Music Memories: Have Voices Will Travel

I'm sure many of you have listened to a song and thought the voice sounded awfully familiar. It probably doesn't happen often these days, except perhaps in animated movies and commercials, but it wasn't that uncommon 50-plus years ago, especially during the "Bubblegum" era of music.

Tony Burrows

The biggest voice was that of Englishman Tony Burrows, who had hits with Edison Lighthouse ("Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"),  White Plains ("My Baby Loves Lovin'"), The Pipkins ("Gimme Dat Ding"), The First Class ("Beach Baby"), and Brotherhood of Man ("United We Stand").

Ron Dante

Another familiar voice was that of New Yorker Ron Dante (Carmine John Granito), the singer behind the Archies ("Sugar, Sugar") and the Cuff Links ("Tracy"). He also was a member of The Detergents ("Leader of the Laundromat"). "Sugar, Sugar," written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, topped the U.S. charts for four weeks in 1969, becoming the top single of the year.

Joey Levine

Last, but not least, was Joey Levine, a New Yorker behind groups such as The Third Rail ("Run Run Run"), The Ohio Express ("Yummy Yummy Yummy" and "Chewy Chewy"), the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestra Circus ("Quick Joey Small"), and Reunion ("Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)").

Now there were singers who were part of separate groups, such as Johnny Maestro (John Mastrangelo) who fronted The Crests ("Sixteen Candles") and the Del-Satins in the 1950s, and The Brooklyn Bridge ("The Worst That Could Happen") in the late 1960s.

And most know about the renowned "Wrecking Crew," the studio musicians behind numerous hits. Among the alums were bassist Carol Kaye, drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Glen Campbell, and keyboardist Leon Russell, performing on songs by The Righteous Brothers, Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, The Association, The Grass Roots, The Monkees, Johnny Rivers, Simon & Garfunkel, and many others.

Here are a few tunes to bring back some memories:

Any notable singers I may have missed?

Until the next time . . .

Spotlight on Herman's Hermits

While I was busy doing some decluttering this afternoon, Herman's Hermits' "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" came on Pandora. Before I realized, I was singing along with the feel-good ditty.

Herman's Hermits

And I recalled a PBS's fundraiser a month or so ago, featuring HH's lead singer Peter Noone as one featured acts and how he had a packed auditorium singing a rousing rendition of the tune with him.

It made me wonder why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ignores uplifting and fun artists such as Herman's Hermits, Tommy Roe, and The Monkees, who are often labeled as "bubblegum" performers.

If Herman's Hermits were bubblegum, then chew on this: 
Noone and his bandmates recorded 18 songs that reached the U.S. Top 40 from 1964-68, including No.1's "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter"  and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am," both in 1965.

Other noteworthy songs include No. 2 "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" in 1965, No. 3 "Listen People" in 1966, No. 4s "Wonderful World" in 1965 and "There's a Kind of Hush" in 1967, and No. 5 "Dandy" in 1966. Their first hit, "I'm Into Something Good," written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, topped the UK charts in 1964.

Maybe it's time for the RRHoF to give Herman's Hermits and a few other groups a lot more respect.  

Here are a few videos of this wonderful group (be sure to watch the last one):

Until the next time . . .

Spotlight on Tommy James and the Shondells

Tommy James and the Shondells deserve more respect and recognition for what they accomplished during the golden years of rock and roll in the 1960s.

The group produced two No. 1 songs, "Hanky Panky" in 1966 and "Crimson and Clover" in 1968, and 10 other Top 40 songs while selling more than 100 million records. 

Some critics categorized their music as "bubblegum," but that wasn't fair to place them with acts such as The Ohio Express, the Archies, 1910 Fruitgum Company, the Royal Guardsmen, Tommy Roe, and so on.  

And not that there's anything wrong with bubblegum because some of the artists produced some good songs. But that's for another post.

Listening to Tommy James and the Shondells is to see a group evolve and grow, from the feel good "Hanky Panky" (first released in 1964) to teen passion in "I Think We're Alone Now" (1966) to the psychedelic "Crimson and Clover" (1968).

Tommy James and the Shondells had 14 songs reach the Top 40 including the aforementioned No. 1s as well as No. 2 "Crystal Blue Persuasion," No. 3 "Mony Mony," No. 4 "I Think We're Alone Now," No. 7 "Sweet Cherry Wine" and No. 10 "Mirage."

Incidentally, in 1987, Tiffany and Billy Idol covered their songs and hit No. 1 back to back on the charts with "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony." 

While the group has been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1991, they've never been nominated. I find that hard to believe, but there are many worthy and deserving artists who have been overlooked by the Rock Hall voters. I hope their omission will be rectified. 

Tommy James and the Shondells still perform so check out their website for touring dates. Tommy James, who is 67, has even written an autobiography, "Me, the Mob, and the Music," published in 2010.

In the meantime, here are a few videos to enjoy:

Until the next time...