"Wonderland By Night" #1 1/14/1961

#1 in January of 1961. One of those instrumentals TV stations used to play when they had "technical difficulties." Bert Kaempfert was a German trumpeter and composer who may be best known as the guy who first hired the Beatles for a recording session. They were playing the rowdy dives of Hamburg in the fall of 1961 when Herr Kaempfert brought them into the studio to back up Tony Sheridan on a couple of songs. A few months later, a fellow walked into a Liverpool record store operated by Brian Epstein and his family and asked for one of those 45's. They didn't have it, but Brian was intrigued by a local band making a record and sought them out. The rest, as they say, is history.

"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" #1 12/3/1960

Originally written in 1926, this was the favorite song of Col. Tom Parker's wife, so the Colonel personally asked Elvis to record it as soon as he got out of the Army in the spring of 1960. RCA didn't release the song right away, however, fearing it was out of character for the King. When they finally got around to doing so, it stayed at #1 for six weeks. There is a "laughing Elvis" version from a 1979 box set where he just loses it on stage. Happens to the best of them.

"Stay" #1 11/26/1960

Back to 1960 and the shortest #1 record ever on the rock charts, from Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. Maurice wrote it in 1953 at age 15 after trying to convince his date not to go home. The Hollies (in the UK) and the Four Seasons also had hits with this as did Jackson Browne, who put it on his 1978 live album "Running On Empty." This was also on the soundtrack of "Dirty Dancing."

"Love You So Much" #61 3/25/1967

New Colony Six had a number of local hits in their hometown of Chicago, but it took several years for them to break through on a national level. For instance, this was their highest charting Billboard record to date, but it had already reached #2 on the WLS survey a couple of months earlier back in the Windy City. They wouldn't crack the Billboard Top 40 for another year.

"Tiny Bubbles" #57 3/25/1967

Don Ho was perhaps the ultimate lounge singer, Hawaiian style. He also had a bachelors degree in sociology and was an Air Force veteran. His family owned a bar on Oahu where he regularly performed for the tourists. Don landed a deal with Frank Sinatra's Reprise label, but he made a decent living in the clubs on Waikiki. This record set a Hot 100 longevity mark for never getting above #50 (17 weeks).

"Morningtown Ride" #44 3/25/1967

The last US chart appearance for the Seekers was a lullaby that made the Top 10 in their homeland of Australia. Seekers member Keith Potger later formed the New Seekers, who had a few hits in the 70's, most notably the full-length version of a Coca-Cola jingle. Judith Durham has the voice of an angel, but she had a minor brain hemorrhage several years ago. :(

"Niki Hoeky" #23 3/25/1967

Texas-born James Marcus Smith tried to make it in the rock and roll biz in the late 50's with no real success. A female friend suggested he use her former boyfriend's name on stage, and the newly minted P.J. Proby moved to England. He had several Top 10 hits over there, overshadowed by a few instances where he split his trousers on stage. This was his only US Top 40 record. Hey, I can't decipher the lyrics, either.

"Return Of The Red Baron" #15 3/25/1967

As far as novelty records go, this sequel did almost as well as the first one by the Royal Guardsmen. These guys managed to milk the whole Peanuts and Snoopy/Red Baron thingy for all they could. Like Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, their label gave them a hard time for wanting to record their own material. Still, the novelty genre garnered them more than a few bucks. Good grief.

"My Cup Runneth Over" #8 3/25/1967

The Ames Brothers were quite the popular vocal group in the 1940's and 50's. Like so many others, the hits dried up when rock and roll came along. Ed Ames then got into acting, most notably portraying Mingo, the Native American on "Daniel Boone." This was his biggest solo record, and he just nails it at the end! He had an appearance on "The Tonight Show" bordering on immortality. Johnny Carson thought it was a cutting edge gig for sure. BTW, Ed really WAS Jewish.

"For What It's Worth" #7 3/25/1967

Although this was the only hit single for Buffalo Springfield, the band's influence went much deeper. Their members included Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay (later with Poco) and Jim Messina (later with Poco and Kenny Loggins). This was a protest song, but not against the Vietnam War - it was written by Stills about a disturbance regarding the closing of a nightclub on the Sunset Strip called Pandora's Box. This was included on the "Forrest Gump" soundtrack.

