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The Hit Parade Era - Fantasy Programming

GridLeakBias said:
hornet61 said:
....I forget who did the country version of Slow Poke.
Click to expand...
“Slow Poke”, recorded by Pee Wee King was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 21-0489 (78rpm) and 48-0489 (45 rpm). It reached the country charts in Sept 1951 and remained at the #1 position for 15 weeks. It also hit the Billboard Best Seller chart in Oct 1951, stayed on the chart for 22 weeks and peaked at #3.

“Slow Poke” was an extremely popular tune in 1951, the tune also charted that same year for: Arthur Godfrey, Columbia Records #39632; Hawkshaw Hawkins, King Records #998; Helen O'Connell, Capitol Records #1837; and Roberta Lee, Decca Records #27792.
Click to expand...

Songs becoming big hits on both the pop and country charts didn't seem that unusual back then, huh? (Patti Page "Tennessee Waltz;" Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely "Slippin' Around;" Jimmy Dean "Big Bad John;" numerous Eddy Arnold songs...)

hornet61 said:
Yes....I am Whistling "Kaiser Bill" As We Speak.......I'm glad to see all of you including those great instrumentals, that were such an Important part of this subject. A Rare one is "Soul Coaxing(Amie Caline)" by Raymond Lefevere and "Hungry for Love" by the San Remo Strings.
Click to expand...

Not to veer off topic too much, but "Soul Coaxing" and "Hungry For Love" are two of my all-time favorites. The '60s was the golden heyday for instrumentals... "That Happy Feeling" Bert Kaempfert; "Dis-Advantages Of You" Brass Ring (from those old Benson & Hedges cigarette commercials); "Keem-O-Sabe" Electric Indian; "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" Sounds Orchestral; "Lonely Bull" Herb Alpert; "Telstar" Tornadoes...

Now back to the issue a hand... my personal favorites from that '50s hit parade era which I don't think I've seen mentioned here yet (except for that Perry Como song, which is my favorite). Try these on for size:

1. "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" Perry Como
2. "A Certain Smile" Johnny Mathis
3. "Shrimp Boats" Jo Stafford
4. "Return To Me" Dean Martin
5. "Swinging Sweethearts" Ron Goodwin (instrumental)
6. "Answer Me, My Love" Nat King Cole
7. "That's All I Want From You" Jaye P Morgan
8. "Calypso Melody" David Rose (instrumental)
9. "Everybody Loves A Lover" Doris Day
10. "The Happy Whistler" Don Robertson (instrumental)

If this era extends into the '60s, then add:
1. "Beyond The Sea" Bobby Darin
2. "My Coloring Book" Sandy Stewart or Kitty Kallen
3. "Portait Of My Love" Steve Lawrence
4. "Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea)" Lolita
5. "Not One Minute More" Della Reese

When he's not pre-empted by University Of Iowa women's basketball, Jim Doyne plays all this music (including the Big Band era of the '40s) on his Sunday afternoon Musical Memories show on WMT in Cedar Rapids IA:

http://www.wmtradio.com/main.html
 
radioman148 said:
I didn't know Ferlin Huskey was a DJ.
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Worked with Smiley Burnette at WXLW, St Louis sometime in 1947 - ?
Worked with Big Jim DeNoon (recording artist/jock at KDON) in Salinas, CA, 1949 - ?

There are references to Ferlin as a DJ in Bakersfield in 1949; can’t find calls, perhaps it was KDON, Salinas.
 
All I can say about all these respsonses is ...wow,wow,wow. All of you know your stuff!!!

Broadway gave us some great Hit Parade Stuff

Westside Story:
Tonight
Maria
Somewhere
I Feel Pretty

Oklahoma:
Oh, What A Beautiful Morning

My Fair Lady:
On The Street Where You Live
I Could Have Danced All Night

Camelot:
If Ever I Would Leave You

King and I:
Getting To Know You

my favorite ....Man From La Mancha:
Impossible Dream

Thank you broadway..........
 
The year 1955 – pop tunes continue on the Hit Parade, (and R&R is born with Bill Haley and “Rock Around the Clock” which reached #1 on July 1, 1955.)

Ko Ko Mo – Perry Como
Whatever Lola Wants – Sarah Vaughn
Wake the Town and Tell the People – Les Baxter
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane – The Ames Brothers
Let Me Go Lover – Joan Weber
The Shifting, Whispering Sands – Rusty Draper
Hard To Get – Gisele MacKinzie
Moments to Remember – The Four Lads
Love and Marriage – Dinah Shore
Autumn Leaves – Roger Williams
A Blossom Fell – Nat Cole
Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing – The Four Aces
Sincerely – The McGuire Sisters
Melody of Love – Billy Vaughn

Hornet - hope you're writing all this (thread) down. ;) Memories are made of this. (Gale Storm, Dean Martin, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, and others.)
 
