By Allen Kazmerski
It’s hard to argue with the idea that the music we grew up with in our youth, teen years, and college years, would become the most impactful, joyous, and meaningful compositions of our lives. An anthology that you truly enjoy and never tire of. We tend to remember years and
events in our lives such as celebrations, holidays, loves, achievements, ceremonies, adventures and calamities and unwittingly fuse them to the songs that were popular in that time frame.
“Sometimes,
it’s not the lyrics of the song that make you emotional.
It’s all the faces and places that flood your mind when you hear it.”
By anonymous.
Our memories are intricately entwined with our favorite music.
It follows then that this music becomes the fabric forming an atmospheric soundtrack of our youth. A time we look back on most affectionately. For me, that was the 1955-1965 time period, from when I was 8 years old and on through my high school graduation.
Some fine music has been authored both before and after the 1955-1965 timeframe of our article. Those of us who grew up in that era will all tell you, in no uncertain terms, that we were very fortunate to experience that special time and place, where that incredible music coincided with our youth.
Let’s talk about what music is, and how it comes to be that certain sounds and rhythms, like drum beats, guitar riffs, keyboard chords, brass tones, woodwind voice and vocal harmonizing impact our emotions to the extent that they do. Music is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “…a collection of coordinated sound or sounds. Making music is the process of putting sounds and tones in an order, often combining them to create a unified composition. People who make music creatively organize sounds for a desired result.” That definition hardly explains the connection that these sounds have with your emotions. Bill Walton called music “the window to our souls.” I like that one. Another definition is that “music is a way to explain emotions that one may not be able to put into words.” By anonymous. No matter what definition we like best it doesn’t alter the fact that music affects our emotions, usually in an uplifting manner, makes us move with the rhythm, and brings a smile to our face. A pretty valuable commodity when you think about it.
I was fortunate to grow up in a household that valued music. My Dad always had a favorite record playing and my Mom always had the radio on in the kitchen. Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I had the opportunity to hear and grow to like the big band music played by my Dad, the 50s laid back pop tunes courtesy of my Mom’s favorite radio programs, and eventually what I turned to; the emergence of Rock ‘n Roll.
As you read this article you might recall what early influences in your life led you to enjoy the simple pleasures that music brings.
We’ll need to go back in musical time to find how popular music transformed itself from one popular music genre to the next, and eventually to Rock ‘n Roll. The very popular big band sound had begun to fade after WWII, and by 1950 had been displaced. An article in “Fifties
Web- 1950s Music” stated that the 1950-1954 period “…consisted of light melodies, sweet lyrics, wholesome singers. Innocent and inoffensive songs. All of this can be said about the music of the Early 50s.” This transition may be partly due to the ending of WWII and an America mood longing to hear a lighter and peaceful variety of music. Most of the songs of the early and mid-50s were “feel-good” tunes, and popular artists like Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin dominated the pop charts. I remember my Mom had the radio on in the kitchen constantly and the Arthur Godfrey show was invariably on.
Julias LaRosa sang “Eh, Cumpari,” and The Chrodettes sang “Mr. Sandman,” and for whatever reason, they still resonate with me. As does Patti Page’s “How much is that Doggie in the Window.” Music was becoming an enjoyable experience for me. And who could ever forget, Perry Como with,
“Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me,
It’s so new to me, what you do to me,
Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me,
When you’re holding me tight…”
Hey, come on, I was only eight years old!
The 50s were also a big success for country music stars such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.
But how did the story of the “birth” of Rock ‘n Roll begin? It’s quite an interesting story. That new sound came about partly due to the emergence of black musicians from the music industry that were formerly in the background. They were given more prominence in recordings and radio and a new media, the tv. They ushered in a rhythm and blues sound that was largely new to a national audience. From different parts of the country fragments of a new sound were being assembled.
In Chicago, two brothers, Phil and Leonard Chess took the best of the black bluesmen performing in their nightclub and began recording them on their Chess label. Then they found a fellow by the name of Chuck Berry.
In the South, where Country and Western had ruled the charts, Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service – the first place a black musician could go to record. His motto, “We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime.”
Which appealed to a certain young truck driver. Sometime during the summer of 1953, a singer by the name of Elvis Presley came to the Memphis Recording Service to make a record.
In Hollywood in 1955, the popular TV show The Texaco Star Theatre, with Milton Berle as master of ceremonies, hosted a little-known band called Bill Haley and the Comets.
