“Sunday Mornin’ “ (Oliver) #35 12/27/1969

We end 1969 with the last Top 40 effort from Oliver, a remake of the 1968 tune from Spanky and Our Gang. The hits soon dried up, though, and he parted ways with producer Bob Crewe, who achieved fame in the same capacity with the Four Seasons. Oliver and his family were the subject of a People magazine “where are they now” story in 1983. He got divorced the following year.

“Friendship Train” #17 12/27/1969

A socially conscious track from Gladys Knight and the Pips. They were working frequently with Norman Whitfield, who was also producing the Temptations and their social commentaries on record. Gladys said in her autobiography that the Temps, the Supremes and Marvin Gaye were getting all the A-list songs while the other Motown acts got the scraps. She would leave the label in a few years.

“These Eyes” (Jr. Walker) #16 12/27/1969

Junior Walker was known for some seriously raucous tunes like “Shotgun” and “(I’m A) Road Runner.” So when his producer, Johnny Bristol, suggested he do some romantic ballads, it came as a bit of a shock. “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” proved Junior could pull it off. He did it again here with a very soulful remake of the Guess Who hit from earlier in the year.

“Holly Holy” #6 12/27/1969

In a BBC interview, Neil Diamond said he was trying to create a song here about a religious experience between a man and a woman, as opposed to between a man and a deity. I think he succeeded. Definitely gospel tinged, and recorded in Memphis. Music from that city has a way of coming off as gospel sounding.

“Someday We’ll Be Together” #1 12/27/1969

Billboard’s final #1 of the 1960’s came from Diana Ross and the Supremes. Well, actually it was just Ms. Ross, as Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong had already checked out and were rehearsing with Jean Terrell. The original idea was for Junior Walker to record the song, but Berry Gordy made the executive decision to give the track to Diana as a way of launching her solo career. Then he changed his mind and billed the single as the last Diana Ross and the Supremes 45. Co-writer Johnny Bristol produced the session, harmonizing in Diana’s headphones while giving her instructions. The engineer accidentally left in his ad-libs; Gordy and Bristol liked it. Dennis Coffey played guitar and Merry Clayton assisted on backing vocals.

“Two Little Boys” #1 UK

As the 60’s drew to a close, a highly unusual song was this week’s UK #1 record. It was from 1902, written by two Yanks about two boys who grew up to become soldiers, ostensibly during the Civil War. It was popularized by an Aussie, Rolf Harris, who had a surprise 1963 US hit with “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” produced by George Martin. Harris was convicted in 2014 of taking indecent sexual liberties with teenage girls.

Merry Christmas!

“I’m Tired” #74 12/20/1969

Savoy Brown was one of those bands that never quite saw widespread success, even though acts like KISS, Rod Stewart, the Doobie Brothers and Fleetwood Mac actually opened for them in concert. It didn’t help that they had a revolving door of musicians - the band has had over 60 members with guitarist Kim Simmonds as the only constant. This single was one of their handful of US chart appearances.

“A Brand New Me” #24 12/20/1969

One that started out as the B-side of Jerry Butler’s recent hit “What’s The Use Of Breaking Up,” produced by Philly legends Gamble and Huff. They, along with Thom Bell, applied their talents to Dusty Springfield’s version as well. The result was a Top 5 easy listening hit. But it would be Dusty’s last Top 40 appearance until her 1987 collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys. Definitely a personal favorite.

“Fortunate Son” #3 12/20/1969

Creedence Clearwater Revival consistently had terrific two-sided singles. This was a definite Vietnam-era protest song but still very catchy. Although it’s quite anti-privilege, the song was used to sell blue jeans in the early 2000’s as John Fogerty lost his licensing rights. Eventually Wrangler pulled the ads after Fogerty expressed his displeasure. He said the idea came after seeing the White House wedding of Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower, saying David would never be sent to Vietnam like regular people were. A rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight. Another fave of mine!!

“Down On The Corner” #3 12/20/1969

After the success of “Sgt. Pepper” with the Beatles using alter egos, CCR did the same with their “Willy And The Poor Boys” album. They actually appeared on Ed Sullivan posing as a street corner jug band. This two-sided hit was Creedence’s fourth Top 3 single of the calendar year. The album cover photo was taken in front of the Duck Kee Market in Oakland, just down the street from their recording studio. One of the most fun songs of 1969, and absolutely a personal fave.

“Leaving On A Jet Plane” #1 12/20/1969

The tune that put John Denver on the map as a songwriter. The original title in 1966 was “Babe, I Hate To Go” but changed at the request of his producer. Reportedly he wrote the song during an engagement at the Cellar Door in Washington, DC. It was recorded in ‘67 by Peter, Paul and Mary but wasn’t released by them as a single until late 1969. The act split up soon after this reached the top.

“Funk #48” #126 12/13/1969

The first Billboard appearance for the James Gang. Joe Walsh had just joined the band, who had cut back to a trio by now. They would rework this into “Funk #49” and turned that song into a fixture of classic rock radio. Of course, Joe eventually went solo and then would join the Eagles. What a career trajectory.

