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As Jerry Lee Lewis’ mother once said: “You and Elvis are pretty good, but you’re no Chuck Berry.” The father of rock and roll, Mr. Berry gave us one of the best story songs ever when he recorded "Memphis, Tennessee" in 1959. In 1963 it was covered as an

"Detour" was written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945. The original version by Jimmy Walker with Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys was released in November of that year. Tex Williams (1946) and even Duane Eddy (1958) hit with the song later. The

“In the Mood” seems to have evolved just like so many other melodies. We start with "Clarinet Get Away” (Jimmie O'Bryant) by O’Bryant's Washboard Wonders in 1925 for Paramount records, the first minute of this post. Next is the 1930 recording by BBQ

In the documentary In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story, Bono tells how he woke up for a concert's sound check, following a late night listening to the soundtrack to David Lynch's Blue Velvet, and had the tune in his head, figuring it was another Orbison song

One of the greatest and most successful singer/composers of the rock era Neil Sedaka (Juilliard School of Music 1947) was one of the original creators of the “Brill Building” sound and was the first to sign with Don Kirshner and Al Nevins at Aldon

The song “La Goualante de Pauvre Jean” means “The Ballad of Poor John” (Marguerite Monnot, René Rouzaud) yet in English it is usually called “The Poor People of Paris”. The tune was made famous by French songstress Edith Piaf. It was introduced in

We had the chance to watch Tim Hardin on stage with Kris Kristofferson at the National Art Centre in Ottawa. Kris enjoyed the booze, Tim was addicted to heroin. Tim composed "If I Were a Carpenter" which hit large for Bobby Darin in 1966 then, in 1969,

James Baskett played Uncle Remus in "Song of the South" for which he won an honorary Academy Award. Disney won't release the entire film on the home video market because of the controversial nature of the film, which was denounced as racist by the NAACP

At the time of "The Locomotion" Little Eva's (Eva Narcissus Boyd) weekly salary was $50 plus expenses. Her previous job was a $35-a-week live-in nanny for composers Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Little Eva included the King-Goffin tune "Up on the Roof"

“Promises, Promises” was a 1968 Broadway musical comedy based on the book by Neil Simon and on the film "The Apartment" by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond. Music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David. Jill O’Hara was nominated for Broadway's 1968

The disco song “Goodbye (There’s Nothing to Say) was released in1974 as Nosmo, months later issued as The Javells featuring Nosmo King (Doctors/Steve Jameson). Two years later Nosmo King sued the writers of Maxine Nightingale’s "Right Back Where We

Guy Warren (Warren Gamaliel Kpakpo Akwe), the Ghanaian drummer known as Kofi Ghanaba (son of Ghana) was a member of the Tempos band. Guy played piano, flute, sang, and was trained in Western style composition. He is known as the first African drummer

Ringo Starr's (Beatle Richard Starkey) cover of Hoyt Axton (character actor: Black Stallion, Gremlins, We’re No Angels and Kingfish, singer and composer: "Joy to the World", "Never Been to Spain", "The Pusher", "Greenback Dollar") and David Jackson's

In 1974 Gigliola Cinquetti got to the top spot on the Italian charts with "Alle Porte del Sole". It was the same songwriting team (Pace/Panzeri/ Pilat/Conti) who also gave her Si, the Italian entry for the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, defeated by

"Oh What a Night, Such a Night" was written by Lincoln Chase (Jim Dandy, and The Name Game plus The Nitty Gritty for partner Shirley Ellis) and recorded by The Drifters featuring Clyde McPhatter and released in January 1954. It hit second spot on the

The song "I'm a Woman" was written by famed songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and was first recorded in 1962 by Christine Kittrell. It was recorded and released as a single later that year by Peggy Lee, reaching number 54 on U.S. pop

Chilean singer/actor Antonio Prieto had a 50-year career, recorded over 1000 songs, acted in more than 33 films (Don Miguel Rojo, the eldest of the bandit brothers in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood) and had the first variety

James "Sugar Boy" Crawford recorded as Shaw Weez, Shaweez, Sugar Boy & the Cane Cutters, James Sugar Boy, and later James Crawford, Jr. In 1954 he called this Cajun melody “Jackamo” and claimed he composed it when he recorded it for Chess Records.

