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Merry Xmas from down under. I hope you and yours are having a wonderful end to the weird year that was 2021. But enough about today, let’s go back to hear from September, 1955:

The songs of September, 1955

“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole
“Ain’t It A Shame” – Fats Domino
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Pat Boone
“Autumn Leaves” – Roger Williams
“Black Demin Trousers” – Cheers*
“Domani” – Julius Larosa
“Gum Drop” – Crew-Cuts
“Hard To Get” – Gisele Mackenzie
“He” – Al Hibbler*
“Hummingbird” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
“I Want You To Be My Baby” – Georgia Gibbs*
“I Want You To Be My Baby” – Lillian Briggs*
“I’ll Never Stop Loving You” – Doris Day
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads
“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra
“Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” – Four Aces*
“Maybellene” – Chuck Berry
“Moments To Remember” – Four Lads*
“Only You” – Platters*
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Seventeen” – Boyd Bennett
“Seventeen” – Fontane Sisters
“Seventeen” – Rusty Draper
“Song Of A Dreamer” – Eddie Fisher
“The Bible Tells Me So” – Don Cornell*
“The Bible Tells Me So” – Nick Noble
“The House Of Blue Lights” – Chuck Miller
“The Longest Walk” – Jaye P. Morgan*
“The Shifting Whispering Sands” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra*
“The Shifting Whispering Sands” – Randy Draper*
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” – Johnny Desmond
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” – Mitch Miller
“Tina Marie” – Perry Como
“Wake The Town And Tell The People” – Les Baxter
“Wake The Town And Tell The People” – Mindy Carson

* = 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

The ’50s often get typecast as boring and straight-laced, compared with the free-love ’60s, but in reality the counterculture was strong, just not mainstream. So ‘today in histories’ like this one are sadly few and far between…

On September 2nd, 19555, under the guidance of Dr. Humphry Osmond, TV presenter Christopher Mayhew ingests 400 mg of mescaline hydrochloride and allows himself to be filmed as part of a Panorama special for BBC TV that is never broadcast. Luckily it is available to view:

It was Dr Osmond who, the previous year, introduced science-fiction writer Aldous Huxley to his research into hallucinogens and the world of mescaline and who, during the ensuing correspondence, first coined the word “psychedelic”. As a direct result of his experiences at the receiving end of Osmond’s spoon, Huxley wrote his infamous guinea-pig dissertation “The Doors Of Perception”, a book which would later become a veritable bible amongst the ’60s acid subculture.

So, the ’50s – not so straight-laced.

On September 6, “Shree 420”, the highest grossing Bollywood film of it time was released. Evidently “the number 420 refers to Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes the punishment for the offence of cheating; hence, ‘Mr. 420’ is a derogatory term for a cheat.” See the full film below:

And on the small screen, long-running US TV series Gunsmoke is broadcast for the first time, on the CBS-TV network. It ran into the ’70s and was definitely still on rotation when I was a child. Here’s an episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNyEx6wI224

Finally, on September 26, “America’s Sweethearts”, showbiz couple Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, marry – both of whom have featured in our charts. They would divorce within four years, meanwhile Carrie and Todd were born… and just now I realise actress Carrie Fisher, a familiar face from my own childhood, is Eddie’s daughter!

What’d Sadie think?

“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller, which is indeed a fun number, knocks “Rock around the Clock” off the top after a good run – staying at the top for the whole month.

“Black Demin Trousers” by Cheers is the first of our new songs this week, and tells the story of a motorcycle rider, described as “the terror of Highway 101,” and his loyal but oft-neglected girlfriend Mary Lou. In the song she pleads with him not to ride one night: “I’ve got a feeling if you ride tonight I’ll grieve” she tells him, but he ignores her and “hit a screamin’ diesel that was California bound.” When investigators arrive at the scene of the collision, they find no trace of the motorcycle or rider except for his clothes… All in 2 minutes. It’s kind of fun.

“He” by Al Hibbler is a song about God, as if that wasn’t obvious in the name, and its much slower and less fun. Pass!

