Rockin'
Remnants
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Date: 7/9/22
Host: John Simon
Feature: Summertime
Note: JS left for vacation the very next morning, so this is a relatively bare-bones Blog post. Thanks for your indulgence! 😏
Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia
There are several thousand recorded versions of George Gershwin's Summertime from the soundtrack to "Porgy & Bess." Aside from Sam Cooke's version(s), only five ever made the Hot 100. Can you name two other artists who charted with it?
(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist – and to find a glossary of terms)
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)
Summertime, Pt. I - Sam Cooke (11/57; dnc - this would later be released as the B-side to Sam Cooke's charting version called Summertime, Pt. II.)
Beach Girl - Pat Boone (9/64; #81 - one of Pat Boone's final charting singles, this one was written and produced by Terry Melcher and Bruce Johnson, who were responsible for the Beach Boys-like harmony vocals.)
Dancing in the Street - Martha & The Vandellas (8/64; #2)
Beach Baby - First Class (7/74; #4)
The Wonderful World of Summer - Sandy Posey (7/68; dnc - B-side to a non-charting single. In fact, it's so obscure that I can't find an image of it on the internet! Here it is playing in "real time" on the radio.)
Sailor Boy - The Chiffons (8/64; #81)
Because - Dave Clark 5 (8/64; #3)
* A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy (8/64; #7)
* Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts (9/72; #6)
Ridin' In My Car - NRBQ (7/77; dnc - Al Anderson wrote and sang on this cool tune that was released on a tiny label and may have charted regionally in parts of New England. Three different people weighed in specifically to mention how much they'd enjoyed hearing it tonight!)
* Sitting In The Park - Billy Stewart (6/65; #24 - going out by request from Doug in San Diego to Anna in Michigan. This is Billy from Washington, D.C.)
Oh No, Not My Baby - Maxine Brown (10/64; #24)
* Summer - War (7/76; #7)
* Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett (4/77; #8)
7-8pm
Birthday Calendar
July 3 – Tommy Tedesco (Wrecking Crew) – born in 1930
– Fontella Bass – born in 1940
July 4 – Bill Withers – born in 1938
July 5 – Terry Cashman – age 81
– Robbie Robertson – age 79
July 6 – Della Reese – born in 1931
– Gene Chandler – age 85
– Michael Shrieve (Santana) – age 73
July 7 – Ringo Starr – age 82
July 8 – Steve Lawrence – age 87
– Jaimoe (Allman Bros) – age 78
July 9 – Mitch Mitchell (JH Experience) – born in 1947
The Lonely Surfer - Jack Nitzsche (8/63; #39 - Tommy Tedesco played on thousands of songs, and many of them became big hits: Beach Boys records, Sonny & Cher, Monkees and more. He played the twangy guitar on this one, too.)
Rescue Me - Fontella Bass (10/65; #4 Pop, #1 R&B for four weeks - Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White was the session drummer and Minnie Ripperton was a background vocalist here. It was Fontella's biggest hit.)
Lovely Day - Bill Withers (12/77; #30 - perfect for today's early-July weather!)
Sunday Will Never Be the Same - Spanky and Our Gang (5/67; #9 - one of a number of hit songs co-written by Terry Cashman, this was Spanky's first nationally-charting smash.)
Don't You Know - Della Reese (9/59; #2)
(Gonna Be) Good Times - Gene Chandler (8/65; #92 - many people think of The Duke of Earl as his only hit, but Gene Chandler cut a slew of great records. Many of them - like this one - were composed by Curtis Mayfield.)
Bo Diddley - Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks (5/63; #117 - so good that I had to play it on two consecutive shows. That's Robbie Robertson on guitar, along with bandmates Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel backing up the late Ronnie Hawkins.)
Soul Sacrifice - Santana (9/69; dnc - a highlight of the Woodstock film was Michael Shrieve's drumming on this number. It was never released as a single, but it's one of their greatest hits!)
Fire - Jimi Hendrix Experience (8/67; dnc - another one that was never released as a single. Mitch Mitchell's drumming is explosive on this track from Are You Experienced.)
One Way Out - Allman Brothers Band (12/72; #86 - dual drummers Butch Trucks and J. Johnny Johanson - better known as Jaimoe - help to drive this terrific 'live' track recorded at the Fillmore East.)
Matchbox - The Beatles (9/64; #17 - Carl Perkins did it originally, but it was perfect for Ringo's limited vocal range - and just about everything that they released was a guaranteed hit that year!)
Come Back Silly Girl - Steve Lawrence (10/60; #112 Cashbox - The Lettermen would later have a Top 20 hit with this song, but Steve Lawrence did it first. I'm pretty sure that this is its Remnants debut.)
Talking Baseball - Terry Cashman (1981; dnc - Terry Cashman's obsession with the national pastime led him to record 27 different versions of this song: one for each major league team. This, though, is the original.)
8-9pm
Summertime, Pt. 2 - Sam Cooke (11/57; #81 - originally the B-side of Sam's first big secular hit You Send Me, this was reissued as an A-side two years later.)
Save Your Heart for Me - Gary Lewis & Playboys (7/65; #2)
Turn-Down Day - Cyrkle (5/66; #16 - another song perfectly fitting today's weather. Check out the producer!)
Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks (8/66; #14 Pop, #1 UK for two weeks)
Kites Are Fun - Free Design (12/67; #114)
Everyday I Have to Cry - The Gentrys (5/66; #77 - one of at least three charting versions of the Arthur Alexander staple.)
Anna - The Beatles (1964; dnc - the British Invasion was led by a bunch of bands that revered American R&B records. Arthur Alexander was one of their favorites.)
Soldier of Love - Arthur Alexander (5/62; dnc - The Rolling Stones are just one of many bands that took a crack at this Arthur Alexander B-side.)
* Burning Love - Elvis Presley (8/72; #2 - going out from Scottie to his mom Donna, with a birthday the very next day. Elvis' third comeback was just getting started in 1972!)
Smoke From a Distant Fire - Sanford Townsend Band (7/77; #9 - if you were there in '78, this song was part of the soundtrack to your Summer. It was their only hit, making these guys a bona fide "one-hit wonder!")
Wham Bang Shang-a-Lang - Silver (7/76; #16 - Silver was fronted by a young singer/guitarist named John Batdorf. He'd resurface in the Eighties, and this song would be used to great effect in the Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy 2.)
It Don't Come Easy - Ringo (5/71; #4)
In the Sun - Blondie (12/76; dnc - B-side to X-Offender, this was a very early "music video" before MTV was ever a thing, thanks to Don Kirschner's Rock Concert. BTW - the keyboard player is my wife's second cousin. That means...so is the singer! Small world.)
Summertime - Rick Nelson (3/62; #89 - this was the B-side to Young World, and the bass line would go on to become one of the foundations of rock classics like We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet by the Blues Magoos. How about that??!?)
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Trivia Answer
Sam Cooke's B-Side of You Send Me reached #81 in 1957. The Marcels took it to #78 in 1961, Rick Nelson did in 1962, The Chris Columbo Quartet did in 1963, and Billy Stewart took it to the Top Ten in 1966. Janis Joplin's version was never released as a single!
Congratulations to Laurie from Lockwood, for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis!
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 Next Week
(7/16/22): Gregory James featuring songs with "Here" or "There" in the title.
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!
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