Category: Monthly

We’re almost at the end of the ’50s as we find ourselves rounding out 2022. Let’s hear what it sounded like…

Songs of the month

“‘Til I Kissed You” – Everly Brothers
“A Worried Man” – Kingston Trio*
“Baby Talk” – Jan And Dean
“Broken-Hearted Melody” – Sarah Vaughan
“Brook Benton” – Homer & Jethro*
“Come On And Get Me” – Fabian*
“Danny Boy” – Conway Twitty*
“Deck Of Cards” – Wink Martindale*
“Don’t You Know” – Della Reese*
“Fools Hall Of Fame” – Pat Boone
“Heartaches By The Number” – Guy Mitchell*
“Hey Little Girl” – Dee Clark
“I Loves You Porgy” – Nina Simone
“I Want To Walk You Home” – Fats Domino
“I’m Gonna Get Married” – Lloyd Price
“In The Mood” – Eugene Fields*
“Just Ask Your Heart” – Frankie Avalon
“Lonely Street” – Andy Williams
“Mack The Knife” – Bobby Darin
“Makin’ Love” – Floyd Robinson
“Mary Lou” – Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks
“Misty” – Johnny Mathis*
“Morgen” – Ivo Robic
“Mr. Blue” – Fleetwoods
“Oh Carol” – Neil Sedaka*
“Poison Ivy” – Coasters
“Primrose Lane” – Jerry Wallace With The Jewels
“Put Your Head On My Shoulder” – Paul Anka
“Red River Rock” – Johnny And The Hurricanes
“Say Man” – Bo Diddley*
“Sea Of Love” – Phil Phillips
“Sitting In The Back Seat” – Paul Evans & Curls*
“Sleep Walk” – Santo And Johnny
“So Many Ways” – Brook Benton*
“Teen Beat” – Sandy Nelson
“The Angels Listened In” – Crests*
“The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” – Mormon Tabernacle Choir
“The Battle Of Kookamonga” – Homer & Jethro
“The Three Bells” – Browns
“You Were Mine” – Fireflies*

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On October 2 “The Twilight Zone” debuted on CBS television starting with the episode “Where Is Everybody?”.

Then on October 5th the IBM 1401 computer and data processing system was introduced, providing the first fully transistorized computer intended for business use. The three piece system, which could be rented for $2,500 a month, had a memory ranging from 1.4 KB to 16K, could read 800 punchcards per minute and could print 600 lines per minute.

On the 21st The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, popularly referred to as “the Guggenheim”, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened in New York.

Then on October 24th Playboy’s Penthouse began a brief run on syndicated television. Broadcast live from Chicago, the program was in the format of a cocktail party hosted by Hugh Hefner.

Finally on October 26, 1959: Earth’s people see the other side of the Moon for the first time when the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 spacecraft took a photograph.

What’d Sadie think?

A clean sweep for “Mack The Knife” by Bobby Darin, with it holding the top spot the whole month. It was a number one across in the UK too and earned Darin two grammy award.

Loved ’em

• “Don’t You Know” – Della Reese
• “Heartaches By The Number” – Guy Mitchell
• “Oh Carol” – Neil Sedaka
• “Say Man” – Bo Diddley
• “The Angels Listened In” – Crests

Liked ’em

• “A Worried Man” – Kingston Trio
• “Come On And Get Me” – Fabian
• “Danny Boy” – Conway Twitty
• “Misty” – Johnny Mathis
• “So Many Ways” – Brook Benton
• “You Were Mine” – Fireflies

Leave ’em

• “Deck Of Cards” – Wink Martindale
• “Sitting In The Back Seat” – Paul Evans & Curls

The latter got a stern, “no like this song!” from Sadie, so there you go.

