May 2, 2020- KV, JS & GJ - Ampersands Redux

Rockin' Remnants

Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)

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Date:  5/2/20

Host:  Gregory James & Kim Vaughan & John Simon

Feature:  Duets and Trios Joined By Ampersands--Revisited

Tonight three of the Rockin' Remnants hosts are heard on a pre-recorded show full of duets and trios (and even a quintet) - all with ampersands in their names! Due to current COVID-19 restrictions in New York State, we are re-broadcasting a show that originally aired on January 12, 2019. No DJ's were harmed (or even near one another) in the making of this re-broadcast program. 

Birthday Calendar

April 26

Duane Eddy    82 years old.  Born in Corning NY.

April 27

Ann Peebles      73 years old     

April 29

Tammi Terrell    b. 1945  d. 3/16/1970)

Big Jay McNeely  b.1927  d. 9/16/2018

April 30

Johnny Farina (of Santo and Johnny)  79 years old

May 1

Rita Coolidge  75 years old

May 2

Leslie Gore   b. 1946  d. 2/16/2015

Playlist

·      yellow song titles are YouTube links

·      songs with * were requests

·      all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted

·      a glossary of terms is below the playlist

6-7pm 

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)

The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel (1/66; #1 - the first in a long string of singles for these two unknown Folk singers had a two-week run at #1 interrupted by The Beatles' We Can Work It Out. Tonight S&G kick off the Ampersand Edition of Rockin' Remnants.)

  

Michelle - David & Jonathan (1/66; #18 Pop, #11 UK - When it became clear that the Beatles weren't releasing Michelle as a single, these guys did. "These guys" were Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, who wrote and produced a number of big hits in the early Seventies.)

California Dreamin' - Mamas & Papas (1/66; #4 - this was the debut single for another unknown group that would attain great chart success. It was released on this date back in 1966.)

This Is My Story - Gene & Eunice (5/55; #8 R&B - Gene & Eunice wrote most of their own songs , and rather than using the "call and response" technique of many R&B tracks, they generally sang as one voice. This came to you on the Aladdin label.)

Cherry Pie - Marvin & Johnny (1954; dnc - This track was the b-side to Tick-Tock, which made it to #9 on the R&B chart. As was commonplace with early Doo Wop, part of the song's popularity was due to its double entendres. Skip & Flip would eventually have a big hit with it in 1960.)

Love Is Strange - Caesar & Cleo (12/65; #131 - after their smashing success as Sonny & Cher, other labels started scouring their vaults and Reprise uncovered this 1964 recording by the duo under their earlier name. 

Baby (You Got What It Takes) - Brook Benton & Dinah Washington (1/60; #5 Pop, #1 R&B - FOR 10 WEEKS!)

I Idolize You - Ike & Tina Turner (1/60; #82 Pop, #5 R&B - this husband and wife duo had a stormy relationship. They were an incredible live act and had a string of hit records together before Tina branched out as a solo artist.)

* I Go to Pieces - Peter & Gordon (1/65; #9 - Capitol Records had signed a bunch of great acts during the British Invasion. These guys had a string of hits and Peter Asher would eventually find greater success as a producer in Southern California in the Seventies.)

* Too Much of Nothing - Peter, Paul & Mary (11/67; #35 - Bob Dylan wrote it and Gregory James hadn't heard this record in several years until tonight. He had a religious experience!)

Heart & Soul - Jan & Dean (6/61; #25 - Liberty Records passed on this crazy novelty record, so they went to Gene Autry's Challenge label and had a hit. They'd find greater success, though, at Liberty Records with a string of well-polished singles.)

* The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association - Jan & Dean (10/64; #77 - this one was the b-side of their Ride The Wild Surf single, and had one of the longest titles of any charting record. Thanks to Tom Preston for the requestin'!)

In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans (8/69; #1 for six weeks - these guys were virtually "one-hit wonders," but what a hit it was! Futuristic dystopia, anyone? GJ observed that these lyrics presaged the Pixar film Wall-E from about forty years out.)

