The Hit Parade Era - Fantasy Programming

[Silkie]

This one pretty much describes this thread

http://solosong.net/gentle.html

 

[GridLeakBias]

By the late 1950s, most of America’s great pop singers were learning they really couldn’t adapt their classic styles to the new sounds of rock ‘n’ roll, and they began falling back on what they could do best: soft, lyrical, romantic ballads.

Here are a few from the mid to late 50s:

Tweedle Dee – Georgia Gibbs
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter – Billy Williams
Big Man – The Four Preps
A Tear Fell – Theresa Brewer
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody – Jerry Lewis (!)
Mr. Wonderful – Peggy Lee
It’s Almost Tomorrow – The Dream Weavers
May You Always – The McGuire Sisters
I Like Your Kind of Love – Andy Williams
Chances Are – Johnny Mathis
Four Walls – Jim Reeves
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie – Something Smith and the Redheads
Left Right Out of Your Heart – Patti Page
So Many Ways – Brook Benton
Hummingbird – Les Paul and Mary Ford
It’s Not for Me to Say – Johnny Mathis
Sugar Moon – Pat Boone
The End – Earl Grant

 

[Silkie]

Judy Garland did a pretty nifty version of Rock A Bye Your Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvvsQuCc4RY

 

[hornet61]

Yes Judy did a great version............Jerrys version was closer to an Al Jolson Style.

Movie Hit Parade

True love ....Country Girl
Some Enchanted Evening ....South Pacific
Laura's Theme .......Dr Zivago
Summer of 42...
Exodus............
A Time For Us ........Romeo and Juliet
Thee I Love ..........Frendly Persuasion
Wind Mills of You Mind .........Thomas Crown Affair
Sympnony No. 9, Ode To Joy..........Clockwork Orange

 

[radioman148]

Indeed Jerry Lewis' version of "Rock A Bye" was styled like Jolson, but the voice was not quite as good.

 

[RicoGregg]

Indeed Jerry Lewis' version of "Rock A Bye" was styled like Jolson, but the voice was not quite as good.

That's ok. Jolson probably couldn't have done The Errand Boy or The Nutty Professor.

Mammy!

 

[TheFonz]

By the late 1950s, most of America’s great pop singers were learning they really couldn’t adapt their classic styles to the new sounds of rock ‘n’ roll, and they began falling back on what they could do best: soft, lyrical, romantic ballads.

Here are a few from the mid to late 50s:

Tweedle Dee – Georgia Gibbs
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter – Billy Williams
Big Man – The Four Preps
A Tear Fell – Theresa Brewer
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody – Jerry Lewis (!)
Mr. Wonderful – Peggy Lee
It’s Almost Tomorrow – The Dream Weavers
May You Always – The McGuire Sisters
I Like Your Kind of Love – Andy Williams
Chances Are – Johnny Mathis
Four Walls – Jim Reeves
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie – Something Smith and the Redheads
Left Right Out of Your Heart – Patti Page
So Many Ways – Brook Benton
Hummingbird – Les Paul and Mary Ford
It’s Not for Me to Say – Johnny Mathis
Sugar Moon – Pat Boone
The End – Earl Grant

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying that you don't consider any of the above songs to be rock & roll?

 

[landtuna]

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying that you don't consider any of the above songs to be rock & roll?

I don't know what GLB would say but I'd consider them popular. Definitely not RnR.

 

[radioman148]

Indeed Jerry Lewis' version of "Rock A Bye" was styled like Jolson, but the voice was not quite as good.

That's ok. Jolson probably couldn't have done The Errand Boy or The Nutty Professor.

Mammy!

You're right

 

[SuperRadioFan]

By the late 1950s, most of America’s great pop singers were learning they really couldn’t adapt their classic styles to the new sounds of rock ‘n’ roll, and they began falling back on what they could do best: soft, lyrical, romantic ballads.

Here are a few from the mid to late 50s:

Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody – Jerry Lewis (!)

YeeGads its hard to admit but that was the very first 45 RPM record (or any speed) I bought with my allowance when I was a real young'un

 

[Silkie]

Indeed Jerry Lewis' version of "Rock A Bye" was styled like Jolson, but the voice was not quite as good.

That's ok. Jolson probably couldn't have done The Errand Boy or The Nutty Professor.

Mammy!

You're right

I knew a police officer about 30 years ago who did a nightclub gig as Al Jolson. The police department told him to stop. He refused. The police department gave him a choice: Al Jolson or a career in law enforcement. He opted for the Jolson gig. True story.

 

[radioman148]

Indeed Jerry Lewis' version of "Rock A Bye" was styled like Jolson, but the voice was not quite as good.

That's ok. Jolson probably couldn't have done The Errand Boy or The Nutty Professor.

Mammy!

You're right

I knew a police officer about 30 years ago who did a nightclub gig as Al Jolson. The police department told him to stop. He refused. The police department gave him a choice: Al Jolson or a career in law enforcement. He opted for the Jolson gig. True story.

How did that turn out?

 

[Silkie]

How did that turn out?

He had a packed house every night for several years and made a fortune.

 

[GridLeakBias]

By the late 1950s, most of America’s great pop singers were learning they really couldn’t adapt their classic styles to the new sounds of rock ‘n’ roll, and they began falling back on what they could do best: soft, lyrical, romantic ballads.