“Big In Vegas” #100 12/13/1969

One that eventually became a Top 5 country hit for Buck Owens. He reworked the song, first done by Terry Stafford as “Big In Dallas,” giving Terry a co-writing credit. Stafford had a huge 1964 hit with his cover of Elvis’s “Suspicion” and later composed “Amarillo By Morning,” a huge hit for George Strait in the early 80’s. Buck did another produced video here, a rarity at the time in country music.

“Groovy Grubworm” #30 12/13/1969

One of the weirdest instrumentals to ever reach the Top 40 came from Harlow Wilcox - the country picker, not the old time radio announcer (i.e., “Fibber McGee and Molly”). Oddly, this did better on the Hot 100 than the country charts (#42). The B-side was called “Moose Trot.” Enough said.

“Heaven Knows” #24 12/13/1969

The Grass Roots just kept plugging along as the 60’s drew to a close. Rob Grill, as always, handled the lead vocals here just fine. Guitarist Warren Entner went on to become manager of several notable rock bands such as Quiet Riot, Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More and others. We were still over a decade away from MTV and these were still called promotional films, but music videos were creeping into the record biz. It’s comedian John Byner in the intro with the band.

“Eleanor Rigby” (Aretha Franklin) #17 12/13/1969

A very unique Top 5 soul take on the Beatles classic, as done by Aretha Franklin. Not only did she sing it in the first person, but Lady Soul took Paul’s melody way out into left field to where it’s almost a completely different song. Of course, Aretha could’ve sung the phone book and made it work. She was just that darn good.

“Backfield In Motion” #10 12/13/1969

Mel Hardin and Tim McPherson were first cousins from Holly Springs, Mississippi who gravitated to Chicago. They were discovered by Mr. Duke of Earl himself, Gene Chandler, who co-produced this ditty using sports metaphors to describe a woman’s infidelity. They also scored (ha, ha) in 1972 with “Starting All Over Again.”

“Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” #7 12/13/1969

We’ve talked about Motown’s backing vocal groups, the Andantes (female) and the Originals (male). Both helped out on this one from Stevie Wonder. It was first done in 1966 by Chris Clark, one of the first Caucasians to record for that label. Stevie did his take in 1967; he then experienced problems with his voice, forcing Motown to issue older material like this.

“What Is And What Should Never Be”

Led Zeppelin’s second album contained some great production effects. This track highlights that fact. The recording process was becoming more complex by 1969, and Jimmy Page made sure he didn’t miss any tricks. Supposedly Robert Plant addressed lusting after his wife’s sister here. Fantastic Les Paul guitar work!

“Tombstone Shadow”

From the LP “Green River,” this recaps an odd experience John Fogerty had. CCR had a gig in San Bernardino, CA and as a goof John went to a fortune teller across the street from their hotel. According to Fogerty’s Twitter page, this was a note-for-note account of the visit. He made a one-note guitar solo work.

“Get Rhythm” (1969 reissue) #60 12/6/1969

I’m a huge fan of Johnny Cash but I didn’t know the 1956 B-side of “I Walk The Line” had been re-released with fake crowd effects added to simulate a live record. Shelby Singleton bought the Sun Records catalog and frequently repackaged those recordings just to make a quick buck. He was attempting to piggyback on Johnny’s recent success with live prison LP’s on a different label. Cash planned to give the song to fellow Sun artist Elvis Presley back in ‘56 but Sam Phillips vetoed the idea. The clip actually starts about 20 seconds in - sorry.

“Jingo” #56 12/6/1969

The debut single from Santana, on the heels of their legendary Woodstock appearance. Based on an African song, “Jin-go-lo-ba,” Carlos Santana and his bandmates took it to a whole different level here. It’s a pretty good jam record; the group made this a centerpiece of their stage shows for many years.

“Blistered” #50 12/6/1969

A Top 5 country hit from Johnny Cash, who sometimes showed a twisted sense of humor on his records. Composed by Billy Edd Wheeler, who wrote or co-wrote such tunes as “Jackson,” “Coward Of The County,” and the ever-popular “Ode To The Little Brown Shack Out Back.” Having had to use one of those as a child at my grandfather’s place, I can attest to the little brown shack’s usefulness.

“Love Will Find A Way” #40 12/6/1969

The last Top 40 record from Jackie DeShannon. Born Sharon Lee Myers in Hazel, KY, she landed her first contract at 16. She opened for the Beatles on their first full-scale US tour; they picked her brain on writing songs, especially George Harrison. Jackie’s brother Randy helped write this one, plus “Put A Little Love In Your Heart.”

