"Music To Watch Girls By" (Vocal) #34 4/29/1966

The instrumental version of this made the Top 20 a few months earlier for Bob Crewe, being a full-length take of a Diet Pepsi jingle. Lyrics were then written, resulting in a Top 5 easy listening hit for Andy Williams. In the 90's he became one of the first non-country entertainers to open a music theater in Branson, Missouri; Andy's brother managed Ray Stevens, who had just recently set up shop in the Ozarks.

"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" #2 4/29/1967

Neil Diamond wrote and recorded "I'm A Believer" first but the Monkees had the hit. Don Kirshner, music supervisor of the group's TV show, promised Neil first crack at writing the followup as sort of a consolation prize. Kirshner arranged for Davy Jones to record this song in New York with session musicians and minus the rest of the band, keeping everyone in the dark. Don decided on his own it would be their next single, ticking off the show's producers, the label, and the Monkees, leading to Kirshner being fired. That's called hubris, y'all.

"Pony Time" #1 3/4/1961

Back to March 1961 and the second #1 for Chubby Checker. It was a dance record; much like his first #1, "The Twist," Chubby was going to milk that whole craze for all it was worth. The video is from an Australian "Bandstand"-type show hosted by Brian Henderson, who became a respected Aussie news broadcaster.

"Detroit City" (Tom Jones) #27 4/22/1967

Before and after World War II, a lot of rural folks moved up north in search of jobs and a better living for their families. Many of them really wanted to go home, but couldn't. This song certainly summed up their angst and was a hit for Bobby Bare in 1963. Tom Jones remade it, just as his previous record was a cover of a hit country song.

"At The Zoo" #16 4/22/1967

A Simon and Garfunkel tune written by Paul Simon for "The Graduate" but not used in the movie. It's an interesting concept where animals at the zoo take on human characteristics. That's called anthropomorphism, folks. "Elephants are kindly but they're dumb." "Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages." Think about that. Two thumbs up on Uncle Larry's record rating system!

"Love Eyes" #15 4/22/1967

I couldn't find much online to describe this one from Nancy Sinatra, other than it was once again written by Lee Hazlewood and that the song sounds kind of "menacing." When she was 5, her famous dad made the Top 10 in 1945 singing "Nancy (With The Laughing Face)" and dedicated it to his daughter, even though her mom had the same name - she was called Nancy Sr. to avoid confusion. These days, the daughter hosts a satellite radio show on a channel dedicated to Frank's music called Siriusly Sinatra.

"With This Ring" #14 4/22/1967

The final Top 40 record for the Platters, one of the biggest vocal groups of early rock and roll. Tony Williams handled lead on a string of hits, but the act began to splinter by 1960 with most of the members facing drug and prostitution charges. There was also much wrangling over who could legally use the Platters name, with numerous lineups floating around as a result. This version of the act with Sonny Turner singing lead is the group heard on today's track, a mainstay of Carolina beach music.

"Western Union" #5 4/22/1967

The biggest hit for the Dallas-based Five Americans came from a sign the band saw on a storefront in Oregon where telegrams could be sent via Western Union. These days, millennials would ask, "What's a telegram?" The group had two more Top 40 entries. One was titled...wait for it..."Zip Code." You can't make this stuff up. Clip is from Steve Allen's syndicated late-night show.

"I Think We're Alone Now" #4 4/22/1967

Tommy James and the Shondells came from nowhere in 1966 to rack up a #1 the first time out with "Hanky Panky." Their next two singles were relatively disappointing chart-wise but this got them back into the Top 10. A cover version by Tiffany topped the charts in 1987, followed immediately to #1 by Billy Idol's remake of "Mony Mony."

"The Girl I Knew Somewhere" #39 4/15/1967

The B-side of the current Monkees single was the first time the band all played their own instruments on a recording. Other than vocals, they'd been limited to Mike or Peter playing on a random track. That led to rancor and near-fistfights between the group and their show's musical director, Don Kirshner, who was eventually forced out. The Pre-Fab Four won the battle but lost the war; the show was canceled after two seasons. Kirshner's next TV project had leads who couldn't tałk back - the animated Archies. Clip is from "The Monkees" show and features Julie Newmar.

"Show Me" #35 4/15/1967

One of the well-known R&B feuds of the 60's was between James Brown and Houston-area native Joe Tex. They had several battles over the years as Joe claimed The Godfather Of Soul stole much of his act, including the famous move with the cape. I detect a touch of resentment there. Joe converted to Islam and got out of the business for several years. He came back and had a few hits before he died at age 47.

