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Fantastic Oldies Game!

Johnny Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He became deaf in his right ear at age 13 after an accident, and he later performed his music wearing a hearing aid. Surgery performed in New York in 1958 left him almost completely deaf in both ears, although hearing aids helped his condition. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a "major precursor" of what would become rock 'n' roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage persona. (Ray's performing style included theatrics later associated with rock 'n' roll, including beating up his piano, writhing on the floor and crying.) In 1952 he dominated the charts with the double-sided hit single of “Cry” and “The Little White Cloud That Cried”. Selling over a million copies of the 45 single, Ray's delivery struck a chord with teenagers and he quickly became a teen idol. More hits followed, including “Please Mr. Sun”, “Such A Night”, “Walkin' My Baby Back Home”, “A Sinner Am I” and “Yes Tonight Josephine”. His last hit was “Just Walkin' in the Rain”, in 1956.
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What's interesting about the last post from GridLeakBias is that many of the Johnny Ray songs that are listed were either recorded by other artists or can easily be linked to entirely different songs from other artists.

For example, "Cry Baby Cry" by The Angels, or "Cry, Cry, Cry" by The Earls, "She Cried" by Jay and The Americans, "The Angels Cried" by The Solitaires, "Please Mr. Sun," Tommy Edwards, also it was one of The Ink Spots last recordings in the 50's, "Such A Night" by both Elvis and The Drifters, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" was also done by both Fats Domino and The Hi-Lites, and finally Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine."
 
**Correction to the above post**

The Solitaires recorded "The Angels Sang" not "The Angels Cried."

When I wrote that, I confused that song with an early Isley Brothers tune called "The Cow Jumped Over The Moon"on Teenage Records from 1957. The original flipside was called "Angels Cried."
 
Those RRRRs said:
**Correction to the above post**

The Solitaires recorded "The Angels Sang" not "The Angels Cried."

When I wrote that, I confused that song with an early Isley Brothers tune called "The Cow Jumped Over The Moon"on Teenage Records from 1957. The original flipside was called "Angels Cried."
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The Crests, a 1950s New York R&B group, were about as integrated as a group could get, with four men (two of them black, one Puerto Rican and one Italian) and one black female. The group had several Top 40 hits in the 1950s, including "16 Candles", "Step By Step" and "The Angels Listened In". Their most popular song was "Sixteen Candles" which rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958. The 1984 John Hughes teen movie, “Sixteen Candles”, took its title from The Crests' song, which was re-recorded by The Stray Cats for the “Sixteen Candles” soundtrack.
 
While Johnny Maestro had a solo hit called "What A Surprise," his earlier work with The Crests such as "Pretty Little Angel," "My Juanita," "Gee (But I'd Give The World)," "It Must Be Love," and "Flower Of Love" are widely underestimated in my opinion. It's worth noting that The Crests' recording of "Guilty" (without Maestro I believe) is usually edited for airplay because of it's so-called political incorrectness, but if you can find the unedited version it's worth owning.
 
Those RRRRs said:
While Johnny Maestro had a solo hit called "What A Surprise," his earlier work with The Crests such as "Pretty Little Angel," "My Juanita," "Gee (But I'd Give The World)," "It Must Be Love," and "Flower Of Love" are widely underestimated in my opinion. It's worth noting that The Crests' recording of "Guilty" (without Maestro I believe) is usually edited for airplay because of it's so-called political incorrectness, but if you can find the unedited version it's worth owning.
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The Innocents, a 1959 group out of California, first recorded on the Indigo label under the group name, The Echos. After adopting the name The Innocents, they released "Honest I Do", which hit #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, and a second single, "Gee Whiz", also hit #28 in 1961. They released seven solo singles after "Gee Whiz" on Reprise, Decca, and Warner, but none of them charted, though they continued to score hits backing up Kathy Young.
 
Originally called The Mystics (but not the Brooklyn quintet who scored big in 1959 with "Hushabye"), The Marvelows, an R&B group from Chicago, became known as a one-hit wonder for their fine 1965 single "I Do" on the ABC-Paramount label.
 