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s nearly December here in 2022 and its starting to feel christmasy, perhaps because it seems Sadie has been learning Xmas tunes at nursery and is spontaneously bursting into song. Meanwhile, let’s hear what they were listening to in September, 1959…

Songs of the month

“‘Til I Kissed You” – Everly Brothers
“A Big Hunk O’ Love” – Elvis Presley
“Baby Talk” – Jan & Dean
“Broken-Hearted Melody” – Sarah Vaughan
“Caribbean” – Mitchell Torok*
“Fools Hall Of Fame” – Pat Boone*
“Here Comes Summer” – Jerry Keller
“Hey Little Girl” – Dee Clark*
“High Hopes” – Frank Sinatra*
“I Ain’t Never” – Webb Pierce*
“I Loves You Porgy” – Nina Simone
“I Want To Walk You Home” – Fats Domino
“I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Some Day” – Fats Domino
“I’m Gonna Get Married” – Lloyd Price
“It Was I” – Skip And Flip
“Just Ask Your Heart” – Frankie Avalon*
“Kissin’ Time” – Bobby Rydell
“Lavender Blue” – Fats Domino*
“Lavender Blue” – Sammy Turner
“Lonely Street” – Andy Williams*
“Mack The Knife” – Bobby Darin*
“Makin’ Love” – Floyd Robinson
“Mary Lou” – Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks*
“Morgen” – Ivo Robic*
“Mr. Blue” – Fleetwoods*
“My Heart Is An Open Book” – Carl Dobkins Jr.
“My Wish Came True” – Elvis Presley
“Poison Ivy” – Coasters*
“Primrose Lane” – Jerry Wallace With The Jewels*
“Put Your Head On My Shoulder” – Paul Anka*
“Red River Rock” – Johnny And The Hurricanes
“Robbin’ The Cradle” – Tony Bellus
“Sea Of Love” – Phil Phillips
“See You In September” – Tempos
“Sleep Walk” – Santo And Johnny
“Teen Beat” – Sandy Nelson*
“Thank You Pretty Baby” – Brook Benton
“The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” – Mormon Tabernacle Choir*
“The Battle Of Kookamonga” – Homer & Jethro*
“The Three Bells” – Browns
“The Three Bells” – Dick Flood*
“There Goes My Baby” – Drifters
“What A Diff’rence A Day Makes” – Dinah Washington
“What Is Love” – Playmates
“What’d I Say” – Ray Charles

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On September 6th the first jet airliner landed in Honolulu, a Pan American 707. With the advent of jet travel, a trip to Hawaii was less than five hours from the mainland, turning the islands into a prime tourist destination. The same plane landed in Tokyo at 8 pm, cutting flight time between the United States and Japan from 29 hours to 17 hours.

The on the 12th “Bonanza” appeared for the first time on American television. The Western, first to be broadcast in color, ran for 14 seasons and 440 episodes until January 16, 1973. I remember it still being on in NZ as a child in the ’80s.

Then in tech news, on the 16th, the first successful plain paper copying machine, the Xerox 914, was introduced at a show at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York.

What’d Sadie think?

Three different number ones this month – two weeks at the top The Browns, “The Three Bells” then two for “Sleep Walk” by Santo And Johnny and finally a week with the crown for Fats Domino’s, “Lavender Blue”.

Loved ’em

• “Hey Little Girl” – Dee Clark
• “High Hopes” – Frank Sinatra
• “I Ain’t Never” – Webb Pierce
• “Mack The Knife” – Bobby Darin
• “Mary Lou” – Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks
• “Poison Ivy” – Coasters
• “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” – Paul Anka
• “The Battle Of Kookamonga” – Homer & Jethro
• “The Three Bells” – Dick Flood`

Liked ’em

• “Caribbean” – Mitchell Torok
• “Fools Hall Of Fame” – Pat Boone
• “Just Ask Your Heart” – Frankie Avalon
• “Lonely Street” – Andy Williams
• “Morgen” – Ivo Robic
• “Teen Beat” – Sandy Nelson
• “Primrose Lane” – Jerry Wallace With The Jewels

Leave ’em

• “Mr. Blue” – Fleetwoods
• “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

A busy couple of weeks in 2022, so we missed posting about our July, 1959 listens – you can find that playlist here. A good thing Xmas is coming actually as we’ve nearly run out of pre-prepared playlists, we’ll have to spend a few days over the holiday break running the numbers to stock up for 2023! By time we’ll be already a couple of months into the ’60s! But for now let’s hear what August, 1959 sounded like…