"Sock It To Me, Baby!" #6 3/25/1967

"Every time you kiss me, hits me like a punch." These lyrics with such deep meaning were from the latest record by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. The band had one more Top 40 tune before their producer Bob Crewe talked Mitch into going solo, whereupon the group broke up soon afterward.

"There's A Kind Of Hush" #4 3/25/1967

First released by a pre-teen sibling group from Ohio called Gary and the Hornets (picture the Jonas Brothers without the Disney propaganda machine) but Herman's Hermits far overshadowed that version. Better marketing, I guess. By now, their producer Mickie Most worked essentially with Peter Noone alongside top British session musicians. This would be the Hermits' last US Top 10 record.

"Dedicated To The One I Love" #2 3/25/1967

Like the 1961 version by the Shirelles, the Mamas and the Papas took this to the Top 5 as well, their fifth such record. It was the first A-side where Michelle Phillips took the primary female lead instead of Mama Cass Elliot. And like the Turtles record we just featured, it's been used a lot in advertising over the years. The song was even featured in a 90's episode of "Knots Landing," the prime time TV soap that starred Michelłe.

"Happy Together" #1 3/25/1967

Two-fers for the next seven days! The Turtles started out as a surf rock band called the Crossfires. When that group broke up, vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman tried to ride whatever musical wave happened to be cresting at the moment. Here, they certainly hit upon the sunshine pop style of light, breezy, sunny rock, as this was their only #1 record. It has been used in countless TV commercials since.

"Georgia On My Mind" #1 11/19/1960

There may never be another song so closely associated with a performer than this tune was with Ray Charles. Written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, there have been literally hundreds of other versions (and Willie Nelson's is just GREAT!), but there is no question who had the definitive recording. Ray took this to #1 on the pop charts in November 1960. He performed it before the Georgia State Assembly in 1979; a month later, it was named the state song. One for the ages.

"Sit Down, I Think I Love You" #36 3/18/1967

The Mojo Men became a one-hit wonder when they did a cover version of this Stephen Stills composition from the first Buffalo Springfield album. They worked previously with Sylvester Stewart way before he hit it big with Sly and the Family Stone. The Mojo guys broke up not long after this.

"Ups And Downs" #22 3/18/1967

By now, Paul Revere and the Raiders were a bit similar to the Beach Boys. They had one lineup doing live gigs (Revere, lead singer Mark Lindsay and a revolving door of other players) and another lineup in the studio, Lindsay and the best studio musicians assembled by the guy that turned down Charlie Manson for a record deal, producer Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son. That band setup eventually łed to friction between Paul and Mark that never was fully resolved prior to Paul's passing in 2014. Too bad. Video is from the Smothers Brothers TV show, which premiered in February 1967.

"California Nights" #16 3/18/1967

The last Top 40 hit for Lesley Gore. She had recently appeared on TV's "Batman" as Pussycat, accomplice to Catwoman as played by Julie Newmar. This tune was co-written by Marvin Hamlisch (who later composed music for "The Sting") and produced by Bob Crewe. Marvin also co-wrote "Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows" for Lesley, who was one of a handful of American acts that had success before and after the British Invasion. Clip is from her "Batman" episode. Holy Meow!

"Darling Be Home Soon" #15 3/18/1967

One from the soundtrack of a forgotten Francis Ford Coppola film called "You're A Big Boy Now." Zal Yanovsky, guitarist with the Lovin' Spoonful, would depart the group shortly after this record when he was busted for possession of weed. Being a Canadian citizen and fearing deportation under pressure from the cops, he named his supplier. Needless to say, this didn't sit well at alł with the band's fan base.

"The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" #13 3/18/1967

The Marvelettes were the first of the Motown girl groups to succeed when they scored with 1961's "Please Mister Postman" but by now they were seemingly passed over at the label in favor of other female acts. The hits started to wane for them not long afterward. Written by Smokey Robinson and featuring Wanda Rogers on lead, who was married to Smokey's Miracle bandmate Bobby Rogers.