* Come a Little Bit Closer - Jay & The Americans (9/64; #3 - we agreed to stretch the Ampersand theme to include Jay and his group, but we're mostly sticking to duos and trios tonight. That said, Jay Black can certainly deliver the 
goods!)

It's a Laugh Hall & Oates   8/78    #20   

The track comes from “Along the Red Ledge,” which was the first studio album on which Hall & Oates used their road band rather than session musicians. This track was not heard on the original 1/12/19 Ampersand edition.

7-8pm

Lonely Boy, Lonely Guitar - Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes (5/63; #82 - The Rebelettes were actually Darlene Love and The Blossoms. Duane Eddy originally hails from Corning, NY and is known for his twangy guitar sound.)

There is Something On Your Mind - Big Jay McNeeley (6/59; #44 Pop, #5 R&B - "Big Jay" played the sax and led the band. "Little Sonny" Warner laid down the smooth vocals.)

 
I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles (9/73; #38 Pop, #6 R&B - she only had a couple of charting Pop hits and this was the biggest of them all, but she rang up a string of hits on the R&B charts well into the Eighties.)

 
It's a Happening World - Lesley Gore (1/68; dnc - this Mann-Weill composition had been a low-charting hit for the Tokens earlier in the year, and her version appeared as the B-side of the first single from her upcoming album "Magic Colors." When the title track failed to chart, Mercury decided against releasing the album  -  and Lesley's hit-making days were over.)

* Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (6/67; #19 Pop, #3 R&B - Marvin had worked with several duet partners, but he hit the jackpot with Tammi Terrell. It didn't hurt to have remarkable material and production guidance from Ashford & Simpson, but tragedy would strike two years later when Tammi collapsed in Marvin's arms onstage due to an undetected brain tumor. She would be dead within the year.)

  

(I'd Know You) Anywhere - Ashford & Simpson (1/74; #88 Pop, #37 R&B - The duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful writing and producing team and the other as singers and performers themselves. They started their career in the mid-1960s, writing or producing for the 5th Dimension, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and  -  most famously  -  Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell.)

No One Else But You - Johnny & Jackey (1960; dnc - written by the two of them, on Anna Records (which was founded by two of Berry Gordy's sisters). Johnny and Jackey never charted as a duo, but Johnny Bristol would have a few solo hits in the 70s. They would each also write and produce for other artists.)

'Cause I Love You - Rufus & Carla Thomas (1960, dnc -  written by Rufus Thomas. His daughter Carla was 17 at the time they recorded this. This song did not chart, but each of them would have successful recording careers  -  including Carla's smash duet Tramp with Otis Redding.)

Hey Girl/Hey Boy - Oscar McLollie & Jeanette Baker (8/58, #61 - This was the only single the two would record together -- even the flip side wasn't a duet, it was McLollie solo. They reportedly did not enjoy working together.)

You Never Done It Like That - Captain & Tennille (8/78; #10 - The duo recorded a number of Neil Sedaka songs, including this one on the A&M label. Tennille also sang back-up for Elton John, the Beach Boys, and on Pink Floyd's album The Wall. Daryl Dragon, aka "The Captain" passed away a week ago.)

* Somethin' Stupid - Frank & Nancy Sinatra (4/67; #1 for four weeks - the request was for "Somethin' Creepy" because it's a father/daughter duo singing a romantic love song. The record-buying public apparently wasn't put off by that fact. It spent four weeks at #1!)

* One Toke Over the Line - Brewer & Shipley (10/71; #10 - this was a big Folk Rock hit on the Kama Sutra label, with an uncredited Jerry Garcia playing steel guitar. We got two requests for this one. Here ya go!)

* Shining Star - Earth Wind & Fire (3/75; #1 Pop and R&B - this sizzling #1 smash from their album That's The Way of The World was requested from David out in Vancouver. He called us "shining stars." That's how you get your song played on the radio.)

Chain Gang - Jackie Wilson & Count Basie (5/68; #84 Pop, #37 R&B - an unlikely pairing of two great talents: Jackie "Mr. Excitement" Wilson and the legendary Count Basie and his big band. They recorded 12 tracks over the course of two days. Two of them were released and charted as singles. Here's one of them.)