Songs of the month

“‘Til I Kissed You” – Everly Brothers*
“A Big Hunk O’ Love” – Elvis Presley
“A Boy Without A Girl” – Frankie Avalon
“Baby Talk” – Jan & Dean*
“Bobby Sox To Stockings” – Frankie Avalon
“Broken-Hearted Melody” – Sarah Vaughan*
“Ciao Ciao Bambina” – Jacky Noguez*
“Forty Miles Of Bad Road” – Duane Eddy
“Frankie” – Connie Francis
“Here Comes Summer” – Jerry Keller
“I Loves You Porgy” – Nina Simone*
“I Only Have Eyes For You” – Flamingos
“I Want To Walk You Home” – Fats Domino*
“I’ll Be Satisfied” – Jackie Wilson
“I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Some Day” – Fats Domino*
“I’m Gonna Get Married” – Lloyd Price*
“It Was I” – Skip And Flip*
“Just A Little Too Much” – Ricky Nelson
“Kissin’ Time” – Bobby Rydell*
“Lavender Blue” – Sammy Turner
“Lipstick On Your Collar” – Connie Francis
“Lonely Boy” – Paul Anka
“M.T.A.” – Kingston Trio
“Makin’ Love” – Floyd Robinson*
“Mona Lisa” – Carl Mann*
“Mona Lisa” – Conway Twitty*
“My Heart Is An Open Book” – Carl Dobkins Jr.
“My Wish Came True” – Elvis Presley
“Personality” – Lloyd Price
“Ragtime Cowboy Joe” – David Seville And The Chipmunks
“Red River Rock” – Johnny And The Hurricanes*
“Robbin’ The Cradle” – Tony Bellus*
“Sea Of Love” – Phil Phillips*
“See You In September” – Tempos*
“Sleep Walk” – Santo And Johnny*
“Small World” – Johnny Mathis*
“Sweeter Than You” – Ricky Nelson
“Thank You Pretty Baby” – Brook Benton*
“The Battle Of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton
“The Three Bells” – Browns*
“There Goes My Baby” – Drifters
“Tiger” – Fabian
“Till There Was You” – Anita Bryant*
“Waterloo” – Stonewall Jackson
“What A Diff’rence A Day Makes” – Dinah Washington
“What Is Love” – Playmates*
“What’d I Say” – Ray Charles
“You’re So Fine” – Falcons

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On August 7 six city blocks in downtown Roseburg, Oregon, were levelled at 1:20 a.m. by the explosion of a dynamite truck. The blast killed 14 people and left a 50-foot-wide (15 m) crater.

Then on August the 10th four of the five singers for The Platters, who had hit No. 1 earlier in the year with “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”, were arrested in Cincinnati and charged with soliciting prostitutes and using drugs. The charges were eventually dismissed, but the group’s concert dates were cancelled, and disc jockeys refused to play their records, for several months… scandel!

And on the 17th Pope John XXIII was presented the third part of the “Three Secrets of Fatima” in a sealed envelope, but decided against reading it. Pope John Paul II would release the contents in 2000. It’s an interesting tale I’d not heard about until just now.

What’d Sadie think?

A mixed lot at the top this month. “Lonely Boy” by Paul Anka holds it for a week before “A Big Hunk O’ Love” by Elvis Presley takes it for a couple, rounded out by The Browns “The Three Bells” for the last two weeks of August, 1959.

Loved ’em

• “‘Til I Kissed You” – Everly Brothers
• “Mona Lisa” – Carl Mann
• “Sea Of Love” – Phil Phillips
• “The Three Bells” – Browns
• “Till There Was You” – Anita Bryant
• “What Is Love” – Playmates

Liked ’em

• “Broken-Hearted Melody” – Sarah Vaughan
• “I Loves You Porgy” – Nina Simone
• “I Want To Walk You Home” – Fats Domino
• “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Some Day” – Fats Domino
• “I’m Gonna Get Married” – Lloyd Price
• “Kissin’ Time” – Bobby Rydell
• “Makin’ Love” – Floyd Robinson
• “Red River Rock” – Johnny And The Hurricanes
• “Robbin’ The Cradle” – Tony Bellus
• “Sleep Walk” – Santo And Johnny
• “Small World” – Johnny Mathis
• “Thank You Pretty Baby” – Brook Benton

Leave ’em

• “Baby Talk” – Jan & Dean
• “Ciao Ciao Bambina” – Jacky Noguez
• “It Was I” – Skip And Flip
• “See You In September” – Tempos

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

We missed publishing this week’s playlist due busy lives back in 2022, so let’s just jump into it…