"School Days" RIP, Chuck Berry

Dang. Where do you even begin with Chuck Berry? The Mount Rushmore of rock only has room for three other people, because Chuck has been there from the beginning. RIP, dude. You made it all possible.

"Penny Lane" #1 3/18/1967

We present one part of a double-A sided single that was likely the strongest Beatles 45 to date. It contained totally different recollections by Paul and John of their Liverpool childhoods. McCartney, always the more pop-oriented one, based his concept on the Penny Lane bus station where he and John would meet to head downtown. Paul's slice of life was about a barber, a (fictional) banker, a nurse and a fireman among other characters. The version released to some American radio stations (and the one I remember hearing on WABC from New York City) had a trumpet flourish at the end and was unavailable to the public until a 1979 rarities album. Both songs were planned for their upcoming LP but were instead released as a stand-alone 45; they didn't appear on a US album until the end of the year. George Martin said in hindsight they should've put one of the two on an A-side and "When I'm Sixty-Four" (the only other song that was ready) on the B-side. That way, the 45 may have done better than #2 in England, as it was kept out of the top spot by Englebert Humperdinck's "Release Me."

"I Want To Be Wanted" #1 10/29/1960

From October 1960, the second #1 for Brenda Lee was from the original production of "Never On Sunday." She heard an instrumental version and had to contact the writers in Italy for the lyrics so her label could come up with an English translation. Brenda wasn't quite 16 at the time. She's been married since '63 at age 18, to the same guy!

"The Dis-Advantages Of You" #36 3/11/1967

Imagine the Tijuana Brass with a sax out front instead of Herb Alpert's trumpet, and you'd get the Brass Ring, a studio group led by Phil Bodner. They were part of a very short-lived musical style called Now Pop. This was yet another full-length version of an ad jingle, this time for Benson & Hedges cigarettes, back when smokes were still advertised on TV. Phil later played on some "Sesame Street" album songs.

"Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" #29 3/11/1967

There's a good reason this sounds very gospel-tinged. It was first done in 1964 by Solomon Burke, who did a little preaching on the side in addition to R&B music. This riff was played in church as the collection plates were passed around at his services. Wilson Pickett, a fan of Burke's, then covered the song as did the Blues Brothers in their first movie while it played over the closing credits.

"Epistle To Dippy" #19 3/11/1967

An epistle is another term for a letter. Donovan wrote the song as an open letter to an old chum nicknamed "Dippy" serving in the British Army in Malaysia. Back then it was possible for an English soldier to be bought out of his active service, so the pacifist Donovan did just that for his friend. Jimmy Page played guitar here. Hey, I don't quite understand the song's meaning, either.

"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" #6 3/11/1967

Everybody thought doo-wop died out a few years earlier. Probably the last gasp for this style of music came from the Casinos, a one-hit, nine-man group from Cincinnati. It was first done in 1962 by Don Cherry, who had a few 50's pop hits and later became a pro golfer with a fiery temper. Written by John D. Loudermilk, who probably was best known for writing "Indian Reservation," a #1 hit in 1971 for the Raiders - Paul Revere's name wasn't out in front by that point.

"Baby I Need Your Lovin' " (Johnny Rivers) #3 3/11/1967

How often does a remake sound just as good as the original? This slightly slower Johnny Rivers version of the great Four Tops tune, written by Holland-Dozier-Holland, had some high-powered assistance. Backing vocals were by the Blossoms (featuring Darlene Love) and the Wrecking Crew did the music, with drum legend Hal Blaine working his magic. Produced by Lou Adler.

"Love Is Here And Now You're Gone" #1 3/11/1967

The ninth pop #1 for the Supremes and the eleventh pop #1 overall for Holland-Dozier-Holland was done a little differently, as H-D-H wanted a different sound than what they could get in the Motown studios. Therefore, it was recorded in L.A. but they weren't quite satisfied with the bass and drum parts, so those were re-done back in Detroit. Gotta think it worked.

"Spooky" (Instrumental) #57 3/4/1967

One that became a hit for the Classics IV in early '68 then was re-done in '79 by the Atlanta Rhythm Section, but here's the original, an instrumental by saxophonist Mike Shapiro (stage name Mike Sharpe). These acts were all connected. Sharpe played the sax solo on the Classics IV version. Their guitarist J.R. Cobb, along with later group members Dean Daughtry and Robert Nix plus their producer Buddy Buie, became the core of ARS in the 70's.