Duke Ellington was once a member of Russell Wooding's Grand Central Red Caps who in 1931 recorded “That’s My Desire”. In 1951 Frankie Laine (Francesco Paolo LoVecchio) took it to the top of the American charts even though he recorded it originally in

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, but it was not released. In 1967 Gladys Knight & the Pips altered the lyric a bit

Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison of the Crickets wrote and recorded "More Than I Can Say" in 1959. Since then it's been released by Bobby Vee in 1961 and Leo Sayer had the hit in 1980. It's almost difficult NOT to sing along with the tune.

In 1947 the motion picture “Capas Negras” (named after the black capes of the university students of Coïmbra.) was shot in Coimbra, Portugal. Alberto Rebeiro sang the title tune “Coimbra” (composers: Raul Ferrâo/José Galhardo) years later it became

Louisiana’s Robert “Bobby” Charles Guidry wrote Fats Domino’s “Walking to New Orleans”, “(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do,” by Clarence “Frogman” Henry; and “See You Later Alligator,” for Bill Haley and the Comets. Fats didn't want the

DJ Tommy Shannon was on air at WKBW in Buffalo in the fifties when he met "The Rebels" (named after Duane Eddy and the Rebels) at a local high school. They entered a recording studio together and started fooling around with a jingle composed for the

Sidney Bechet was born in New Orleans three years before Louis Armstrong. The clarinetist left the Storyville District for Europe in 1919 where he also mastered the saxophone. He spent most of his career in abroad. While in France he wrote Petite Fleur.

Allen Toussaint's version of "Working in a Coalmine" morphs into the hit later. In a recent Canadian television interview Allen tells us about Lee Dorsey's love of auto body work and that singing was almost secondary despite his hits with "Ya-Ya" (the

Environmentalist, singer and composer Kenny Young wrote "Under the Boardwalk" (Drifters), "Arizona" (Mark Lindsay), "Don't Go Out Into the Rain (you're going to melt) (Herman's Hermits)" and "Just a Little Bit Better". Kenny's original is from 1964.

"Saginaw, Michigan" started with an idea by Don Wayne (Choate), the Nashville native who wrote a big hit for Ireland's Val Doonican, originally recorded by Faron Young, "Walk Wall". Don also composed "Country Bumpkin" which topped the country charts for

The El Capris from Pittsburgh formed in 1954. They thought Spanish for "bluebird" was"capri" and settled on the "El Capris". "el" means "the", so "the El Capris" would have translated to "the the bluebirds". "El" is the singular, so it should have been

Pianist/composer/singer Gerard Kenny had a number of bands, including one with Billy Joel. He is the composer and the first to record "Made it Through the Rain" (Gerard W. Kenny - Drey Shepperd) in 1978. The album of the same name made the top twenty in

Rod McKuen gave us novelties like "The Mummy" and "Oliver Twist", but he also composed some of the most introspective songs of a generation. One of those is "Love's Been Good to Me" which he recorded in 1964. Later that year the Kingston Trio released

Composers Carl Montgomery (Melba's brother) and Earl Green wrote "Six Days on the Road" and it was recorded by Paul Davis in 1961.Not the Paul Davis of "I Go Crazy" fame. Dave Dudley first released it in 1963, since then it's been referred to as the

Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie Harris and Beverly Lee were the Shirelles. "Sha La La" composers were producer Luther Dixon along with Robert Mosely, Curtis Ousley and Robert Taylor.This hit the Top 100 for them in April of 1964. Manfred Mann (named

Mel Tillis has composed and recorded tons of hits including Detroit City, I Ain't Never and Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town. He was the spokesman and honorary chairman for the Stuttering Foundation of America and he leads of this "medley". Next is

In the early '60s James Hendricks was part of the Big Three with Tim Rose and a pre-Mamas and the Papas Cass Elliot. Later James and Cass teamed up with Zal Yanovsky and Denny Doherty to form the short-lived Mugwumps. His first solo effort featured