Lillian Briggs’ “I Want You To Be My Baby” picks up the pace somewhat. It’s a jump blues song written by Jon Hendricks for Louis Jordan whose recording in 1953 was an R&B chart hit that autumn. The original is much better so here it is:

“Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” by the Four Aces is from a movie of the same name. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and From 1967 to 1973, was used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing, a soap opera based on the movie. It’s a sweet tune, and heres the film trailer:

We’ve already done the Four Aces to Four Lads segue before…but here are again. “Moments To Remember” by the latter is a little lackadaisical..

Which is fine because its followed up by the outstanding “Only You” by The Platters. What a classic! Because it’s passed the test of time, there’s a bit more about it out there. For instance, Platters bass singer Herb Reed recalled how the group hit upon its successful version: “We tried it so many times, and it was terrible. One time we were rehearsing in the car … and the car jerked. Tony went ‘O-oHHHH-nly you.’ We laughed at first, but when he sang that song—that was the sign we had hit on something.” And in addition, according to producer Buck Ram, Tony Williams’ voice “broke” in rehearsal, but they decided to keep this effect in the recording.

Another version of “The Bible Tells Me So” hits the chart, this time by Don Cornell. I prefer his timbre and version in general. It’s weirdly catchy but I wouldn’t hit rewind on it.

Meanwhile, Jaye P. Morgan’s “The Longest Walk” is a swinging number that definitely got a few repeat listens. “The Shifting Whispering Sands” by Randy Draper on the other hand is a bit dull to round out our new tunes this time.

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

Workplaces are shutting up shop for the year in 2021, meanwhile back in 1955 its only August and the charts are looking something like this:

The songs of August, 1955

“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole & The Four Knights
“A Story Untold” – Crew-Cuts
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Fats Domino
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Pat Boone
“Autumn Leaves” – Roger Williams*
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Perez Prado
“Domani” – Julius Larosa
“Gum Drop” – Crew-Cuts*
“Hard To Get” – Gisele Mackenzie
“Honey-Babe” – Art Mooney Orchestra
“Hummingbird” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
“I’ll Never Stop Loving You” – Doris Day
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads
“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra
“Maybellene” – Chuck Berry*
“Razzle Dazzle” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Seventeen” – Boyd Bennett
“Seventeen” – Fontane Sisters*
“Seventeen” – Rusty Draper*
“Something’s Gotta Give / Love Me Or Leave Me” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“Something’s Gotta Give” – Mcguire Sisters
“Song Of The Dreamer / Don’T Stay Away Too Long” – Eddie Fisher*
“Sweet And Gentle” – Alan Dale
“That Old Black Magic” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“The Bible Tells Me So” – Nick Noble*
“The House Of Blue Lights” – Chuck Miller
“The Kentuckian Song” – Hilltoppers
“The Man In The Raincoat” – Priscilla Wright
“The Popcorn Song” – Cliffie Stone Orchestra*
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” – Johnny Desmond*
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” – Mitch Miller*
“Tina Marie / Fooled” – Perry Como*
“Unchained Melody” – Al Hibbler
“Unchained Melody” – Les Baxter
“Wake The Town And Tell The People” – Les Baxter*
“Wake The Town And Tell The People” – Mindy Carson*

* = 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 August 3, 1955 we saw the English-language première of Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” (a personal fave), directed by Peter Hall, taking place at the Arts Theatre, London. A televised performance of the play from 1961 is below:

Then on the 7th, “Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering”, the precursor to Sony, begins selling its first transistor radios in Japan. The “TR-55” model they launched would be renamed a “Sony” in 1958 and looked like the one below:

Very relevantly to our playlists, and this week in particular, on August 19th “WINS” radio (New York City), announces it will not play “copy” white cover versions of R&B records (DJ’s play Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame,” not Pat Boone’s).

And finally on Aug 26 we see the 1st color telecast (NBC) of a tennis match (Davis Cup). That doesn’t seem to be available but here’s a news reel about the 1955 cup, which shows just how different the game was back then.

Finally on August 27 the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records is published in London. Created by Sir Hugh Beaver, Managing Director of the Guinness Brewery, after a personal experience, with the aim of “settling pub arguments” it eventually became the institution we know today.

What’d Sadie think?

No surprise that Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” continues to dominate the charts, with another full month at the top.

Roger Williams was described by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the most popular instrumentalists of the mid-20th century”, and “the rare instrumental pop artist to strike a lasting commercial chord” but “Autumn Leaves” didn’t really leave us with much of a lasting impression.

