March 1st. 2013 = March 1st. 1959!!

Here we go again!
The second (first, chronologically) of the Radio 2UW "Fabulous Fifty Top Hits" to be re-broadcast 54 years later is this one from the week-ending 1st. March 1959.
Although a Sunday, it was beautifully coincidental that the date just happened to align with my Friday edition of the Baby-Boomer Radio Show.

So this Friday's show will feature 48 of the Fab Fifty - the two songs that won't be included are those by UK artist Ronnie Hilton - "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and "The Street Where You Live" (sitting at #6 and #9 respectively back then). I have not been able to source the 45 disc which featured these tracks (A and B sides of the one 45).

However, that still means that 96% of the list will be broadcast and in addition to the Fifty there are also the ten "Best New Releases" of that week and ten "Up-And-Coming" songs.
Just take a look at the playlist (counting down from #1 to #50), taken from the chart shown above:-

FABULOUS 50 TOP TUNES

1. Beep Beep - the Playmates
2. Summertime, Summertime - the Jamies
3. Bim-Bom-Bay - Jimmie Rodgers
4. Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochrane
5. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - the Platters
6. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face - Ronnie Hilton (not available)
7. Topsy II - Cozy Cole
8. Old Black Magic - Louis Prima & Keely Smith
9. The Street Where You Live - Ronnie Hilton (not available)
10. She Was Only Seventeen - Marty Robbins
11. Walking Along - the Diamonds
12. A House, A Car, A Wedding Ring - Mike Preston (before he came to Australia from the UK)
13. Mr. Success - Frank Sinatra
14. I Got Stung - Elvis Presley
15. What Do I Care - Johnny Cash
16. Come Prima - Tony Dallara (Dalardo)
17. Mandolins In The Moonlight - Perry Como
18. The Children's Marching Song - Cyril Stapleton & Chorus
19. Lazy Summer Night - the Four Preps
20. Lonesome Town - Ricky Nelson
21. La Paloma - Billy Vaughn
22. Hard-Headed Woman - Elvis Presley
23. Treasure Of Your Love - Eileen Rodgers (plus Australian Laurel Lea's cover)
24. To Know Him Is To Love Him - the Teddy Bears
25. I Ain't Gonna Do It - Fats Domino
26. Heartbeat - Buddy Holly
27. I Wanna Be Happy Cha Cha - Enoch Light Orchestra
28. Bing Bang Bong - Sophia Loren (Yep...you read it correctly!)
29. The Teen Commandments - Paul Anka, Johnny Nash & George Hamilton IV
30. Red River Rose - the Ames Brothers
31. Cimarron - Billy Vaughn
32. Forget Me Not - the Kalin Twins
33. Tom Dooley - the Kingston Trio
34. Ain't I The Lucky One - Marty Robbins
35. It's So Easy - Buddy Holly
36. Volare - Domenico Modugno (Eurovision winner & a year before Bobby Rydell's cover)
37. Born Too Late - the Poni-Tails
38. Problems - the Everly Brothers
39. Saturday Girl - Johnny O'Connor <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
40. Baby Face - Little Richard
41. Lonely Tear Drops - Jackie Wilson
42. Sweetie Pie - Tommy Blake
43. The Magician - Dean Martin
44. Firefly - Tony Bennett
45. A Lover's Question - Clyde McPhatter
46. Pretend Cha Cha - Carl Mann version (reference could not be found to "Cha Cha" suffix)
47. Blue Ribbon Baby - Tommy Sands
48. It's Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty
49. Hey, Sheriff - Johnny Rebb <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
50. Gotta Travel On - Ray Melton (Cover of the Billy Grammer version)  <<<< AUSTRALIAN!