Let It Be Me - Jerry Butler & Betty Everett (9/64; #5 - two of Chicago's finest Soul balladeers joined together on this Everly Brothers tune and the results were magnificent.)

Mellow Yellow - Sen. Bobby & Sen. McKinley (3/67; #99 - "The Hardly Worth-It Players" recorded an entire album of this funny stuff for Cameo-Parkway Records. There was a higher-charting version of Wild Thing attributed to "Sen. Bobby," but this one gave the two fictional politicians equal billing. Fourteen months later the REAL Senator Bobby Kennedy would be assassinated campaigning for president and these records would cease getting airplay.

8-9pm

Harlem Shuffle - Bob & Earl (12/63; #44 - this single was produced by a young Barry White, and has been used in numerous films  -  most recently in Baby Driver. The Rolling Stones would later chart with their own version.)

Something You Got - Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown (4/65; #55 Pop, #10 R&B - each of these was a star for the Wand/Scepter Records family. Pairing them was the idea of label owner Florence Greenberg. It paid off with a string of successful 45s.)

Mockingbird - Charlie & Inez Foxx (6/63; #7 - The songwriting was attributed to Inez Foxx with vocal accompaniment by her brother, as they alternated the lyric in a counterpoint style. Carly Simon & James Taylor would take it to #5 ten years later.)

Just You - Sonny & Cher (8/65; #20   -   this single pre-dated I Got You Babe but went nowhere  -  until I Got You Babe reached #1 and Atco Records re-released it. Phil Spector's influence on Sonny Bono as a producer was unmistakable on this record!)

I Want to Stay Here - Steve & Eydie (7/63; #28 - the husband-and-wife duo of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme was the perfect vehicle for this sweet tune from the husband-and-wife writing team of Goffin & King.)

Lovin' Arms - Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge (recorded in 1973, peaked at #86 in 1974. They were newly married when they recorded this. Dobie Gray's version peaked at #61 a year earlier. Rita's brother-in-law Booker T would later produce her smash version of Higher & Higher.)

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul & Linda McCartney (9/71; #1 - previous singles were attributed to Paul McCartney. Subsequent singles would be attributed to Wings  -  or Paul McCartney & Wings. This is the only one that joined their two names with an ampersand.)

* Tell Someone You Love Them - Dino, Desi & Billy (8/68; #92 - three Hollywood kids with a dream and connections landed a recording contract with Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records label. This was their final charting single, and showed a marked growth from their earlier Pop offerings.)

* I'm Leavin' It All Up to You - Don & Dewey (1957; dnc - Both born in Pasadena, Don & Dewey wrote a song that was not a hit for them, but was covered by a bunch of other artists. Don Harris switched from guitar to electric violin in the 1960s and, billed as "Sugarcane Harris," played with Frank Zappa and John Mayall, among others!)

Time Waits for No One - Eddie & Ernie (2/65; #34 R&B - Both born in Texas, Eddie & Ernie teamed up in Phoenix. This was their biggest record on the Eastern label.)

Special Lady - Ray, Goodman & Brown (1/80; #5 Pop, #1 R&B - three founding members of The Moments continued to record together under their own names. This was their biggest hit as a trio.)

Don't You Write Her Off - McGuinn, Clark & Hillman (3/79; #33 - three former members of The Byrds reconvened for a one-off album. This was pulled as a single off the LP and it's a really nice record!)

Elenore - Flo & Eddie (10/74; #104 Record World - Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan had written this song together when they were both Turtles. They continued recording as Flo & Eddie and their re-make of their parody-of-a-hit from the late Sixties almost charted again, but only on the Record World chart.)

Teardrop  Santo and Johnny   1959  #23

Their follow up to Sleepwalk.

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time

Host on 5/9/20:  John Rudan, with a re-broadcast of his 45^th Anniversary Show originally aired on April 4, 2020.

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or at wvbr.com/listen.

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!