“Gum Drop” by the Crew-Cuts on the other hand is one of those nonsense songs that manages to rise above the goofy lyrics – perhaps the great sax part in this case. Which was also the case with “Song Of The Dreamer” by Eddie Fisher.

Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” tells the story of “a hot rod race and a broken romance, the lyrics describing a man driving a V8 Ford and chasing his unfaithful girlfriend in her Cadillac Coupe DeVille.” It’s just cool.

So not cool is Nick Noble’s “The Bible Tells Me So”. Pass!

Meanwhile, “The Popcorn Song” by Cliffie Stone Orchestra and “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Johnny Desmond are both very sing-a-long-able.

“Tina Marie ” is not Perry Como at his best, but even on an average day he’s a ’50s staple right?

Mindy Carson’s “Wake The Town And Tell The People” is a wedding day number complete with the chorus imitating the sound of wedding bells – which here in December 2021 also makes it sound Xmas-y, so its a good ‘un to end the playlist on.

Alrighty, now go listen to the full playlist yourself on Youtube via this link.

In July in New Zealand there’s a curious phenomenon called “mid-winter Xmas” – where some people have a faux Xmas celebration to recognise the fact that its Winter, given that the real one falls during mid-summer down under. Of course it’s still not snowing or anything so it’s additionally odd. But there you go! All of this is to point out that it’s nearly Xmas in 2021 but in 1955 we’e just hitting July. So no Xmas tunes on this week’s playlist…

The songs of July, 1955

“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole & The Four Knights
“A Story Untold” – Crew-Cuts
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Fats Domino*
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Pat Boone*
“Alabama Jubilee” – Ferko String Band
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Perez Prado
“Dance With Me Henry” – Georgia Gibbs
“Domani” – Julius Larosa*
“Hard To Get” – Gisele Mackenzie
“Heart” – Eddie Fisher
“Hey Mr. Banjo” – Sunnysiders
“Honey-Babe” – Art Mooney Orchestra
“Hummingbird” – Les Paul & Mary Ford*
“I’ll Never Stop Loving You” – Doris Day*
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads
“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra
“Love Me Or Leave Me / Something’S Gotta Give” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“My One Sin” – Nat King Cole*
“Razzle Dazzle / Two Hound Dogs” – Bill Haley & The Comets*
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley
“Seventeen” – Boyd Bennett*
“Something’s Gotta Give / Love Me Or Leave Me” – Sammy Davis Jr.*
“Something’S Gotta Give” – Mcguire Sisters
“Sweet And Gentle” – Alan Dale*
“That Old Black Magic” – Sammy Davis Jr.*
“The Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Bill Hayes
“The Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Fess Parker
“The Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Tennessee Ernie Ford
“The Breeze And I” – Caterina Valente
“The House Of Blue Lights” – Chuck Miller
“The Kentuckian Song” – Hilltoppers*
“The Man In The Raincoat” – Priscilla Wright
“Unchained Melody” – Al Hibbler
“Unchained Melody” – Les Baxter
“Unchained Melody” – Roy Hamilton
“Whatever Lola Wants” – Sarah Vaughan

* = New to the chart this week.

We’ll pad out the playlist with a top 10 from the UK charts of the same month:

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link or embedded below:

This month in history

Happy days (see what i did there?) in 1955 as the original Disneyland launches on July 17. You can see a video about this below:

Not to be outdone, on July 26th Ted Allen threw a record 72 consecutive horseshoe ringers:

Different times eh.

What’d Sadie think?

It’s one more week at the top for “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” by Perez Prado before Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” storms the charts and changes pop for good. Maybe? We’ll see…

Love ’em

“Ain’t That A Shame” – Fats Domino

“My One Sin” – Nat King Cole

“Something’s Gotta Give / Love Me Or Leave Me” – Sammy Davis Jr.

“That Old Black Magic” – Sammy Davis Jr.