BEST NEW RELEASES

• Hawaiian Wedding Song - Andy Williams (A year before Elvis' "Blue Hawaii")
• Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simione Chorale
• (Oh) Donna - Richie Valens
• My Happiness - Connie Francis
• It's Only The Beginning - the Kalin Twins
• La Bamba (flip) Plain Jane - Bobby Darin ("Flip" = A-side & B-side of the same 45)
• A Letter To An Angel - Jimmy Clanton
• Philadelphia, USA - the Nu Tornados
• Blue Hawaii (flip) Tico Tico ("Flip" = A-side & B-side of the same 45)
• Woman From Liberia - Jimmie Rodgers

UP-AND-COMING DISCS

• Enchanted Island - the Four Lads (Jane Morgan also had a version)
• Big Bopper's Wedding - the Big Bopper
• The Blob - the Five Blobs
• Turvy I and II - Cozy Cole (neither tracks available)
• All American Boy - Bill Parsons
• Tarrytown - Harry Belafonte (not available)
• May You Always - the McGuire Sisters
• Cocquette (flip) Whole Lot Of Living - Fats Domino ("Flip" = A-side & B-side of the same 45)
• What Do You Know - Johnny O'Keefe  <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
• Caravan I & II - Cozy Cole
• The World Outside - the Four Aces
• The Diary - Neil Sedaka

There are several things that stand out in neon lights a mile high in the above list of 70 songs.
One is the fact that there is only one British artist. One - Ronnie Hilton.
Boy, was all that to change in about 4 year's time!
Secondly, from a parochial viewpoint, only four Australian artists (not including Laurel Lea).
Another obvious fact is that male artists outnumbered females by a HUGE majority. The girls hardly had a look-in.
And the oddest sight of all is that of Sophia Loren's name up there at #28!
Things have certainly changed in 54 years!

But put those "let's be wise in hindsight" observations aside and WOW!, what a list of 50s/60s music that is! Fabulous examples of the formative years of rock 'n' roll.

Like the first show of this type (Friday 22nd. March), what cannot fit into the three hours will be carried over to the Monday program.

I hope that you can join me in our time-capsule and travel back to March 1st. 1959.
If you were a Sydney-sider (like me) then we can imagine that we are sitting in our cars overlooking Bondi Beach, or whatever it was that took your fancy back then. :)

Monday 25th. - continuing from Friday

In Friday's program I played up to and including the Top Forty from the 2UW  "Fabulous Top Fifty" chart for 14th. June 1959.
So today I will continue on and play the final "bottom 10" (i.e., 41 to 50) from that list and then the New Releases and Up-And-Coming records that were also shown, as follows:-

• 41    Maybe Someday - the Young Lions --/1
• 42    You Made Me Love You - Keely Smith --/1
• 43    Dream Lover - Bobby Darin --/1
• 44    I Need Your Love Tonight - Elvis Presley --/1
• 45    Charlie Brown - the Coasters 29/7
• 46    She Say - the Diamonds 24/5
• 47    I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself - Buddy Knox --/1
• 48    Turn Me Loose - Fabian --/1
• 49    There'll Never Be Anyone Else But You - Ricky Nelson --/1
• 50    My Happiness - Connie Francis 45/7

BEST NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

• Five Pennies Saints- Danny Kaye & Louis Armstrong
• A Teenager In Love - Dion & the Belmonts
• The Kissing Tree - Billy Grammer
• I Still Get A Thrill (Thinking Of You) - Joni James
• The Mating Game - Debbie Reynolds
• Pathway To Paradise - Johnnie Rebb <<<< AUSTRALIAN
• The Walls Have Ears - Patti Page
• The Mocking Bird - the Four Lads
• I Don't See Me In Your Eyes - Carl Perkins (Also Jim Reeves).
• She's The Ginchiest - Lee Gordon <<<< AUSTRALIAN (Lee was an American who came to Australia in 1953 and became a successful promoter. He died in England in 1963).

UP-AND-COMING DISCS

• Only You - Frank Pourcel
• Sorry - the Impalas
• Tragedy - Thomas Wayne
• Come To Me - Marv Johnson
• Mason-Dixon Line - the Ames Brothers (copy not available)
• Ciao Ciao Bambina - Johnny's Boys version (Teddy Reno copy not available)
• Up Jumped A Rabbit - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
• Darlin' Cora - Harry Belafonte
• Gone Gone Gone - the Crewcuts (copy not available)
• Lonesome Old House - Don Gibson

Time will allow for the regular half-hour Comedy Spot following the 10 AM news & weather and will feature another in the Hancock's Half-hour series.