Songs of the month

“A Big Hunk O’ Love” – Elvis Presley*
“A Boy Without A Girl” – Frankie Avalon
“A Teenager In Love” – Dion And The Belmonts
“Along Came Jones” – Coasters
“Bobby Sox To Stockings” – Frankie Avalon
“Bongo Rock” – Preston Epps
“Dream Lover” – Bobby Darin
“Forty Miles Of Bad Road” – Duane Eddy*
“Frankie” – Connie Francis
“Here Comes Summer” – Jerry Keller*
“Hushabye” – Mystics
“I Only Have Eyes For You” – Flamingos
“I’ll Be Satisfied” – Jackie Wilson*
“Just A Little Too Much” – Ricky Nelson*
“Just Keep It Up” – Dee Clark
“Kansas City” – Wilbert Harrison
“Lavender Blue” – Sammy Turner*
“Lipstick On Your Collar” – Connie Francis
“Little Dipper” – Mickey Mozart Quintet*
“Lonely Boy” – Paul Anka
“M.T.A.” – Kingston Trio
“My Heart Is An Open Book” – Carl Dobkins Jr.
“My Wish Came True” – Elvis Presley*
“Only Sixteen” – Sam Cooke*
“Personality” – Lloyd Price
“Quiet Village” – Martin Denny
“Ragtime Cowboy Joe” – David Seville And The Chipmunks*
“Small World” – Johnny Mathis*
“So Fine” – Fiestas
“Sweeter Than You” – Ricky Nelson*
“Tallahassee Lassie” – Freddy Cannon
“The Battle Of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton
“The Wonder Of You” – Ray Peterson
“There Goes My Baby” – Drifters*
“This I Swear” – Skyliners
“Tiger” – Fabian
“Twixt Twelve And Twenty” – Pat Boone*
“Waterloo” – Stonewall Jackson
“What A Diff’rence A Day Makes” – Dinah Washington
“What’d I Say” – Ray Charles*
“You’re So Fine” – Falcons

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On July the 1st a new standard for the yard and for the inch was adopted by the United States and Britain. The yard was formally defined as 0.9144 meters, and, as 1/36 of a yard, the inch was 0.0254 m or 2.54 centimeters. And yes, 2022 and they’re still not on the metric system!

They may, still, be behind on the metric system but on July 14, 1959 the first nuclear warship, the USS Long Beach, was launched from Quincy, Massachusetts.

And on July 17th Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest”, with Cary Grant, premiered. A favourite film with one of my favourite actors.

Then on July 25, on the 50th anniversary of the first airplane flight across the English Channel (by Louis Bleriot), the first hovercraft trip across the Channel took place, as the SR.N1 made the journey on a cushion of air.

And lastly in “very 1950s news”, on July 29, after passing both houses of Parliament, the Legitimacy Act of 1959 received royal assent in Britain, giving equal rights to children born out of wedlock.

What’d Sadie think?

We gave a week at the top for “The Battle Of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton before

“Lonely Boy” by Paul Anka takes it for the rest of July.

Loved ’em

• “Here Comes Summer” – Jerry Keller
• “I’ll Be Satisfied” – Jackie Wilson
• “Only Sixteen” – Sam Cooke
• “Small World” – Johnny Mathis
• “There Goes My Baby” – Drifters
• “What’d I Say” – Ray Charles

Liked ’em

• “A Big Hunk O’ Love” – Elvis Presley
• “Forty Miles Of Bad Road” – Duane Eddy
• “Just A Little Too Much” – Ricky Nelson
• “Lavender Blue” – Sammy Turner
• “Little Dipper” – Mickey Mozart Quintet
• “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” – David Seville And The Chipmunks
• “Sweeter Than You” – Ricky Nelson

Leave ’em

• “Twixt Twelve And Twenty” – Pat Boone

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

Ok this time it’s here to stay…maybe? It’s a lovely spring day here in Auckland in 2022, as we jump back to what looks like a warm summer of June, 1959 in the US of A to listen to the charts of the day.

