Music From The 1950's

[David Sechrest]

In the 1950's, Rock & Roll was born. I don't think that our local radio station, WCSI ever went to a TOP 40 format in the 50's, but maybe I'm wrong here.

What songs meant something special to you in the 1950's? What radio stations did you listen to, and do you remember any of the DJ's from the era?

[RER]

David asked for favorite songs of the 1950s and Radio Station, well my thoughts go back to 1958 and 1959:



Year 1958 Favorites

Yakety Yak -- The Coasters
Queen Of The Hop -- Bobby Darin
Get A Job -- Silhouettes
Willie And The Hand Jive -- The Johnny Otis Show
Book Of Love -- The Monotones

Year 1959 Favorites[/b]



Mr. Blue -- The Fleetwoods
Lonely Boy -- Paul Anka
Stagger Lee -- Lloyd Price
Sea Of Love -- Phil Phillips with The Twilights
Poison Ivy -- The Coasters
There Goes My Baby -- The Drifters

Favorite Radio Stations: WIBC Indianapolis Station With Bouncing Bill Baker

Late @ Night A Nashville TN Station

Bob

[RER]

Favorites Songs Of 1956


Favorites 1956

Singing the Blues -- Guy Mitchell
The Wayward Wind -- Gogi Grant
Memories Are Made Of This -- Dean Martin
Why Do Fools Fall In Love -- Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
Be-Bop-A-Lula -- Gene Vincent
The Great Pretender -- The Platters
Long Tall Sally -- Little Richard
Why Do Fools Fall In Love -- The Diamonds

Bob

[David Sechrest]

Does anyone remember any DJ's from WCSI?

Did Columbus have an FM station in the 1960's?

Do you remember what format WCSI had back then? I surely don't remember the station playing any rock and roll music, and that's why I didn't listen to it much.

I do know that WCSI signed off the air sometime in the early evening, sometime between 6 - 8 pm. I know this because I used to listen to WCFL out of Chicago. At night, they turned the power up and I could tune them in. During the day, they were blocked out by WCSI.

[Rod]

Try oldfortyfives.com/takemebacktothefifties.htm. Richard sent this to me and it is neat.

[jdhinkle]

MY FAVORITE THAT I REMEMBER WAS
LITTLE DARLIN' BY THE DIAMONDS

DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER A RECORD BACK IN THOSE DAYS THAT WAS A COMBINE OF SEVERAL RECORD PARTS
THE ONE I REMEMBER SAID 'GOODBYE EARTH PEOPLE' AND THEN WENT ON WITH PARTS OF OTHER RECORDS? IT WAS A RECORD LIKE AL DID SPOOFING MICHAEL JACKSONS 'BEAT IT' RECORDING

rer said:

Favorites Songs Of 1956


Favorites 1956

Singing the Blues -- Guy Mitchell
The Wayward Wind -- Gogi Grant
Memories Are Made Of This -- Dean Martin
Why Do Fools Fall In Love -- Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
Be-Bop-A-Lula -- Gene Vincent
The Great Pretender -- The Platters
Long Tall Sally -- Little Richard
Why Do Fools Fall In Love -- The Diamonds

Bob

[Gregg]

Jack,
The song you asked about was probably by Dickie Goodman. He issued several records in the 50s featuring "Man on the street interviews", wherein all the answers to the questions would be samples from hit songs of the day. Wikipedia has a pretty extensive biography of him

[jdhinkle]

I FINALLY FOUND THE SONG AND SINGER
I ALWAYS REMEMBER THE SONG 'WOMAN LOVE'

I FINALLY FOUND IT ON THE FLIP SIDE OF BEE BOP A LULA

BY GENE VINCENT

Nov 10, 2006 13:30:19 GMT -5 RER said:

Favorites Songs Of 1956


Favorites 1956

Singing the Blues -- Guy Mitchell
The Wayward Wind -- Gogi Grant
Memories Are Made Of This -- Dean Martin
Why Do Fools Fall In Love -- Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
Be-Bop-A-Lula -- Gene Vincent
The Great Pretender -- The Platters
Long Tall Sally -- Little Richard
Why Do Fools Fall In Love -- The Diamonds

Bob

[David Sechrest]

My first memories of songs come from 1958. On Saturday's, we'd all pile in the car and go downtown to shop. Dad sometimes would pick up a 45 from G. C. Murphy's, and somewhere during the time, a trip was usually made to the candy counter (Murphy's had the greatest candy counter).