Where Will The Dimple Be? – Rosemary Clooney And The Mellomen

Stranger In Paradise – Tony Bennett

Like ’em

“I’ll Never Stop Loving You” – Doris Day

“Razzle Dazzle / Two Hound Dogs” – Bill Haley & The Comets

“Seventeen” – Boyd Bennett

“Sweet And Gentle” – Alan Dale

Dreamboat – Alma Cogan

I Wonder. – Dickie Valentine

Evermore – Ruby Murray

Cool Water – Frankie Laine With The Mellomen

Lose ’em

“Domani” – Julius Larosa

“Hummingbird” – Les Paul & Mary Ford

“The Kentuckian Song” – Hilltoppers

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

We’re mid-way through 1955 as we hit the end of the year back here in 2021. Let’s see what the middle of the middle of the 50’s sounds like:

The songs of June, 1955

“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole & The Four Knights
“A Story Untold” – Crew-Cuts*
“Alabama Jubilee” – Ferko String Band*
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Bill Hayes
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Fess Parker
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Tennessee Ernie Ford
“Blue Star” – Felicia Sanders
“Chee-Chee-Oo-Chee” – Perry Como And Jaye P. Morgan*
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Alan Dale
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Prez Prado
“Dance With Me Henry” – Georgia Gibbs
“Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup / The Sand And The Sea” – Nat King Cole
“Don’t Be Angry” – Crew-Cuts
“Hard To Get” – Gisele Mackenzie*
“Heart” – Eddie Fisher
“Heart” – Four Aces
“Hey Mr. Banjo” – Sunnysiders
“Honey-Babe” – Art Mooney Orchestra
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads
“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra
“Love Me Or Leave Me” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“Melody Of Love” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra
“Most Of All / The Door Is Still Open To My Heart” – Don Cornell
“Plantation Boogie” – Lenny Dee
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Something’s Gotta Give” – Mcguire Sisters*
“The Breeze And I” – Caterina Valente
“The Crazy Otto” – Johnny Maddox
“The House Of Blue Lights” – Chuck Miller*
“The Man In The Raincoat” – Priscilla Wright*
“Tweedlee Dee” – Georgia Gibbs
“Two Hearts” – Pat Boone
“Unchained Melody” – Al Hibbler
“Unchained Melody” – Les Baxter
“Unchained Melody” – Roy Hamilton
“Whatever Lola Wants” – Dinah Shore*
“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

Did the 50’s peak in the middle of the decade? Hard to tell but there’s some iconic moments coming up. On June 1 Marilyn Monroe (on her 29th birthday) and her husband Joe DiMaggio attend the première of “The Seven Year Itch”, featuring the iconic scene in which Monroe stands on a New York City Subway grating as her white dress is blown above her knees. Of course you can watch it on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUjege2gYEU

And then on June 7th, the television quiz “The $64,000 Question” premieres on CBS-TV in the United States. An oh so ’50s episode below:

And then on the 8th of June, Tim “inventor of the Internet” Berners-Lee, English computer scientist and inventor is born, in London. Here’s 5 facts…

What’d Sadie think?

A new number one for the month, “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” by Prez Prado and it stays there for all four weeks.

New on the charts we have the OK with “A Story Untold” by Crew-Cuts; the awful with “Alabama Jubilee” by Ferko String Band; and the fun with “Chee-Chee-Oo-Chee” by Perry Como And Jaye P. Morgan. We do love a good nonsense chorus.

“Hard To Get” by Gisele Mackenzie was her biggest selling song and not a bad one at that. Apparently she was also an accomplished classical violinist, who studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music and performed many comedic musical duets with mentor Jack Benny. Below is a classic clip of her and Benny performing a violin duet of “Getting to Know You”, in which she breaks their synchronisation several times to add some extra musical flourishes, to his mock irritation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3cc0HlO7so

“Something’s Gotta Give” by the Mcguire Sisters was the biggest selling version of the song and a fun swinging one it is. It was written for and first performed by Fred Astaire in the 1955 musical film Daddy Long Legs. You can see that sung here:

Chuck Miller’s “The House Of Blue Lights” is a version of a song originally from 1946 which was probably worth a second go around.

“The Man In The Raincoat” by Priscilla Wright is a belting tune. Wright was 14 at the time the song was released, and was the daughter of Don Wright, who was the arranger on the recording.

Lastly we have a nice new version of “Whatever Lola Wants” by Dinah Shore. Apparently the title is from a saying inspired by Lola Montez, an Irish-born “Spanish dancer” and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. So there you go.