Songs of the month

“A Boy Without A Girl” – Frankie Avalon*
“A Fool Such As I” – Elvis Presley
“A Teenager In Love” – Dion And The Belmonts
“Along Came Jones” – Coasters*
“Bobby Sox To Stockings” – Frankie Avalon*
“Bongo Rock” – Preston Epps*
“Crossfire” – Johnny And The Hurricanes*
“Dream Lover” – Bobby Darin
“Enchanted” – Platters
“Endlessly” – Brook Benton
“Frankie” – Connie Francis*
“Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye” – Kathy Linden
“Guitar Boogie Shuffle” – Virtues
“Hushabye” – Mystics*
“I Need Your Love Tonight” – Elvis Presley
“I Only Have Eyes For You” – Flamingos*
“I’m Ready” – Fats Domino
“I’ve Come Of Age” – Billy Storm*
“Just Keep It Up” – Dee Clark*
“Kansas City” – Wilbert Harrison
“Kookie Kookie” – Edward Byrnes And Connie Stevens
“Lipstick On Your Collar” – Connie Francis*
“Lonely Boy” – Paul Anka*
“Lonely For You” – Gary Stites
“M.T.A.” – Kingston Trio*
“My Heart Is An Open Book” – Carl Dobkins Jr.*
“My Melancholy Baby” – Tommy Edwards*
“Only You” – Frank Pourcel’S French Fiddles*
“Personality” – Lloyd Price
“Pink Shoelaces” – Dodie Stevens
“Quiet Village” – Martin Denny
“So Fine” – Fiestas*
“Sorry” – Impalas
“Take A Message To Mary” – Everly Brothers
“Tallahassee Lassie” – Freddy Cannon
“Tell Him No” – Travis And Bob
“That’s Why” – Jackie Wilson
“The Battle Of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton
“The Happy Organ” – Dave Baby Cortez
“The Wonder Of You” – Ray Peterson*
“This I Swear” – Skyliners*
“Three Stars” – Tommy Dee
“Tiger” – Fabian*
“Turn Me Loose” – Fabian
“Waterloo” – Stonewall Jackson*
“What A Diff’rence A Day Makes” – Dinah Washington*
“You’re So Fine” – Falcons*

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On June 6, 1959 the first satellite communication was made when a radio message from U.S. President Eisenhower was bounced off of the Moon to Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, who was dedicating the new Prince Albert Radio Laboratory .

Then on June 8th an experiment with “missile mail” proved successful, if not practical. At 10:10 am. the USS Barbero launched a Regulus I rocket, containing 3,000 letters, from a point 100 miles offshore from Norfolk, Virginia. The “wheeled missile” was guided to the naval air station at Mayport, Florida, a parachute deployed, and it landed 22 minutes after firing.

On June 9, in Italy, the broadcast of a TV movie, “I figli di Medea” (The Sons of Medea), caused a mass hysteria, similar to the 1938 panic caused by Orson Welles’s The War of the Worlds. Vladimiro Cajoli’s script was in the form of a fictitious news program that started with a bulletin that a sick child of an actress was being held hostage by his father, portrayed by actor Enrico Maria Salerno. The mother, “Medea”, was portrayed by well-known actress Alida Valli, whose plea to viewers was so realistic that thousands of people thought that the celebrity was the victim of a real crime. To make matters worse, the fictional news program gave out a phone number that belonged to a major hospital, whose switchboard was jammed by callers offering tips for finding the “missing child”.

Then in, “it was still the ’50s clearly” news, on June 11 “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”, by D.H. Lawrence, was barred from distribution in the United States by order of the Postmaster General who barred it under section 1461 of Title 18 of the United States Code as “obscene and un-mailable”.

What’d Sadie think?

It’s number 1 all month for “The Battle Of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton, but plenty of variety to like across the rest of the chart.

Loved ’em

A lot to love this week. Special shout out to “Kookie Kookie” by Edward Byrnes And Connie Stevens, which has been on the charts for a couple of weeks already but has turned into a Sadie favourite as she sings “cookie cookie!” along to it.