Please join me if you can as we wallow in the deep end of the nostalgia pool - as usual!

A SPECIAL program - Friday 22nd. February

I have been able to source play-list information from a half-dozen of the weekly Top Fifty lists in 1959 for Sydney radio station 2UW.
These single sheets, usually about the size of what we would think of as an A4 sheet of paper, were available from record stores and were also displayed in the lobbies of the various radio stations that targeted the teenagers of the day.
They were, quite literally, the "charts" referred to by the disc-jockies of the period.
With no video promotion, it was the presenters who held sway over what was played and, as a result, what became successful or otherwise.

So in today's program I will feature as many of the tracks that I can fit in to the three-hour time period from the list that was issued for the week of June 14th. 1959 and to do so I will be omitting the regular half-hour comedy spot that follows the 3:00 PM news & weather update.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the contributions made by two You Tube channels, TheLimePopsicle and MaltShopPopsicle, without which several of the hit songs would not have been available. Many thanks, Tom.

Below is the list of songs as taken from that chart, with current position, previous week's position and number of weeks in the charts - shown by the two numerals following the track information.

FABULOUS FIFTY TOP TUNES

1. Bye Bye Baby - Col Joye  1/5                       <<<<  AUSTRALIAN
2. Pink Shoelaces - Dodie Stevens  2/5
3. A Fool Such As I - Elvis Presley  3/7
4. Alvin's Harmonica - the Chipmunks (David Seville)  6/5
5. The Happy Organ - Dave 'Baby' Cortez  9/4
6. Personality - Lloyd Price  19/2
7. Wang Dang Taffy Apple Tango - Pat Boone 22/4
8. Take A Message To Mary - the Everly Brothers  20/2
9. Detour - Duane Eddy  15/6
10. Tell Him No - Travis & Bob 18/3
11. It's Just A Matter Of Time - Brook Benton   11/3
12. It's Late - Ricky Nelson  14/4
13. Big Blonde Baby - Ronnie Self  27/5
14. Everybody Loves To Cha Cha - Sam Cooke  16/4
15. Tijuana Jail - Kingston Trio  23/3
16. Tall Paul - Annette Funicello  8/12
17. Come Softly To Me - the Fleetwoods  10/10
18. For A Penny - Pat Boone  26/2
19. Poor Jenny - the Everly Brothers  21/2
20. I Got A Wife - the Mark IV  12/6
21. Luther Played The Boogie - Johnny Cash  7/6
22. Venus - Frankie Avalon  4/12
23. Theme from the movie "Separate Tables" - Frank Sinatra?  17/2
24. Quiet Village - Martin Denny  --/1
25. Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me - Shirley Bassey  36/2
26. Walking Through My Dreams - the Big Bopper  --/1
27. Two Brothers - the Lettermen  --/1
28. Oh Donna - Richie Valens
29. I'm Never Gonna Tell - Jimmy Rodgers  17/6
30. Yep! - Duane Eddy  30/2
31. Jo-jo The Dog-Faced Boy - Annette Funicello  --/1
32. La Plume De Ma Tante - Hugo & Luigi  --/1
33. Guitar Boogie Shuffle - the Virtues  35/2
34. Sixteen Candles - the Crests  11/11
35. Black Nightgown (from the movie "I Want To Live") - Gerry Mulligan  --/1
36. There Must Be A Way - Joni James  42/5
37. As Time Goes By - Johnny Nash  39/3
38. Apple Blossom Time - Tab Hunter  --/1
39. No Fool Like A Young Fool - Terry Dene  --/1
40. Blah Blah Blah - Nicola Paone  35/9
41. Maybe Someday - the Young Lions  --/1
42. You Made Me Love You - Keely Smith  --/1
43. Dream Lover - Bobby Darin  --/1
44. I Need Your Love Tonight - Elvis Presley  --/1
45. Charlie Brown - the Coasters  29/7
46. She Say - the Diamonds  24/5
47. I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself - Buddy Knox  --/1
48. Turn Me Loose - Fabian  --/1
49. There'll Never Be Anyone Else But You - Ricky Nelson  --/1
50. My Happiness - Connie Francis  45/7