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

Busy times in 2021 so we’re a couple of days late in this week’s email. The point of this project has always been to listen and enjoy the music from the month in history with Sadie – which we do every weekend. But now back to May, 1955…

The songs of May, 1955

“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole & The Four Knights
“Ballad Of Davy Crocket” – Fess Parker
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Bill Hayes
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Tennessee Ernie Ford
“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Voices Of Walter Schumann
“Blue Star” – Felicia Sanders
“Boom Boom Boomerang” – Decastro Singers
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Alan Dale
“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Prez Prado
“Dance With Me Henry” – Georgia Gibbs
“Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup / The Sand And The Sea” – Nat King Cole
“Don’t Be Angry” – Crew-Cuts
“Don’t Be Angry” – Nappy Brown
“Heart” – Eddie Fisher
“Heart” – Four Aces
“Hey Mr. Banjo” – Sunnysiders
“Honey-Babe” – Art Mooney Orchestra
“How Important Can It Be” – Joni James
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads
“Ko Ko Mo” – Perry Como
“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra
“Love Me Or Leave Me” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“Melody Of Love” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra
“Melody Of Love” – Four Aces
“Most Of All / The Door Is Still Open To My Heart” – Don Cornell
“Open Up Your Heart” – Cowboy Church Sunday School
“Plantation Boogie” – Lenny Dee
“Play Me Hearts And Flowers” – Johnny Desmond
“Pledging My Love / How Important Can It Be” – Teresa Brewer
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Sincerely” – Mcguire Sisters
“The Breeze And I” – Caterina Valente
“The Crazy Otto” – Johnny Maddox
“Tweedlee Dee” – Georgia Gibbs
“Two Hearts” – Pat Boone
“Unchained Melody” – Al Hibbler
“Unchained Melody” – June Valli
“Unchained Melody” – Les Baxter
“Unchained Melody” – Roy Hamilton
“Whatever Lola Wants” – Sarah Vaughan

* = New to the chart this week.

And we’ll supplement this with a top 10 R&B chart from the month:

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link or embedded below:

This month in history

West Germany becomes a sovereign country recognized by Western foreign countries, such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States on May the 5th. Probably not to celebrate, but that month in Berlin police put on a fascinating display:

Speaking of shows, on May the 9th Jim Henson introduces the earliest version of Kermit the Frog in the premiere of his puppet show Sam and Friends on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Here’s a clip from one episode of that show:

What’d Sadie think?

It’s catchy but we don’t need 4 versions of “Ballad Of Davy Crockett”, but Bill Hayes is still ruling the roost in May, 1955 with 4 weeks at the top.

Love ’em

We’ll do short form wrap-up of the songs but we can’t let the appearance of “Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & The Comets go without remarking that it was the first rock and roll record to reach #1 on the US charts. Whatever you think of it, its notable and influential in bringing both the sounnd of rock, and it’s nomenclature, to the mainstream.

And of course it was the theme for Happy Days for the first two seasons:

Which was a favourite show of mine in the ’80s. Admittedly I think I thought it was a show _made_ in the ’50s not made _about_ the ’50s in the ’70s. It’s all very different looking back!

“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole & The Four Knights

“Boom Boom Boomerang” – Decastro Singers

“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra

“Love Me Or Leave Me” – Sammy Davis Jr.

“Unchained Melody” – June Valli

“Unchained Melody” – Ray Hamilton

“Whatcha Gonna Do” – The Drifters

“I’m a Man” – Bo Diddly

“I gotta a woman” – Ray Charles

Like ’em

“Blue Star” – Felicia Sanders

“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” – Alan Dale

“Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup / The Sand And The Sea” – Nat King Cole

“Heart” – Eddie Fisher

“Most Of All / The Door Is Still Open To My Heart” – Don Cornell

“Don’t be Angry” – Nappy Brown

“Flip Flop and Fly” – Joe Turner

“My Babe” – Little Walter

“That’s all i need” – Lavern Baker

“The Wall Flower” – Etta James

Lose ’em

“Ballad Of Davy Crockett” – Voices Of Walter Schumann
“Hey Mr. Banjo” – Sunnysiders

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

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM9BMVFpk80

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.