• “Bobby Sox To Stockings” – Frankie Avalon
• “Frankie” – Connie Francis
• “I Only Have Eyes For You” – Flamingos
• “Just Keep It Up” – Dee Clark
• “Lipstick On Your Collar” – Connie Francis
• “My Heart Is An Open Book” – Carl Dobkins Jr.
• “Only You” – Frank Pourcel’S French Fiddles
• “Waterloo” – Stonewall Jackson
• “What A Diff’rence A Day Makes” – Dinah Washington

Liked ’em

• “A Boy Without A Girl” – Frankie Avalon
• “Along Came Jones” – Coasters
• “Crossfire” – Johnny And The Hurricanes
• “Hushabye” – Mystics
• “M.T.A.” – Kingston Trio
• “My Melancholy Baby” – Tommy Edwards
• “So Fine” – Fiestas
• “The Wonder Of You” – Ray Peterson
• “This I Swear” – Skyliners
• “Tiger” – Fabian
• “You’re So Fine” – Falcons

Leave ’em

A first! Sadie really hated a song. “Bongo Rock” by Preston Epps got the “too loud!”, “go away!” treatment.

• “Bongo Rock” – Preston Epps
• “I’ve Come Of Age” – Billy Storm
• “Lonely Boy” – Paul Anka

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It must have been great back in May, 1959… Star Wars hadn’t come out so no one was saying “May the 4th be with you!”. But what did it sound like?

Songs of the month

“A Fool Such As I” – Elvis Presley
“A Teenager In Love” – Dion And The Belmonts*
“Come Softly To Me” – Fleetwoods
“Come To Me” – Marv Johnson*
“Dream Lover” – Bobby Darin*
“Enchanted” – Platters
“Endlessly” – Brook Benton*
“For A Penny” – Pat Boone

“Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye” – Kathy Linden*
“Guitar Boogie Shuffle” – Virtues
“I Need Your Love Tonight” – Elvis Presley
“I’m Ready” – Fats Domino*
“It’s Late” – Ricky Nelson
“Kansas City” – Wilbert Harrison
“Kookie Kookie” – Edward Byrnes And Connie Stevens
“Lonely For You” – Gary Stites*
“Only You” – Frank Pourcel’S French Fiddles
“Personality” – Lloyd Price*
“Pink Shoelaces” – Dodie Stevens
“Poor Jenny” – Everly Brothers
“Quiet Village” – Martin Denny*
“Sea Cruise” – Frankie Ford
“Since I Don’T Have You” – Skyliners
“Six Nights A Week” – Crests
“So Fine” – Fiestas*
“Sorry” – Impalas
“Take A Message To Mary” – Everly Brothers
“Tallahassee Lassie” – Freddy Cannon*
“Tell Him No” – Travis And Bob
“That’s Why” – Jackie Wilson
“The Battle Of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton*
“The Happy Organ” – Dave Baby Cortez
“The Tijuana Jail” – Kingston Trio
“There’ll Never Be Anyone Else But You” – Ricky Nelson
“This Should Go On Forever” – Rod Bernard
“Three Stars” – Tommy Dee
“Tragedy” – Thomas Wayne With The Delons
“Turn Me Loose” – Fabian
“Venus” – Frankie Avalon

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On May the 4th the first Grammy Awards were bestowed by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, in a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The Music from Peter Gunn, by Henry Mancini, was album of the year, and Doenico Modugno’s Volare was song of the year. The Champs’ Tequila won the award for best rhythm & blues performance. You can see them performing it live below.

Sadie would have been pleased to hear that Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., better known by his stage persona of David Seville, won Best Comedy Performance and Best Recording for Children, both for “The Chipmunk Song”.

On May 30th the first trial of a hovercraft took place at Cowes in Britain. You can see a newsreel of this below – it’s interesting to see that they compared this to a flying saucer, a ’50s fascination.

Then in New Zealand news, on the same day, the Auckland Harbour Bridge, 1020 meters long, was opened.

What’d Sadie think?

“Venus” by Frankie Avalon was number 1 for a week before “Come Softly To Me” by the Fleetwoods took the title for the rest of the month.

Loved ’em

• “A Teenager In Love” – Dion And The Belmonts
• “Come To Me” – Marv Johnson
• “Dream Lover” – Bobby Darin
• “So Fine” – Fiestas
• “Tallahassee Lassie” – Freddy Cannon

Liked ’em

• “Endlessly” – Brook Benton
• “I’m Ready” – Fats Domino
• “Lonely For You” – Gary Stites
• “Personality” – Lloyd Price
• “Quiet Village” – Martin Denny
• “Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye” – Kathy Linden

Leave ’em

• “The Battle Of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.