One of those 45's dad brought home and one of the big hits that year was It's Only Make Believe, by Conway Twitty. The song peaked at #1 on November 10th. It spent 21 weeks on the Billboard Charts, 17 weeks in the Top 40, 10 weeks in the Top Ten, and two weeks at #1. I remember spinning that one a lot on the record player.

1958 is now one of my most favorite musical years. There were some big hits and some of the top artist debuts for 1958 were Frankie Avalon, Don Gibson, Brook Benton, Duane Eddy, The Shirelles, Dion & The Belmonts, Jan & Dean, Jack Scott, The Impressions, Jerry Butler, Bobby Darin, Jerry Wallace, The Kingston Trio, Johnny Tillotson, The Chipmunks, Neil Sedaka, and James Brown. And that's only first time chart-makers.

A few of the number one songs from 1958 are (you name the group or artist): At The Hop, It's All In The Game, The Purple People Eater, All I Have To Do Is Dream, Tequila, Don't, Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare), Sugartime, He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands), The Chipmunk Song, Witch Doctor, To Know Him Is To Love Him, Poor Little Fool, Get A Job, Tom Dooley and Catch A Falling Star.

What a diversity of music there...that was the great thing about the Billboard Top 40 format that quite a few radio stations adopted in the 1950's.

Some of the record labels producing those songs: ABC Paramount, MGM, Cadence, Challenge, Decca, Coral, Liberty, Capitol, Dove, and Mercury. It's funny--most of those, I can still see the label...

[docwendy]

Oh David, what memories! My dad bought two 45's in 1958 that stand out in my memory and just the thought of them brings back so many thoughts of that time. One you mentioned, which is The Chipmunks Christmas Song. We lived in California at the time, and I remember that song, what the record looked like, and the strangeness of a "warm" Christmas. The other is "Beep Beep" by The Playmates. I remember playing that one over and over.

[David Sechrest]

A song from 1959. I was 7 years old when dad brought home this 45. It spent 17 weeks on the charts!

[David Sechrest]

Someone on a different message board posted this song. I had not heard it since I was 6. It brought back so many memories, it was incredible.

Those of you who know me know that I love music, and I've searched for this song for years with no luck. I finally have a copy of it.

It's so funny to hear it today. To me, it encapsulates popular music in the late 1950's. And although rock and roll was making a dent in Billboard Pop Charts, it was stuff like this that was all over the airwaves. That Mitch Miller, Percy Faith, Horst Jankowski, Les Baxter, Bert Kaempfert sound.

A great tune by the Kirby Stone Four from 1958. Baubles, Bangles and Beads. The song peaked at #25 on July 28, 1958. It was only on the charts for 3 weeks, as compared to the #1 song of that year, At The Hop by Danny & The Juniors, which was on the charts for 21 weeks and spent 7 weeks at #1.

PS--don't click on those obnoxious ads that YouTube adds to the right. click on the video itself.

[David Sechrest]

My dad brought this 45 home when I was 6. The End, by Earl Grant, another oldie and favorite of mine. I think I still have this 45 around here somewhere.

[Deleted]

Thanks David, I do remember that one, nice to hear it again. The music of the 50's was the best, every song of that time brings back wonderful memory's.

George

[RER]

David, as George said...............great song brings back good memories. I think Nat King Cole also did this song later. But this one is the best.

Bob

[David Sechrest]

Earl Grant's voice had that Nat King Cole/early Brook Benton sound to it.