"Let's Spend The Night Together" #55 3/4/1967

The Rolling Stones were no strangers to controversy, but this caused quite an uproar even by their standards. A sizable number of American radio stations wouldn't touch the song due to the innuendo of the title - it was 1967, after all. Enough stations flipped the 45 over to make "Ruby Tuesday" the Stones' fourth US #1 single. The band appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in January but were ordered to not perform this song. A compromise was reached where the words were changed to "let's spend some time together" but Mick Jagger rolled his eyes each time he sang the line. They allegedly returned to the set later wearing Nazi uniforms, so Ed promptly kicked them out. (Not 100% sure of the validity of that part, but it does make for a great story!) The tune is now a fixture on oldies and album rock radio. My, how times have changed.

"I'll Take Care Of Your Cares" #39 3/4/1967

Frankie Laine could be called one of the first "blue eyed soul" singers. He had dozens of pop hits in the 40's and 50's and then rock and roll came along, which pretty much wrecked his career. Strange that rock became the thing that derailed him, since Frankie's style owed way more to R&B instead of big band music of that era, and he paved the way for what was about to revolutionize the business.

"So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star" #29 3/4/1967

A rather cynical view of the music business from the Byrds. Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman were poking fun at how manufactured rock groups like the Monkees had achieved overnight success. The screaming crowd was from a 1965 show the Byrds did in England. The trumpet solo is by South African musician Hugh Masakela, who later had an instrumental hit with "Grazing In The Grass."

"You Got To Me" #18 3/4/1967

The third Top 20 effort for Neil Diamond. By now, he was fairly well established as a songwriter. Neil attended New York University on a fencing scholarship - he was a member of their 1960 NCAA championship team - and was a pre-med major, but discovered a few years earlier at summer camp he'd rather write songs for a living. He dropped out of college to pursue music, and I think he made the right career choice.

"It Takes Two" #14 3/4/1967

Marvin Gaye had a number of duets over the years with Mary Wells, Diana Ross, and most notably with Tammi Terrell. Here's a Top 5 R&B duet he did with Kim Weston and co-written by her then-husband Mickey Stevenson, who helped put together the Funk Brothers, the house band at Motown. Kim and Mickey had already left the label in a dispute over her royalties by the time this was released as a single.

"Ruby Tuesday" #1 3/4/1967

Who could hang a name on you? Yes, this was the song that inspired the name of the restaurant chain. It's supposedly about an ex-girlfriend of Keith Richards. She'd taken up with Jimi Hendrix, and Keith was concerned about the drug-fueled path she was on. Oh, the irony. It was a B-side but became the hit when US radio stations shied away from the A-side due to its content. That will appear in this space in a few days.

"Pushin' Too Hard" #36 2/25/1967

The only Top 40 record for the Seeds, a Southern California band that was credited with coining the term "flower power." This was a simple two-chord tune that helped bring about the punk rock movement of the 70's and 80's, although it could be considered more 60's acid rock or garage rock than anything else. One of those records that became far more popular in later years than at the time it was released. Lead singer Sky Saxon was a rather intriguing dude. Google him sometime.

"Indescribably Blue" #33 2/25/1967

An extreme rarity in the mid-60's Elvis catalog, an A-side not from a movie soundtrack or years-old LP. It came from several sessions that eventually produced a gospel album. This was the first time the Imperials quartet recorded with Elvis, who were with him until 1971; I think they are still active in Christian music. The Jordanaires appear as well. One that just doesn't get played on the radio.

"Go Where You Wanna Go" #16 2/25/1967

The first of 20 Top 40 appearances for the 5th Dimension was a cover of the first record by the Mamas and the Papas. The difference was that the 5th Dimension got into the Top 20, whereas the Mamas and the Papas version did absolutely nothing; the next release, "California Dreamin' " would be their breakthrough single. Video is from a "Bandstand"-type syndicated show called "Shebang!" hosted by Casey Kasem and (I believe) taped at KTLA in Los Angeles. Love the 60's fashion sense!