"Sweet Soul Music" #2 5/13/1967

Do you like good music? Arthur Conley was a protegé of the great Otis Redding. Arthur and Otis, however, lifted the melody from Sam Cooke's "Yeah Man" to where Sam's manager sued to have Cooke posthumously added to the writing credits. The song is a roll call of 60's R&B greats, but James Brown is the king of them all, y'all!

"The Happening" #1 5/13/1967

From a very forgettable flick of the same name, this record is notable for a couple of reasons. Not only was it from Faye Dunaway's first movie, this was the last record billed solely as the Supremes until Diana Ross left the group a few years later. It was also one of their last recordings with Florence Ballard. Her conduct on and off stage became more erratic due to behind-the-scenes issues we'll address soon.

"Running Scared" #1 6/10/1961

This #1 from June 1961 by Roy Orbison could be one of the greatest songs of angst ever. The listener keeps being drawn into the notion of the guy consciously avoiding his girl's former beau, but in an unexpected plot twist the guy gets and keeps the girl. Roy hit some ridiculous notes here, because he just sang his ass off on this one. Man, I love this record.

"Travelin' Man" #1 6/3/1961

Back to 1961 and a #1 for Ricky Nelson written by Jerry Fuller, who gave the demo to Sam Cooke's manager, who tossed it in the trash. Ricky's bassist Joe Osborn (later a mainstay of the Wrecking Crew) heard the song from the next room, retrieved it and a hit arose from the dustbin. The B-side, "Hello Mary Lou" also made the Top 10 and featured one of the great guitar solos of early rock, played by James Burton. That solo influenced countless numbers of kids to learn how to play guitar, including yours truly. J.B. was with Ricky for years and later joined Elvis's Vegas-era stage band.

"Buy For Me The Rain" #45 5/6/1967

The first chart record for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Jackson Browne was briefly in the group but left before their first album. Steve Martin wasn't a member but played banjo on stage with them in the early days prior to joining the Smothers Brothers TV show as a writer, and long before becoming a wild and crazy guy. The Dirt Band later played on Steve's "King Tut" as part of the Toot Uncommons. It would be several years until "Mr. Bojangles" and their influential Nashville recordings with country music legends Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis and Mother Maybelle Carter.

"My Back Pages" #30 5/6/1967

The last Top 40 single for the Byrds was a cover of a very cryptic, reflective Bob Dylan song. They concentrated much more on albums from here on out. The band had numerous personnel changes around this time as one by one the original members all left except for Jim McGuinn, who changed his first name to Roger. David Crosby went on to hook up with Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and (later) Neil Young.

"When I Was Young" #15 5/6/1967

This record marked a clear shift in the direction of the Animals' music. Eric Burdon's name was out in front of the band by now. He moved to California and became a spokesman of sorts for the Love Generation of hippies, flower power and...uhhh, certain illicit substances. "And I was so much older then/When I was young..." That concept surfaces in tomorrow's tune as well.