With the benefit of nearly sixty years of hindsight, we can pick out a few interesting facts from the above list, not the least of which is that of the fifty records listed, only one is by an Australian artist (Col Joye.)
Another statistic is that there were no records from artists in Great Britain; the British Invasion was almost five years away. Ninety-five percent of our popular music came from the USA.

In addition to the Top Fifty, the 2UW chart also included the following two categories:-

BEST NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

• Five Pennies Saints- Danny Kaye & Louis Armstrong
• A Teenager In Love - Dion & the Belmonts
• The Kissing Tree - Billy Grammer
• I Still Get A Thrill (Thinking Of You) - Joni James
• The Mating Game - Debbie Reynolds
• Pathway To Paradise - Johnnie Rebb      <<<< AUSTRALIAN
• The Walls Have Ears - Patti Page
• The Mocking Bird - the Four Lads
• I Don't See Me In Your Eyes - Carl Perkins (Also Jim Reeves).
• She's The Ginchiest - Lee Gordon      <<<< AUSTRALIAN (Lee was an American who came to Australia in 1953 and became a successful promoter. He died in England in 1963).

UP-AND-COMING DISCS

• Only You - Frank Pourcel
• Sorry - the Impalas
• Tragedy - Thomas Wayne
• Come To Me - Marv Johnson
• Mason-Dixon Line - the Ames Brothers (copy not available)
• Ciao Ciao Bambina - Johnny's Boys version (Teddy Reno copy not available)
• Up Jumped A Rabbit - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
• Darlin' Cora - Harry Belafonte
• Gone Gone Gone - the Crewcuts (copy not available)
• Lonesome Old House - Don Gibson

Please join me for a HUGE nostalgia trip back to the 14th. of June, 1959, as we immerse ourselves in the pops and hits of 54 years ago.

Monday 18th. February - we go back 50 Years!

The program for today will feature the Top 30 from exactly fifty years ago; in other words, what was being played on the 18th. February 1963.

The playlist includes the following tracks. (Numbers in brackets indicate the highest that they charted in the USA):-

• I Saw Linda Yesterday - Dickey Lee (14)
• Mama Didn't Lie - Jan Bradley (14)
• Walk Like A Man - the Four Seasons (1)
• Wild Weekend - the Rebels (8)
• From A Jack To A King - Ned Miller (6)
• I Wanna Be Around - Tony Bennett (14)
• Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence (1)
• South Street - the Orlons (3)
• Loop De Loop - Johnny Thunder (4)
• Fly Me To The Moon - Joe Harnell & his Orchestra (14)
• Rhythm Of The Rain - the Cascades (3)
• Hey, Paula - Paul & Paula (1)
• You're The Reason I'm Living - Bobby Darin (3)
• Tell Him - the Exciters (4)
• Blame It On The Bossa Nova - Eydie Gorme (7)
• Our Day Will Come - Ruby & the Romantics (1)
• Walk Right In - the Rooftop Singers (1)
• The Night Has A Thousand Eyes - Bobby Vee (3)
• Up On The Roof - the Drifters (5)
• The End Of The World - Skeeter Davis (2)
• He's Sure The Boy I Love - the Crystals (11)
• Two Lovers - Mary Wells (7)
• Send Me Some Lovin' - Sam Cooke (13)
• Greenback Dollar - the Kingston Trio (21)
• Baby Workout - Jackie Wilson (5)
• You've Really Got A Hold On Me - the Miracles (8) (the Beatles covered it in July)
• Little Town Flirt - Del Shannon (12)
• What Will Mary Say - Johnny Mathis (9)
• That's The Way Love Is - Bobby 'Blue' Bland (33)
• My Colouring Book - Kitty Kallen (18)
• Don't Make Me Over - Dionne Warwick (13)
• Mr. Bass Man - Johnny Cymbal (17)

The Comedy Spot (following the 10:00 AM news & weather) is a Hancock's Half-hour, this one entitled "The Insurance Policy" and featuring Tony Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams. It was first broadcast by the BBC on the 11th. February 1958.