>>ot to veer off topic too much, but "Soul Coaxing" and "Hungry For Love" are two of my all-time favorites. The '60s was the golden heyday for instrumentals... "That Happy Feeling" Bert Kaempfert; "Dis-Advantages Of You" Brass Ring (from those old Benson & Hedges cigarette commercials); "Keem-O-Sabe" Electric Indian; "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" Sounds Orchestral; "Lonely Bull" Herb Alpert; "Telstar" Tornadoes...

Don't forget the first 60s version of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by the Vince Giuraldi Trio

Also--"What are you doin New Years Eve?" --Ella Fitzgerald
 
[/quote]

Not to veer off topic too much, but "Soul Coaxing" and "Hungry For Love" are two of my all-time favorites. The '60s was the golden heyday for instrumentals... "That Happy Feeling" Bert Kaempfert; "Dis-Advantages Of You" Brass Ring (from those old Benson & Hedges cigarette commercials); "Keem-O-Sabe" Electric Indian; "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" Sounds Orchestral; "Lonely Bull" Herb Alpert; "Telstar" Tornadoes...

[/quote]

I play Lonely Bull, Keem-O-Sabe, Disadvantages of You, Telstar, Electric Indian, Patricia, River Kwai, Kaiser Bill's Batman, and more on my Pt 15 AM.
Still adding more.

Does anybody know a 50's song "Song of the Barefoot Mailman"? So bad I love it.
 
In 1955 The Hit Parade Era meets The Rock N'Roll Era.........and we think of them more as EZ LIstening/POP tunes well into the late Sixties.......Love Is Blue, Soul Coaxing, Romeo and Juliet,Love Story, etc.

Yes GLB I'm writing these down, 90% of these I have.....

Several of you liked Soul Coaxing(listening to it as we speak) very much, If you don't have a copy, send me a personal message with your e-mail, and I'll send you an MP3 file........

From The Hornets nest...
In The Middle of An Island - Tony Bennett
Java - Al Hirt
Last Date - Floyd Cramer
Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte - Al Martino
Moon River - Andy Wiliams
Marie - Bachelors
Symphony for Susan - Arbors
Baby Elephant Walk - various artists
Desafinado - Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd
Girl From Ipanema - Astrud Gilberto
Al Di La - Emilio Pericoli
Volare(Nel Blu Di pinto Di Blu) - Dominco Modguno
Shelter Of Your Arms - Sammy Davis Jr
Lady - Jack Jones
Shadow Of Your Smile - Wes Montgomery
Windmills Of your Mind - Dusty Springfield
A Man and a Woman - various artists
In Crowd - Ramsey Lewis Trio
Soulful Strut - Young/Holt Unlimited (young and holt were Two-thirds of the Ramsey Lewis trio)
 
might qualify as the first Rap Record..........

SONG OF THE BAREFOOT MAILMAN - Lyrics
Okie, Okie

Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom
Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom

[CHORUS]
Singing Okie, Okiechobee
Seminole, Seminole Sam, Sam
Okiechobee, Seminole, Seminole
Song of the barefoot mailman

(Song of the barefoot mailman)

They tell tall tales down Florida land
About a famous barefoot man
He walked by night and he walked by day
Carrying the mail for the USA

From Palm Beach down to Miami
He walked beside the lonely sea
O'er sand packed hard by the pounding tide
Gun in hand and pouch by his side
(Gun in hand and pouch by his side)

[repeat CHORUS]

Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom
Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom

He trudged the dunes and mangrove swamps
Where pirates hid and the gators romped
Sharks and barricudas swam
Lying in wait for the barefoot man

One gator wise and fierce and bold
Tried to swallow the mailman whole
He fought the gator, mad as could be
And rode on his back to Miami
(Rode on his back to Miami)

[repeat CHORUS]

Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Thank you for using Top40db.com.
Alachy boom
Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom

A band of savage Indian Scouts
Ambushed the mailman along his route
He stood outnumbered six to one
Only three bullets in his gun

He dodged them arrows and fired fast
Got two at a time with every blast
All six face down on the coral sand
Trying to stop that government man
(Trying to stop that government man)

[repeat CHORUS]

Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom
Okiechobee, Okiechobee
Alachy boom.....
 
Tom Wells said:
Does anybody know a 50's song "Song of the Barefoot Mailman"? So bad I love it.
Click to expand...
“Song of the Barefoot Mailman”, Billy Leach, 1957, it went to #86 on Top 100 in Sep 57. It's on the Bally label, #1039.

Listen here (if you really have to. ::) :p :-[)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5FACKWLtWA
 
Someone mentioned instrumentals. Here are some 50s Hit Parade instrumentals from the GLB vault.

