Spotlight on Petula Clark

One of the sweetest and most vibrant voices to hit the American shores during the British music invasion of the 1960s was that of Petula Clark.

She was a veteran performer in Europe for more than 20 years before the Beatles, Rolling Stones, DC5 and others dominated the U.S. airwaves, often dubbed as Britain's Shirley Temple. 

During the '50s Clark recorded in French, German, Italian and Spanish, establishing herself as one of the top singers on both sides of the English Channel.

Clark, who had several pop hits in England in the early '60s, scored her first No. 1 in America in 1964 with bouyant "Downtown." She went on to record 14 consecutive Top 40 songs in the U.S.

Other Top 20 hits include No.1 "My Love" in '65, No. 3 "I Know A Place" in '64, No.3 "This Is My Song" in '67, No. 5 "Don't Sleep in the Subway" in '67, No. 9 "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" in '66, No. 15 "Kiss Me Goobye" in '67, and No. 16 "Colour My World" in '67.

Clark  won Grammy Awards for "Downtown" in '64 and "I Know A Place" the following year. She's also an accomplished composer and lyricist, with songs such as "You're the One" (a big hit for the Vogues in '65), "Just Say Goodbye," and "Colour My World."

She's also had a remarkable career in movies ("Finian's Rainbow" and "Goodbye Mr. Chips" in the '60s) and television with numerous appearances as well as her own show. 

Harry Belafonte and Petula Clark

Notably, in 1968, she made a civil rights statement during an NBC-TV  program when she put her hands on Harry Belafonte's arm while they sang "On the Path of Glory." The show's sponsor, Chrysler, demanded another take be used, with Clark and Belafonte standing apart, but she refused and the performance aired as she intended. 

Clark, who is 82, has been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1986 -- and she has never been nominated. She has sold nearly 70 million records in a career that spans seven decades. Isn't it about time for Petula Clark, one of the legends in rock history,  to be recognized for her contributions?

And now for a few of Clark's hits:

Until the next time...

Fifty Years Ago Today -- The Beatles

Many of us in the United States are celebrating The Beatles today. It was 50 years ago that the Fab Four made their debut on the popular "The Ed Sullivan Show."

We didn't have cable or satellite TV in those dark black-and-white ages. It was the NBC, CBS, and ABC networks that ruled the airwaves.

On on that magical evening on  Feb. 9, 1964, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were in the spotlight, and Beatlemania was in full bloom.

I was at church with my family that eventful evening in Campbellsville, Ky. The one-hour service ended at 8; that's when the "The Ed Sullivan Show" was broadcast.

We hurried home to see the program. I think my Mom and Dad were curious to see the Beatles on TV as well. And then came Ed Sullivan's distinctive introduction, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!"

It was earsplitting listening and watching the reaction to the group as they performed, especially the young girls screaming and shrieking. Ed Sullivan even seemed to be shaken up by the noise from the audience.

The atmosphere was simply electric, even for a country boy watching the show in Kentucky.

I've been a fan of the Beatles for more than 50 years, first hearing the group's music on WLS in Chicago and WABC in New York. I suppose I own most, if not all, of their music. 

It's not that often when folks recall where they were when cultural  happenings in their lives. That's usually reserved for events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor, JFK's assassination, the Apollo 11's lunar landing or the 9/11 terrorist attacks.   

Needless to say, the Beatles changed the course of music and influenced countless musicians and non-musicians like me. And it marked the first wave of the British Invasion that led to other acts such as The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Dave Clark 5.

Remember this song -- "We Love You Beatles" from many years ago?

"We love you Beatles
Oh, yes, we do
We love you, Beatles,
And we'll be true

"When you're not near to us
We're blue
Oh, Beatles, we love you
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)"

After a half century, we still love the Beatles. It seems like only yesterday.

Until the next time...

Spotlight on Johnny Rivers

One of the most versatile and talented performers in rock 'n' roll is Johnny Rivers. He's been singing, playing guitar, recording and touring since the 1950s.

While some American solo artists and groups didn't survive the first British Invasion in late 1963, Rivers met the challenge and flourished with his distinctive sound and delivery.

Although he was born in New York (his real name is John Henry Ramistella), his family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he was a child. And you can hear the Cajun influence in his music. 

Like most folks, I first learned about Rivers with his album, "Live at the Whisky a Go-Go," which produced the mega hit "Memphis." He followed that with hits such as "Maybelline," "Mountain of Love," and "Midnight Special."

And then he shifted gears and turned out ballads, Motown covers, folk songs and then some more rockers with songs such as "Poor Side of Town," "Summer Rain," "Baby I Need Your Loving," "The Tracks of My Tears," "Secret Agent Man," "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," and "Swayin' to the Music."

Rivers charted 11 Top 20 songs including the No. 1 "Poor Side of Town" from 1964 to 1977. Quite impressive. 

Since his first major recording came in 1963 (he had several singles in 1957), Rivers would have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. According to my research, he has NEVER been nominated for the honor. I find that unbelievable! He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Here's the Future Rock Legends website list of others who have been overlooked, or snubbed, through the years.

More about Rivers came be found at All Music.

And now a few videos of the great Johnny Rivers:

Maybelline and Memphis

Secret Agent Man

Poor Side of Town

Summer Rain

Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu

Until the next time...

Story Songs: Come A Little Bit Closer

One of the American groups that survived the British Invasion in the 1960s was Jay and the Americans. They put together a string of hits including "Only In America," "Let's Lock the Door," "Cara Mia" and "She Cried."

But their biggest hit was "Come A Little Bit Closer," written by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart and Wes Farrell, that reached No. 3 on the Billboard chart in 1964.

The song is about a guy who falls for a sexy temptress:

"In a little cafe just the other side of the border
She was just sitting there givin' me looks that made my mouth water
So I started walking her way
She belonged to bad man, Jose
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
When I heard her say, yeah"

And what did she say?

"Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long"

So one thing leads to another:

"So we started to dance
In my arms, she felt so inviting
That I just couldn't resist
Just one little kiss so exciting"

And then he's told that Jose is in the neighborhood but he can't break away from her spell until the cafe becomes quiet. Jose has arrived!

"Then the music stopped
When I looked the cafe was empty
Then I heard Jose say
'Man you know you're in trouble plenty'
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And through the window I ran"

And as he left the cafe, he could hear the woman tell Jose:

"Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long"

Oh, well....

Jay and the Americans were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, located in Sharon, Pa.,  in 2002.

"Come A Little Bit Closer" lyrics