Tony considers taking out life insurance and, you guessed it, Sid James just happens to operate an insurance business!
Kenneth Williams plays a veterinarian in this show. Yes, a vet! You'll have to listen to it to find out.

Summer will soon be over.

As we approach the last weeks of our summertime, I thought that it would be nice to feature some classic "summery" pop-music in the program for Friday 15th. February.

Drawn mostly from those fab days of the 1960s when popular music with a surfing or beach theme ruled the airwaves, you will be able to hear Australian and American groups as they belt out those sand and salt-spray covered hits from the Top Forty charts between 1960 and 1965.

Groups such as the Beach Boys, the Sunrays, the Rivieras, the Trashmen, the Surfaris, the Delltones, Mungo Jerry and solo artists including Little Pattie, Paul Anka, Connie Francis and others will fill your ears with the upbeat sounds that had us stompin' left, right and centre!

So join me as we wind down the summer of 2012/2013 with a medley of some of the best popular music of our youth.

The Comedy Spot that follows the 3:00 PM news & weather will today feature another classic Hancock's Half-hour, this one entitled "The Student Prince", and featuring Tony Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams and a new face (voice!) in Andree Melly (who preceeded Hattie Jacques).

Monday 11th. February - 0900 to 1200

 

Today's program features a mix of 1950s and 1960s pop and a dash of Easy Listening music.

The playlist includes the following hits from the the international and Australian charts:- 

• I Just Need Your Love - Little Pattie (Australian artist - 1960s)
• Born Too Late - the Shannons (1958)
• She's So Fine - the Easybeats (Australian artists - 1960s)
• Teenage Baby - Col Joye (Australian artist - 1950s)
• Tracy's Theme - Spencer Ross (1960)
• Beatnik Fly - Johnny & the Hurricanes (1960)
• Easier Said Than Done - Laurel Lee (Australian artist - 1960s)
• Cotton Candy - Al Hirt (1964)
• Fun, Fun, Fun - the Beachboys (1964)
• Georgie Girl - the Seekers (1960s)
• Born Too Late - the Poni-Tails (1958) (A counterpoint to the version by the Shannons)
• Come A Little Bit Closer - the Delltones (Australian artist - 1960s)
• Cradle Of Love - Billy Preston (1960)
• Pineapple Princess - Annette Funicello (1960)
• Ciao Baby - Lynn Randell (Australian artist - 1960s)
• Twenty-Six Miles - the Four Preps (1958)
• And I Love Her - the Beatles (1964)
• Diane - the Bachelors (1964)
• Volare - Bobby Rydell (1960)
• What Am I Doing Here With You? - Bev Harrell (Australian artist - 1960s)
• Blue Jeans - David Dundas (1970s)
• Always Something There To Remind Me - Sandie Shaw (1964)
• One In A Million - Bev Harrell (Australian artist - 1960s)
• Beyond The Sea (La Mer) - Bobby Darin (1960)
• Green Onions - Booker T & the MGs (1962)
• Would You Lay With Me - Judy Stone (Australian artist - 1960s)
• On The Prowl - Ol' 55 (Australian artists)
• Rag Doll - the Four Seasons (1964)
• Downtown - Petula Clark (1964)
• Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett (1962)
• Fever - Peggy Lee (1958)
• Blow Away - A Fine Frenzy (Alison Sudol - 2010)
• Beyond The Blue Horizon - Lou Christie (1970s)
   

 

 

The Comedy Spot which follows the news & weather update at 10:00 AM is another classic radio piece from the Hancock's Half-Hour series, entitled "The Picnic" and first broadcast by the BBC on the 20th. October 1959.



