It feels like summer is all but here in Auckland of 2021, while I hear it is positively wintery up north. But wherever you are today, its April in 1955 as we listen to a lovely selection of tunes…
The songs of April, 1955
“Ballad Of Davy Crocket” – Bill Hayes
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Fess Parker
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Tennessee Ernie Ford*
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Prez Prado
“Dance With Me Henry” – Georgia Gibbs
“Danger Heartbreak Ahead” – Jaye P. Morgan
“Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup” – Nat King Cole
“Dixie Danny” – Laurie Sisters*
“Don’t Be Angry” – Crew-Cuts*
“Don’t Be Angry” – Nappy Brown*
“Earth Angel” – Crew-Cuts
“Earth Angel” – Penguins
“Hearts Of Stone” – Fontane Sisters
“Honey-Babe” – Art Mooney Orchestra*
“How Important Can It Be” – Joni James
“It May Sound Silly” – Mcguire Sisters
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads*
“Ko Ko Mo” – Crew-Cuts
“Ko Ko Mo” – Perry Como
“Make Yourself Comfortable” – Andy Griffith*
“Mambo Rock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Melody Of Love” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra
“Melody Of Love” – David Carroll Orchestra
“Melody Of Love” – Four Aces
“Open Up Your Heart” – Cowboy Church Sunday School
“Plantation Boogie” – Lenny Dee
“Play Me Hearts And Flowers” – Johnny Desmond
“Pledging My Love” – Johnny Ace
“Sincerely” – Mcguire Sisters
“Smiles” – Crazy Otto
“That’s All I Want From You” – Jaye P. Morgan
“The Breeze And I” – Caterina Valente*
“The Crazy Otto” – Johnny Maddox
“The Sand And The Sea” – Nat King Cole
“Tweedlee Dee” – Georgia Gibbs
“Two Hearts” – Pat Boone*
“Unchained Melody” – Al Hibbler*
“Unchained Melody” – Les Baxter Orchestra & Chorus*
“Unchained Melody” – Roy Hamilton*
“Whatever Lola Wants” – Sarah Vaughan*
* = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link or embedded below:
This month in history
On April 15th the man who made McDonald’s what it is today, but not the founder, Ray Kroc opens his first McDonald’s franchise restaurant, in Des Plaines, Illinois. Here’s a recreation of him visiting a McDonald’s for the first time from a film:
The very next day on the 16th – Sir Laurence Olivier’s film version of Shakespeare’s Richard III, is released in the UK. Here’s a classic monologue from that film:
And… the Internet is such an unreliable source of information at times, as we know, which extends to ’50s history. According to a few sources on April 3rd, “The American Civil Liberties Union announces it will defend Allen Ginsberg’s book “Howl” against obscenity charges”. Except it wasn’t even released till 1956. But because I love it so, and it was written in 1955 and is a great snapshot of the subculture of the time:
What’d Sadie think?
The whole nation must have been humming it, because the very catchy “Ballad Of Davy Crocket” by Bill Hayes was number 1 for the whole month.
But there was also a new version of the song this month by country singer Tennessee Ernie Ford which is now our favourite version of the tune, check it out!
Our new songs of the month continue with “Dixie Danny” by the Laurie Sisters. Just no. It’s dreadful. Meanwhile “Don’t Be Angry” is a nice cover of a R&B chart hit by the Crew-Cuts. Oh, yes.
“Honey-Babe” – Art Mooney Orchestra is not great. Though the lyrics like, “Got a girl in every port, they’re pursuing me for no support” feel like they could be from a ’90s Hip Hop song if they rhymed.
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” is a nice tune by the interestingly named, “Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads” . I wish I could find more out about the band, but what there is on Wikipedia is oddly amusing in its way.
“The group consisted of Smith (Robert H. (Red) Robinson) (vocals, banjo, and guitar), Saul Striks (December 8, 1924 – c. December 1979) (piano) and Major C. Short (Double Bass). Striks died from a heart attack in December 1979 at either 54 or 55 years old. Robinson is also dead. Short lived in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, until he died on March 30, 2018, at the age of 93.”
Short outlived them all.
“Make Yourself Comfortable” is a comedy cum song by comedian and actor Andy Griffith. You’d have to be in the mood for it.
“Smiles” is another by Crazy Otto or Johnny Maddox or whatever he wants to call himself and is as passable as his previous instrumentals.
“The Breeze And I” is a cover of a ’40s tune by Caterina Valente and is quite sweet. Caterina Valente is “an Italian-French multilingual singer, guitarist, dancer, and actress. Valente is a polyglot; she speaks six languages, and sings in eleven.”. Quite the over achiever.
“Two Hearts” by Pat Boone has a nice groove but its not a patch on song of the week, “Unchained Melody” by Al Hibbler. It’s not the most famous cover, that wouldn’t come until the Righteous Brothers in 1965, but it is still a great tune. Apparently the song is from a little known 1955 film, “Unchained”.
“Whatever Lola Wants” by Sarah Vaughan is a swinging number from the broadway musical Damn Yankees and ends the new songs on the charts this month.
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.