"Dry Your Eyes" #20 4/15/1967

Philly-based R&B group Brenda and the Tabulations had only two Top 40 pop entries but that was enough to warrant a mention in the 70's song "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)." Brenda Payton and Maurice Coates were supervisors at an inner city playground in the summer of 1966. A record producer happened to be driving by, heard them singing to the kids and gave them a deal. Stranger things have happened.

"Jimmy Mack" #10 4/15/1967

A #1 R&B tune and the last Top 10 pop hit for Martha and the Vandellas - the billing didn't yet include Ms. Reeves' surname. It languished in the Motown vaults for a couple of years before being issued as a single; the label did that occasionally. Motown management felt the line "when are you coming back" could be taken as some sort of anti-Vietnam War sentiment. Another Holland-Dozier-Holland hit.

"I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)" #9 4/15/1967

The first big hit for Aretha Franklin after many years with little to no success, done at the FAME studios in Muscle Shoals. They finished this song, but the rest of the session was canceled after a fight broke out when a horn player was seen flirting with Lady Soul. Most of the Alabama-based musicians were flown to New York where more material was recorded including the next single, which became her signature song.

"This Is My Song" #3 4/15/1967

The last time Petula Clark recorded in L.A. with the Wrecking Crew, she really disliked the single that came from the session, even though "My Love" became her second #1 in the States. She didn't care for this, either, despite being written by Charlie Chaplin (her neighbor in Switzerland); she felt the lyrics were too sappy. Charlie wrote it for a flick he directed, "A Countess From Hong Kong," a throwback to 1930's shipboard romance movies. Regardless, it brought Petula back to the top of the UK charts and made the Top 5 over here. Her version in French also made it to #1 in that country.

"Somethin' Stupid" #1 4/15/1967

Another Nancy Sinatra duet, this time with her dad. It was the only father-daughter duet to ever reach #1 on the pop chart. The Kendalls (Royce and daughter Jeannie) had a few country #1's in the 70's. First done by a duo named Carson and Gaile, Frank played that version for Lee Hazlewood. Lee said, "If you don't record this with Nancy, I will!!" so Frank did just that. Lots of help from the Wrecking Crew here.

"Summer Wine" #49 4/8/1967

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood recorded a few really quirky duets. Written by Hazlewood, it's about a siren enticing a not-unwilling Western drifter type into, uhhh, sampling her wares. Kinda like that scene at the creek in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" or perhaps a foreshadowing of the plot behind "Maggie May." Originally the B-side of "Sugar Town" from a few months earlier. I dig this one!

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy!" #41 4/8/1967

Lloyd Price was a 19-year old DJ at a New Orleans radio station in 1952 where he wrote ad copy and occasionally composed his own jingles. One of his catch phrases was "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy!" which turned into his first record, becoming #1 on the national R&B charts. Fats Domino played on that session. It set the standard for all the New Orleans rock and roll that came later, and has been covered countless times by everyone from Elvis to the Replacements. Here's the Buckinghams version.

"No Milk Today" #35 4/8/1967

Graham Gouldman was a prolific songwriter long before his days with 10cc, having composed "Bus Stop" and "For Your Love" among others. Here's the US B-side to "There's A Kind Of Hush" for Herman's Hermits, but an A-side in the UK where it made the Top 10. A step above their normal fare, and one of my Hermits faves.

"What A Woman In Love Won't Do" #31 4/8/1967

Another decidedly anti-feminist tune (up until the last line) from Sandy Posey, written by John D. Loudermilk. He had established himself as a pretty fine songwriter in Nashville. Besides composing "Indian Reservation" he wrote "Ebony Eyes" for the Everly Brothers, "Talk Back Trembling Lips" and "Tobacco Road." Loudermilk died in September of 2016 at the age of 82.

"The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage" #20 4/8/1967

By now, a number of Motown groups began to put the lead singer's name out front. We present the first single billed as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. He had risen in company management, eventually becoming a VP of the label. He would soon express a desire to stop performing in order to concentrate on family and business. It took five years for that to finally happen. Smokey was recently featured on the genealogy-based TV show "Who Do You Think You Are?"

"Beggin' " #16 4/8/1967

Bob Gaudio of the Four Seasons hadn't co-written any of the group's hits for a couple of years until now. He wrote this one with Piergiorgio Farina, a.k.a. Peggy Santiglia of their long-time touring partners, the Angels (ref. "Jersey Boys"). He wouldn't co-write another of their hits until "Who Loves You" in the 70's.