Program for Friday 8th. February 2013

Today I am going back in time to the 8th. of February 1961 (which was a Wednesday, incidentally) and the Top Thirty tunes that were being broadcast over the airwaves exactly 52 years ago.

Included in the playlist are the following tracks:-

• Wheels - the String-Alongs (also made popular by Bert Kaempfert)
• Asia Minor - Kokomo
• Dedicated To The One I Love - the Shirelles (the first of two in the charts this week)
• Theme from The Magnificent Seven - Al Cailoa & Orchestra
• Baby-Sitting Boogie - Buzz Clifford
• I Count The Tears - the Drifters
• Good Time Baby - Bobby Rydell
• Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
• There's A Moon Out Tonight - the Capris
• Rubber Ball - Bobby Vee
• Walk Right Back - the Everly Brothers
• Wings Of A Dove - Ferlin Husky
• All In My Mind - Maxine Brown
• Pony Time - Chubby Checker
• Once In A While - the Chimes
• Corrina, Corrina - Ray Peterson
• Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka
• Where The Boys Are - Connie Francis
• Will You Love Me Tomorrow - the Shirelles (the second of their two in this weeks Top 40)
• You Can Have Her - Roy Hamilton
• Them That Got - Ray Charles
• Shop Around - the Miracles
• Please Love Me Forever - Cathy Jean & the Roommates (60s music was not all wonderful!)
• Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea) - Lolita
• Emotions - Brenda Lee
• Apache - Jorgen Inman
• Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King
• Theme from Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
• At Last - Etta James
• Are You Lonesome Tonight - Elvis Presley
• Wonderland By Night - Bert Kaempfert
• Angel Baby - Rosie & the Originals (similar quality to Cathy Jean's effort!)

The Comedy Spot, following the 3:00 PM news update, is a Hancock's Half-hour, from the 2nd. of February 1956, entitled "Cyrano de Hancock".
It features Tony Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.

Monday 4th. February - Different Times!

The program today will not only start at an earlier time but it will also be shorter.
This is due to the fact that for the first time in 20 years (i.e., since 1993) I am going to watch the American NFL Superbowl LIVE!!!

The last time that I was able to do this was the 1993 game, when Don Lane was the presenter and the games were shown here live on the ABC.

So.......today's program is starting an hour-and-a-half earlier than normal, at 7:30 AM, and will finish at 9:30, truncated to two hours instead of 3. (Normal time-slot is 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.)

I do hope that my regular listeners will forgive this shortened program, but now that I've been retired for nearly six months I don't have to feel guilty about taking time off work to watch a football game!

The two hours will be a mix of all that was good from the 1950s and 1960s charts but due to the abbreviated time I will not be including the regular half-hour comedy spot.
The playlist includes the following tracks that were receiving airplay in the Top Forty, 51 years ago, in the first week of February, 1962:-

• The Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee and the Starlighters
• Crying In The Rain - the Everly Brothers
• A Little Bitty Tear - Burl Ives
• Her Royal Majesty - James Darren
• Cotton Fields - the Highwaymen
• Multiplication - Bobby Darin
• Hey! Baby - Bruce Channel
• Chip Chip - Gene McDaniels
• Norman - Sue Thompson
• I Know - Barbara George
• Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler
• Irresistable You - Bobby Darin
• Baby It's You - the Shirrelles
• Break It To Me Gently - Brenda Lee
• The Twist - Chubby Checker
• The Wanderer - Dion
• Midnight In Moscow - Kenny Ball and the Jazzmen
• Town Without Pity - Gene Pitney
• Smokey Places - the Corsairs
• Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
• Let Me In - the Sensations

Please join me if you can.

Friday 1st. February - a new month!

 

Well, here we are one full month into the year of 2013. January seemed to fly past so I expect the next 11 months will be much the same!

The program for today is similar to the last couple in that it will feature a selection of popular hits and easy-listening tracks from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.....and maybe a small foray into the 1980s.

Comedy spot after the 2:00 PM news & weather update will be a Hancock's Half-hour, today presenting, from 1958, "Hancock's Car".

Please join me for three hours of perfect Baby-boomer nostalgia.