AlexBrowne said:
Originally called The Mystics (but not the Brooklyn quintet who scored big in 1959 with "Hushabye"), The Marvelows, an R&B group from Chicago, became known as a one-hit wonder for their fine 1965 single "I Do" on the ABC-Paramount label.
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The pop duo, Skip Battin (Clyde Battin) and Flip (aka Gary S. Paxton) met while attending the University of Arizona in the late 50s. Once known as the Rockabillies, they recorded on Rev as the Pledges and then as Gary & Clyde. Time Records picked up their Rev master, "Why Not Confess"/"Johnny Risk", and then moved them to its Brent label, with the more distinctive name Skip And Flip. Their recording of "It Was I" entered the US Top 20 in 1959. Paxton went on to record under several names (including the Hollywood Argyles, who topped the charts in 1960 with the novelty number "Alley-Oop"). He also had hits as a producer and label owner, including the two-time charter "Monster Mash", by Bobby "Boris" Pickett.
 
Ivory Joe Hunter was best known for his soulful ballad called "Since I Met You Baby," but he had a lot of records including a swingin' tune called "You Flip Me Baby" b/w "Yes I Want You" on Atlantic Records in 1958.
 
Those RRRRs said:
Ivory Joe Hunter was best known for his soulful ballad called "Since I Met You Baby," but he had a lot of records including a swingin' tune called "You Flip Me Baby" b/w "Yes I Want You" on Atlantic Records in 1958.
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Chuck Berry exploded on the R&R/R&B scene in 1955 with his hit tune, “Maybellene”.( #5 Hot 100 and #1 R&B), and continued to score on the R&B charts with “Thirty Days (#2), “No Money Down” (#8), “Roll Over Beethoven” (#2), “Too Much Monkey Business” (#4), “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” (#5), and “School Days” (#1). His 1957 recording of “Oh Baby Doll” peaked at #12 R&B. As we all know, Berry’s only #1 hit on the Hot 100 charts was with his live recording of “My Ding-A-Ling”, in 1972. Before that he had a #2 with “Sweet Little Sixteen” and a #3 with “School Days”.
 
Capitol 72133, released in 1964, may not include The Beatles' biggest hits (the A-side peaked at only #68 on the Billboard Hot 100), but the two songs showed the Fab Four's appreciation for American R&B music: the A-side was "Roll Over Beethoven," previously a hit in 1956 for Chuck Berry and His Combo, and the B-side was "Please Mister Postman," a #1 R&B and Motown's first #1 pop hit for The Marvelettes in 1961.
 
AlexBrowne said:
Capitol 72133, released in 1964, may not include The Beatles' biggest hits (the A-side peaked at only #68 on the Billboard Hot 100), but the two songs showed the Fab Four's appreciation for American R&B music: the A-side was "Roll Over Beethoven," previously a hit in 1956 for Chuck Berry and His Combo, and the B-side was "Please Mister Postman," a #1 R&B and Motown's first #1 pop hit for The Marvelettes in 1961.
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"Tossin' and Turnin" was originally recorded by Bobby Lewis. The record reached #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 pop (7 weeks) and R&B charts; was named Billboard Hot 100 Number One Single of the Year 1961; and has since become a standard on oldies compilations. It was also featured in the soundtrack for the 1978 film, “Animal House”.
 
In 1964, two great singers, Dionne Warwick and Brook Benton, charted with separate versions of the fine Burt Bachrach-Hal David composition "A House Is Not A Home"; it was also the title song that year of an awful film starring Shelley Winters as a whorehouse madam and Raquel Welch as one of her "girls."
 
AlexBrowne said:
In 1964, two great singers, Dionne Warwick and Brook Benton, charted with separate versions of the fine Burt Bachrach-Hal David composition "A House Is Not A Home"; it was also the title song that year of an awful film starring Shelley Winters as a whorehouse madam and Raquel Welch as one of her "girls."
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David Winters, an accomplished singer, dancer, actor, writer, producer, director, and choreographer; playing Baby John in the original Broadway cast of "West Side Story"; recording on Bobby Darin's Addison Records label in 1959 (Addison release #15004 "Sunday Kind of Love"/"Princess"); singing lead and co-writing all the songs for the group "David Winters and the West Siders" with partner Paul Simon. He directed Paul Newman in the 1968 film "Once Upon a Wheel"; directed and choreographing the 1969 "Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love" TV special; and produced "The Darin Invasion" special in 1970 for Canadian TV. In all, Winters has produced and directed 70 motion pictures and well over 200 television shows.
 
