second verse of “Ain’t That A Shame” goes:amfmsw said:
“You broke my heart when you said we'll part
Ain't that a shame?
My tears fell like rain
Ain't that a shame?
You're the one to blame…”
"Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, recorded on Imperial Records, hit #10 in 1955. The original recording ("Ain't It a Shame") was a regional hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. The song gained national fame after being covered by Pat Boone, a #1 hit for Boone for two weeks, also in 1955. The Domino version was used in the 1972 movie American Graffiti.
James Moore began performing in Baton Rouge bars under the name Harmonica Slim before commencing his own recording career in 1957. Named Slim Harpo by producer Jay Miller, the artist's solo debut coupled "I'm a King Bee" with "I Got Love If You Want It.", a double sided R&B hit on the Excello label. The singer was known as one of the masters of the blues harmonica; the name "Slim Harpo" was a humorous takeoff on "slim harp," the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles. His warm, languid voice enhanced the sexual metaphor of "I'm A King Bee", which was later recorded by the Rolling Stonesoldies76 said:
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