Here are a few from the mid to late 50s:

Tweedle Dee – Georgia Gibbs
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter – Billy Williams
Big Man – The Four Preps
A Tear Fell – Theresa Brewer
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody – Jerry Lewis (!)
Mr. Wonderful – Peggy Lee
It’s Almost Tomorrow – The Dream Weavers
May You Always – The McGuire Sisters
I Like Your Kind of Love – Andy Williams
Chances Are – Johnny Mathis
Four Walls – Jim Reeves
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie – Something Smith and the Redheads
Left Right Out of Your Heart – Patti Page
So Many Ways – Brook Benton
Hummingbird – Les Paul and Mary Ford
It’s Not for Me to Say – Johnny Mathis
Sugar Moon – Pat Boone
The End – Earl Grant

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying that you don't consider any of the above songs to be rock & roll?

I posted what should be self evident – major pop singers in the mid to late 50s gave up trying to copy the recently established rock ‘n’ roll sound, and went back to their pop ballad roots.

Lavern Baker recorded “Tweedle Dee” as an R&B novelty tune, it charted on R&B and Pop charts. The white cover version by Georgia Gibbs ranked as a pop tune.

“Four Walls” by Jim Reeves was a country ballad which also crossed over into the pop market.

The remainder of the tunes listed are pop ballads, not rock ‘n’ roll, even though a few of the artists mentioned, such as Brook Benton, later had recordings classified in the R&R genre. At best, tunes by Mathis and Boone would be pop oriented crossover soft rock.

To answer your question, no, I do not consider any of the above tunes to be rock 'n' roll. If you do, please note which ones and explain your reasoning. I'm easy.

 

[GridLeakBias]

Yes Judy did a great version............Jerrys version was closer to an Al Jolson Style.

Movie Hit Parade

True love ....Country Girl
Some Enchanted Evening ....South Pacific
Laura's Theme .......Dr Zivago
Summer of 42...
Exodus............
A Time For Us ........Romeo and Juliet
Thee I Love ..........Frendly Persuasion
Wind Mills of You Mind .........Thomas Crown Affair
Sympnony No. 9, Ode To Joy..........Clockwork Orange

Interesting thought Hornet, movie themes.

Here are my picks, some hit parade, some not, but memorable just the same.
(Songs listed with ** are themes from movies of the same name.)

Three Coins in a Fountain **
Pretty Woman **
Tara’s Theme – Gone With the Wind
Pink Panther theme **
To Sir With Love **
High Noon **
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly **
310 To Yuma **
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence **
Where The Boys Are **
Tammy – Tammy and the Bachelor
Goldfinger **
Theme from Summer Place **
Theme from the High and the Mighty **
April Love **
Moonlight Serenade – The Glenn Miller Story
Rock Around The Clock ** (and also featured in the opening credits of Blackboard Jungle.)

 

[radioman148]

How did that turn out?

He had a packed house every night for several years and made a fortune.

Good for him! Wise decision.

 

[hornet61]

GLB stated........." I posted what should be self evident – major pop singers in the mid to late 50s gave up trying to copy the recently established rock ‘n’ roll sound, and went back to their pop ballad roots."

this is a very good point.....especially with regards to the Hit Parade format.....for example, when the Fontane Sisters covered the Jewels "Hearts of Stone" their version lost alot, granted, not all, but most of the Rock N Roll "Edge or grittyness or raw sound". And of course even they, were not as bad The Pat Boone covers of Lttle Richard and fats Domino, with due respect to Pat Boone , I love him, he is my favorite singer.
Conversely.......Pat Boone did a wonderful job with ballad covers such as "I almost lost my mind"(Ivory Joe Hunter)... and they became Hit parade style hits.

In my humble opinion ..........Little Darlin' by the Diamonds was superior to the original by the Gladiolas and the Crew-cuts version of Sh-boom was fairly equal to the original by the Chords. Most of the time the covers were inferior to the original Rock versions

I have many favorites by Georgia Gibbs, Crew-cuts, Fontane Sisters, thats the beauty of the 50's and 60's format they all lived in the same house and next door to fats and down the street to all the Little's(too many to mention)etc.

 

[radioman148]

Speaking of cover versions, I'm probably gonna get blasted for this, but I think Dion's version of "Ruby Baby"
is better than the Drifters. I like the Drifters version, but Dion added a very jazzy singing style which I really liked.

 

[Silkie]

Speaking of cover versions, I'm probably gonna get blasted for this, but I think Dion's version of "Ruby Baby"
is better than the Drifters. I like the Drifters version, but Dion added a very jazzy singing style which I really liked.

I have to agree with you on that one.

Also, I posted this under stiffs, but this woman is really anything but a stiff. Seems her fantasy has come true at last, after so long, and it all started anew for her this past weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

 

[hornet61]

Speaking of cover versions, I'm probably gonna get blasted for this, but I think Dion's version of "Ruby Baby"
is better than the Drifters. I like the Drifters version, but Dion added a very jazzy singing style which I really liked.

I have to agree with you on that one.

Also, I posted this under stiffs, but this woman is really anything but a stiff. Seems her fantasy has come true at last, after so long, and it all started anew for her this past weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

I watched this video six times non stop, i'm not to macho, to say i was moved, i don't want to give it away......please watch this video.