Blood, Sweat & Tears' fusion of jazz and rock was considered innovative when the group was formed by Al Kooper in 1967, but BS&T didn't achieve real commercial success until Kooper was replaced by Canadian vocalist David Clayton-Thomas in 1969; five songs from their second and third albums (Blood, Sweat & Tears and Blood, Sweat & Tears 3) -- "You've Made Me So Very Happy," "Spinning Wheel," "And When I Die," "Hi-De-Ho," and "Lucretia Mac Evil" -- charted in the Top 30 in 1969 and 1970, but the group's popularity faded after that.
 
Kripp Johnson and The Dell Vikings, who formed while stationed together in the Air Force in Pittsburgh, recorded a lot of great sides in addition to "Whispering Bells" and "Come Go With Me," and one that comes to mind is "When I Come Home" b/w "I'm Spinning" in 1957 on Dot Records 15636.
 
Those RRRRs said:
Kripp Johnson and The Dell Vikings, who formed while stationed together in the Air Force in Pittsburgh, recorded a lot of great sides in addition to "Whispering Bells" and "Come Go With Me," and one that comes to mind is "When I Come Home" b/w "I'm Spinning" in 1957 on Dot Records 15636.
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Johnnie Louise Richardson (1945-1988) and Joe Rivers began singing together in 1957 and released several singles on Chess Records. Three of their songs hit the U.S. singles charts; "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea" went to #3 on the R&B chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "I'll Be Spinning" (Chess 1641), went Top 10 R&B, both in 1957. "My Baby's Gone", a #15 R&B hit, was their last, although "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea" returned to the pop charts in 1960, peaking at #89 the second time around.
 
Marvin Gaye was one of the best duet singers of the rock era, partnering with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Diana Ross during the 1960s and '70s, but his best pairing was with Tammi Terrell in 1967-68 on such great songs as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough, "Your Precious Love," "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing," and "You're All I Need To Get By"; as Terrell's health failed (she died of a brain tumor in 1970), Valerie Simpson replaced her on several singles in 1969-70 for which Tammi was given credit as Gaye's partner.
 
The Schoolboys from Harlem, NY recorded "Shirley" b/w "Please Say You Want Me" in 1957 on Okeh Records #7076; they must have had a lot of girls because in addition to "Ding A Ling Coo Coo Mop" and "I Am Old Enough," other recordings of theirs included "Mary," "Carol" and "Pearl."
 
Those RRRRs said:
The Schoolboys from Harlem, NY recorded "Shirley" b/w "Please Say You Want Me" in 1957 on Okeh Records #7076; they must have had a lot of girls because in addition to "Ding A Ling Coo Coo Mop" and "I Am Old Enough," other recordings of theirs included "Mary," "Carol" and "Pearl."
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Walter Brennan, highly successful as a supporting actor in motion pictures with three Academy awards, had already worked in vaudeville when he enlisted at age 22 to serve in World War I. He served in an artillery unit and although he got through the war without being wounded, his exposure to poison gas ruined his vocal chords, leaving him with the high-pitched voice texture that made him a natural for old man roles while still in his thirties. He enjoyed a brief, successful career as a recording artist on the Columbia Records label during the 1960s. One of his successful recordings was, “Old Rivers”, in 1962.

(Off game question: "Old Rivers" is a favorite of mine. Does anyone know how it charted in the 60s?)
 
(GLB, "Old Rivers" was Brennan's biggest hit, peaking at #5 in 1962.)

The Coasters, known as the "Clown Princes of Rock 'n' Roll," had a run of great novelty and comedy hits in the late 1950s, including the million-selling "Poison Ivy," a #1 R&B hit; although it sounds like it may be about a plant which makes you itch, a careful analysis of the lyrics by Mike Leiber and Jerry Stoller suggest it's really the story of a girl with a social disease --and the recommended "ocean of calamine lotion" probably wouldn't help you much!
 
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