Bob Leszczak - Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists

Who Did It First?

Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists

Bob Leszczak

Who Did It First?

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York Toronto Plymouth, UK

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

10 Thornbury Road, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United Kingdom

Copyright 2014 by Bob Leszczak

Unless otherwise noted, all photos courtesy of the author.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Leszczak, Bob, 1959 author.

Who did it first? : great pop cover songs and their original artists / Bob Leszczak.

pages cm. (Who did it first?)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4422-3067-5 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4422-3068-2 (ebook) 1. Popular musicHistory and criticism. 2. Popular musicDiscography. 3. Cover versionsDiscography. I. Title.

ML3470.L464 2014

781.6409dc23 2013039564

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to the guy who put the bomp in the Bomp Buh Bomp Bomp and megs of ram in the Rama Lama Ding Dong.

Acknowledgments

I would like to send sincere, heartfelt thanks to those who made this endeavor such a pleasure. Im most grateful to all of the extremely talented interviewees who so generously granted their valuable time to supply me with never-before-printed, fun, amazing, anecdotal, behind-the-scenes memories and quotes about their legendary music. Several also graciously offered their own vintage photographs, which are proudly displayed in this volume. In alphabetical order, a fond tip of the hat goes out to Beverly Bremers, Jerry Burgan (of We Five), Kim Carnes, Mel Carter, Gretchen Christopher (of the Fleetwoods), Raoul Cita (of the Harptones), Jimmy Clanton, Buzz Clifford, Paul Evans, Norman Fox (of the Rob Roys), George Galfo (of the Mystics), Buddy Greco, John Claude Gummoe (of the Cascades), Eddie Hodges, Tab Hunter, Brian Hyland, Bob Miranda (of the Happenings), Jay Proctor (of the Techniques), Neil Sedaka, Emil Stucchio (of the Classics), B. J. Thomas, Billy Vera, and Lenny Welch.

Those not quoted but nonetheless very important as cogs in this wheel include Marv Goldberg, Fernando L. Gonzalez, Dennis Ostrom, Steve Propes, Rockin Richard, David Schwartz, and Vincent Terrace.

Introduction

Everybody has to start somewhere. Businessmen start on the ground floor and try to work their way up the corporate ladder. Baseball players bide their time in the minor leagues wishing for an opportunity to move up and play in the majors. Musical compositions arent very differentsome songs just dont climb the charts the first time theyre recorded. However, with perseverance, the ideal singer, the right chemistry, impeccable timing, vigorous promotion, and a little luck, these songs can become very famous.

Youll know most, if not all, of the tunes listed in this book. The songs in this volume began as pop songs, but then traveled a circuitous route. In many cases, the familiar hit version youve grown up with, danced with, and romanced with is not the first version, nor the only version. The purpose of this book is to show who did it first.

For example, Jackie DeShannon wrote and recorded the original Bette Davis Eyes for an album, but the later Kim Carnes mega-hit version is the one everyone knows. Likewise, few recall the original Hes a Rebel by Vikki Carr, but everyone recalls and can sing along with the number 1 single by the Crystals from Phil Spectors famous wall of sound. Despite popular belief, Barry Manilow did not Write the Songsthat was Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys, and the original version was recorded by the Captain and Tennille. Did you know that the original Drift Away was by John Kurtz, and not Dobie Gray? Would you believe Thats Life was recorded by Marion Montgomery before Frank Sinatra? Its true. The information contained within these pages will surely shock and awe. You may fancy yourself a music expert, and yet the oh, wow factor of discovering who did it first will be profound.

Several songs were so good, they became hits three or more timesunforgettable songs such as Unchained Melody, Go Away, Little Girl, I Only Want to Be with You, Since I Dont Have You, Always on My Mind, and Volarebut Who Did It First?

Several artists had the misfortune of recording several original versions of songs, only to watch as cover artists enjoyed the spoils and achieved the fame. Petula Clark, the Everly Brothers, the Fifth Dimension, Albert Hammond, Neil Sedaka, and B. J. Thomas are just a few of the artists who did it first frequently.

Each song in this book, listed alphabetically, consists of information about the original artist and the cover artist, the original record label and the cover versions record label, the record numbers, the years of release, the record speeds (45, 78, LP, even CD), and the chart position each attained. Then read the fascinating history surrounding each song. Within the body of many entries are honorable mentions of still more versions and even answer records. Many contain quotes and behind-the-scenes information from the artists and songwriters themselves, as well as photographs theyve provided. Also included are numerous pictures of key record labels and important songsall from my own record collection (a lifelong hobby).

This is volume 2 of a three-volume work. This A-to-Z editions focus is songs that were originally recorded by pop performers and even a few originally by country crossover performers. Volume 1 centered on R&B, and the upcoming volume 3 will focus on rock and roll songs. Your library will not be complete until you have all three.

So, whether youre using this book to quiz your friends at a party, using it to quiz listeners to your radio show, or just satisfying your own insatiable musical curiosity, thank you for having a shared interest in Who Did It First?

A

Abraham, Martin and John

Composer: Dick Holler

Original Artist: Dion

Label: Laurie Records; Recording: Laurie #3464 (45)

Release Year: 1968; Chart: #4 Billboard Hot 100

Cover Artist: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Label: Tamla Records; Recording: Tamla #54184 (45)

Release Year: 1969; Chart: #33 Billboard Hot 100 and #16 R&B

The year 1968 was turbulent in the United States. The unpopular Vietnam War raged on, and both Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. The American melancholy was expressed well in a huge comeback song for Dion Dimucci in that same year. Adding the names of Abraham (for Abraham Lincoln) and John (for John F. Kennedy), the poignant song struck a chord with the record-buying public and sold a million copies. Seemingly out of nowhere (he had been off the charts for four years), Dion was back in the Top 10, and back on the Laurie Records label (which he had left for Columbia years earlier).