Theme from “The Man with the Golden Arm” – Richard Maltby & orchestra
The Swingin’ Sheperd Blues – Moe Koffman Quartet
Melancholy Serendade – Jackie Gleason and his Concert Orchestra
Caravan – Ralph Marterie and His “Down Beat” Orchestra
Topsy, Part II – Cozy Cole
The Enchanted Sea – The Islanders
Ebb Tide – Frank Chacksfield and His Orchestra
In The Mood – Ernie Fields Orchestra
Portuguese Washerwomen – Joe “Fingers” Carr
Theme from “Song for a Summer Night” – Mitch Miller
Near You – Roger Williams
Isle of Capri – Jackie Lee and Orchestra
The Crazy Otto – Johnny Maddox and the Rhythmasters
April In Paris – Count Basie and Orchestra
Meet Mister Callaghan – Les Paul
 
:)
Alachy Boom!

If you have the record, flip it and play "Lil's Grill".
I couldn't bring myself to put it on the radio automation, it's a groaner.

So when are we putting this format on the air somewhere?
 
GridLeakBias said:
Someone mentioned instrumentals. Here are some 50s Hit Parade instrumentals from the GLB vault.

Theme from “The Man with the Golden Arm” – Richard Maltby & orchestra
The Swingin’ Sheperd Blues – Moe Koffman Quartet
Melancholy Serendade – Jackie Gleason and his Concert Orchestra
Caravan – Ralph Marterie and His “Down Beat” Orchestra
Topsy, Part II – Cozy Cole
The Enchanted Sea – The Islanders
Ebb Tide – Frank Chacksfield and His Orchestra
In The Mood – Ernie Fields Orchestra
Portuguese Washerwomen – Joe “Fingers” Carr
Theme from “Song for a Summer Night” – Mitch Miller
Near You – Roger Williams
Isle of Capri – Jackie Lee and Orchestra
The Crazy Otto – Johnny Maddox and the Rhythmasters
April In Paris – Count Basie and Orchestra
Meet Mister Callaghan – Les Paul
Click to expand...

Topsy Pt 2--Cozy Cole....one of my all time favorites. I actually gave my parents a headache trying to drum along with that record.
 
radioman148 said:
Topsy Pt 2--Cozy Cole....one of my all time favorites. I actually gave my parents a headache trying to drum along with that record.
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I started one of my foster boys in school band (percussion section)some years ago. In his second year we used a Cozy Cole album as a teaching element. We also almost wore out a movie DVD of "Drum Line".

There were a lot of great drummers from the 30s and 40s, but Cole, Krupa and Rich top my list.
 
Here we are in 1956, Rock N’ Roll has taken hold, but the Pop based Hit Parade is still alive in the mix.

The Green Door – Jim Lowe
Rock and Roll Waltz – Kay Starr
Just Walking in the Rain – Johnnie Ray
The Wayward Wind – Gogi Grant
More – Perry Como
Moonglow and Theme from “Picnic”
Canadian Sunset – Andy Williams
Allegheny Moon – Patti Page
Standing on the Corner – The Four Lads
Memories Are Made of This – Dean Martin (previously mentioned)
Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom) – Perry Como
Born to Be with You – The Chordettes
On the Street Where You Live – Vic Damone
Lisbon Antigua – Nelson Riddle
You Don’t Know Me – Jerry Vale
Singing the Blues – Guy Mithcell
My Prayer – The Platters
I Almost Lost My Mind – Pat Boone
Ivory Tower – Cathy Carr
After the Lights Go Down Low – Al Hibbler
The Poor People of Paris – Les Baxter
No, Not Much! – The Four Lads
 
LowTideNumber6 said:
You know...I wouldn't know where to begin on programming a station with all these songs on it, but I sure would listen to it.
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radioman148 said:
Me too--I'd be listening constantly.
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As I mentioned earlier, I worked at a station in the early 80s that played this type of music. I agree that it's very pleasant to listen to, but you wouldn't have known that by the ratings it garnered.

The signal, 5Kw day, 2500W night, is located in western Riverside County, a few miles from both the Orange County and L.A. County borders. There was Class A contour coverage in four counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, L.A., and Orange. I'm guestimating that there was a coverage at that time of around 5 million potential listeners.

The station, in addition to the music, also carried the Los Angeles Dodgers and the
Los Angeles Lakers. Much of our listenership came from Orange County, as the station also carried Cal State Fullerton sports. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that's still the case there, even though the primary format has changed, and CSUF no longer plays football.

The primary demographic for this type of audience was much younger then. They were at the older end of the scale, but were still a desirable target demo for advertisers. With a signal covering as much ground as it did, in the two years that I worked there, it made one book that I know of, the Inland Empire Arbitron, and got a 0.6. Not the type of number that you'd shout about.

With results like that, I'd hate to think what that format would "do" now, with an audience that's a quarter-century older, and that is gradually dying off.
 
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