“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” #1 12/6/1969

Another B-side throwaway that reached #1. Steam was the brainchild of Paul Leka, producer of other one-hit wonders like the Peppermint Rainbow and the Lemon Pipers. Leka assembled a studio group along with two guys from one of his old Connecticut bands. This one didn’t take much thought, but the record company preferred it as the potential hit. Notice this has no guitar or bass, and contains a drum track on a loop. It became a sports anthem thanks to Nancy Faust, organist at old Comiskey Park. She made this a standard at Chicago White Sox games. Check out the album cover on the clip - one of the skeeviest covers of all time.

Altamont

December 6, 1969 was the date of the Altamont Speedway Free Festival in northern California. It was moved from the Sears Point road racing course at literally the last minute. This was a free West Coast version of Woodstock where 300,000 heard bands like Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane and Santana. The Grateful Dead pulled out, citing crowd control issues. The Rolling Stones closed the show, hiring the Hells Angels as security. That became a huge mistake, as a Hells Angel allegedly stabbed a crowd member to death who jumped the stage. A riot ensued which shut down the concert. At the murder trial, the biker was acquitted. A film clip (included in the Stones documentary “Gimme Shelter”) was too out of focus and too grainy to clearly identify the defendant. Regardless, Altamont became a quite disappointing end to the peace, love and rock and roll of 1960’s Woodstock Nation.

“The Ballad Of Paul” #104 11/29/1969

We’ve previously mentioned the cottage industry that sprung up around the “Paul is dead” hoax. It’s been established by now the Beatles created the joke as early as 1966. Regardless, all kinds of morbid songs were based on that. This one by an act calling itself Mystery Tour, which bubbled under, is representative. Reportedly Mystery Tour was actually a Baltimore area band, Bob Brady and the Con Chords.

“Crumbs Off The Table” #59 11/29/1969

There are groups which were, um, not organically formed. In other words, labels handpicked the members. Holland-Dozier-Holland put together the Glass House for their Invictus label. It was fronted by Scherrie Payne, sister of Freda Payne (“Band Of Gold”). Scherrie fronted the post-Diana Ross version of the Supremes for several years in the mid 70’s.

“Make Your Own Kind Of Music” #36 11/29/1969

The incredibly prolific songwriting couple of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil have been married for 58 years. They wrote some of the greatest rock tunes of the 60’s for acts like the Drifters, the Animals, the Righteous Brothers and Paul Revere and the Raiders. Mama Cass Elliot took this tune of theirs into the Top 40.

“I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City” #34 11/29/1969

Harry Nilsson wrote this tune intending it for the “Midnight Cowboy” soundtrack, but the producers preferred his “Everybody’s Talkin’ “ instead. Of course, that song became a huge smash. Nilsson went ahead and released this as the followup. It didn’t do quite as well. He wouldn’t see the Top 40 again until 1971.

“Mind, Body And Soul” #26 11/29/1969

This blue-eyed soul band would eventually change their name to the title of their first hit. The Flaming Ember (having dropped the last s) scuffled for years around their native Detroit before scoring here. When the hits slowed down, they became known as Mind, Body and Soul and played for years on the local bar scene.

“Try A Little Kindness” #23 11/29/1969

A Top 5 country hit from Glen Campbell that did reasonably well on the pop charts, too. His weekly TV show was doing OK in its second season and survived a purge by CBS of rural-themed programming. The network decided due to the wrong demographics they didn’t want shows that appealed mostly to rubes. As a result, “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Green Acres,” “Mayberry RFD,” etc., were canned.

“Undun” #22 11/29/1969

Here’s yet another case of a B-side getting substantial airplay and turning into a hit months after the A-side, “Laughing.” Randy Bachman of the Guess Who learned some jazzy guitar chords from one of his neighbors, Lenny Breau. Meanwhile, Burton Cummings (who played sax in an earlier band) learned to play the flute, which has similar finger techniques. The end result became a fixture on FM radio.

“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” #21 11/29/1969

One of the all-time classics of album rock radio as done by Crosby, Stills and Nash. Stephen Stills wrote the song about his impending breakup with Judy Collins and her piercing blue eyes. He made it a true suite in several movements, singing the last uptempo piece in semi-broken Spanish. Stills was a military brat, having spent parts of his youth in Costa Rica and Panama, so he knew a bit of the language.

“Cherry Hill Park” #15 11/29/1969

The final Top 40 pop hit for Billy Joe Royal, though he resurfaced in the 80’s as a very successful country singer. Basically, this one is about the town hussy, Mary Hill. In other words, she wasn’t what you would call terribly innocent. Billy Joe came out of the very prolific Atlanta music scene in the 60’s, which also produced Tommy Roe, Ray Stevens, Joe South, and scads more.

“Baby I’m For Real” #14 11/29/1969

We’ve talked many times about the Andantes, Motown’s often-uncredited female backing singers. The Originals were their male equivalent. They tried for years with no success until Marvin Gaye promised he’d find them a hit song. So he and his wife Anna wrote this #1 soul chart smash, with Marvin as producer. Originals member Freddie Gorman co-wrote “Please Mister Postman” for the Marvelettes; Gaye was the drummer on that legendary track.