"Bernadette" #4 4/8/1967

The Four Tops just kept cranking out the Holland-Dozier-Holland songs at Motown. Turned out each of the H-D-H guys had a girl named Bernadette in their present or past. Levi Stubbs delivered just as powerful and impassioned a vocal here as anything the label ever released. It was the group's last Top 10 pop entry of the 60's.

"Calcutta" #1 2/18/1961

Wunnerful, wunnerful! Yes, boys and girls, Lawrence Welk had a #1 record on the rock charts in February of 1961. His "champagne music" featured the bubble machine, that familiar harpsichord and Myron Floren on the accordion. Welk's parents homesteaded in the 1890's near Strasburg, ND, and his family spent that first winter on the prairie living under a wagon. Welk was a bandleader for 20+ years in the Midwest even before moving to L.A., where he hosted a Saturday night show for 30+ years on local and network TV and in syndication. He was the oldest person to have a #1 pop record until Louis Armstrong and "Hello, Dolly!" The dance routine in this clip was done by show regulars Barbara Boylan and ex-Mouseketeer Bobby Burgess. Tank you, boys!

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" #1 2/4/1961

We return to #1's from the 60's prior to the British Invasion. It's been said half the hits of the 60's were written by Carole King, and the other half were trying to sound like they were written by Carole King. From February '61, her breakthrough songwriting effort with her then-husband Gerry Goffin as done by the Shirelles. It became the first #1 on the pop charts by a black girl group. I absolutely love Carole's slower version from "Tapestry" as well.

"Walk Through This World With Me" #1 Country 4/1/1967

Yeah, this is supposed to be a blog about rock music from 50 years ago, but I used to work in country radio in another lifetime. Hey, it's my blog! This topped the country charts the first week of April 1967. To me, Hank Williams Sr. and George Jones were #1 and #1-A as the greatest country singers that ever lived. Here's George's fourth #1 record, and a personal favorite of mine. They used to call George "Possum" due to his somewhat beady eyes. Video is from the Wilburn Brothers TV show. You'll get a glimpse of Loretta Lynn at the end, as she was a show regular.

"Wade In The Water" (Tijuana Brass) #37 4/1/1967

An old Negro spiritual from the days of the Underground Railroad was recorded many times over the years, including instrumental versions done several times in the 60's. The Ramsey Lewis Trio scored with this, as did Billy Preston. Here's a take by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass from their '67 TV special.

"(I've Been) Lonely Too Long" #16 4/1/1967

The Young Rascals' previous single, "Come On Up" stiffed at #43; this got them back into the Top 20. Many people thought they were black, and were surprised to find out they were four white kids from the Bronx and Jersey, three of them Italian-American. They certainly defined the genre of blue-eyed soul. Back in the day, I remember seeing these guys perform this on Ed Sullivan's show. The echo in the theater made the song sound almost unintelligible.

"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" #13 4/1/1967

Written by Paul Simon and done first by Simon and Garfunkel, this was the one major hit for Harpers Bizarre. The arrangement was by Leon Russell, as they inserted an a cappella vocal section and a baroque woodwind part. Group member Ted Templeman became a record producer, working with the Doobie Brothers and Van Halen on all their early albums, as well as co-producing Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" LP.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" #8 4/1/1967

The record that upped the ante more than any other on what could be done in rock music, even more so than "Good Vibrations." Reportedly Brian Wilson heard an advance copy during the "Smile" LP sessions and scrapped that entire project, believing the Beach Boys couldn't top this. Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders said, "Now WTF are we supposed to do?" It was John's LSD-aided, deliberately hazy recollection of times he spent around the Strawberry Field orphanage run by the Salvation Army near his childhood home. From a technical standpoint, the recording is simply amazing. Lennon liked the first part of one take and the remainder of another. When George Martin pointed out they were in different tempos and keys and couldn't be edited together, John just said, "You can fix it." So Sir George did what hadn't been done to that point - he sped up one tape and slowed down the other. The almost imperceptible splice is at the 1:00 mark, right after "cause I'm..." There is a very minor difference in pitch from there to the end, but it's still a marvel of editing for the time. My apologies, because this clip is only the first 1:23 of the song. It's impossible to find the full video on YouTube or anywhere else online. You'd have to buy an official Beatles video collection for that. The unabridged version has the famous supposed "I buried Paul" line during the backwards passage at the end, where John claimed to have said "cranberry sauce."