These three acts started a revolution.
Presley’s first single with RCA in 1955, “Heartbreak Hotel” was a worldwide hit, reaching the No. 1 position in four countries and the top 10 in many other countries.
Chuck Berry’s recording career began in 1955 with the release of his mega-hit single “Maybellene.” Rolling Stone magazine went so far as to say, “Rock & roll guitar starts here.”
Bill Haley and the Comets recorded a song in 1954 that brought modest interest, but when the song was used as the theme for a 1955 movie, “The Blackboard Jungle”, that was the start of something momentous. The song was “Rock Around the Clock”.
The 1955 Billboard top 100 listing still reflected the “feel good” lighthearted tunes, but it was the beginning of the end for this genre, as 1955 was a transition period for American music.
Although the top listings were similar to the prior years of the 50s, a lone stark aberration occurred. Among the songs “ Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White,” “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” and “Autumn Leaves,” Bill Haley and His Comets hit it big with “Rock Around the Clock.” It was the first single by a rock’n’roll band to top the charts and was No.1 for eight weeks. It was the beginning of the end for the dominance of light melodies, sweet lyrics, and wholesome singers.
Berry, Presley, and Haley became the Rock ‘n Roll influencers. Others, like Little Richard, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, Richie Valens, Bo Diddley, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis, were standing in the wings, waiting to take the stage. These new rock rhythms spread to other imaginative young musicians and lit a match to songwriting creativity that spread like wildfire, and Rock ‘n Roll was born. The dawn of a new sound, a new excitement, and a new audience – the youth of our country.
The sound of young America was emerging.
It didn’t come or wasn’t born into a fully welcoming world. Quotes of its demise were everywhere, and let’s just say Mom and Dad weren’t fans.
The 1956 Billboard chart showed that Rock ‘n Roll had definitely arrived. Elvis Presley had the top two hits of the year with “Heartbreak Hotel” and Don’t Be Cruel”; the Platters were at number four with “My Prayer,” and Elvis had a sixth place with “Hound Dog.”
According to Wikipedia’s “Timeline of music in the United States (1950–1969)” that same year, 1956, “Pat Boone, who had released a string of hit cover versions of African-American popular songs that sold better than the original, releases a cover of Little Richard’s Long Tall Sally. Boone’s version is outsold by Little Richard, an event that Keir Keightley called a “symbolic (and) economic triumph of original rock’n’roll over its putatively inferior and commercial copy”.
America’s collective ear was changing its preference, to that of a new sound.
From Encyclopedia.com – “1950s music”:
“It wasn’t just the sound that shook America. Rock and roll was a social as well as a musical force. In an era when much of American culture was segregated (blacks and whites were distinctly separated), rock and roll was integrated. Blacks and whites played in bands together,
recorded each other’s songs, and were played on the same radio stations.”
According to “Rock ‘n’ Roll and moral panics – Part One: 1950s and 1960s” by Dr. Steve Williams:
“One of the moral panics associated with the first wave of rock ‘n’ roll was the fear of race mixing – that young black and white kids would get together over this music that had a rhythmic, primitive, sensuous beat. “
Yeah. Making music together. How bad could that be!
In looking back at those times I began thinking about what helped propel Rock ‘n Roll front and center to the youth of the nation. There were a lot of reasons. Number one on that list was the transistor radio.
First mass-produced in 1957, it led to the transistor radio became the most popular electronic communication device of the 1950s and 1960s. Music and news suddenly went everywhere you went. And they were cheap, so every teen had one. We never heard an adult saying, “Turn off that music,” when we were out and about with our little handheld transistor radios. It sparked a musical rock ‘n roll revolution!
Another element were the powerful NYC and Boston radio stations which could be heard at night on our little transistors. Radio disc jockeys chose the music they played and introduced new rock bands to thousands of devoted listeners all across the country. Cousin Brucie worked at WABC out of New York and Bruce Bradley worked for WBZ in Boston. Wolfman Jack ruled the West Coast, and Alan Freed, who actually coined the term “Rock ‘n Roll,” worked the Cleveland and N.Y airwaves. Friend Alan Vincent recalls, “Of course, we had WLFH with DDR, or Don DeRosa, who went on to WTLB, but the newest songs were on WTLB, Utica, WTRY, Troy, and WPTR in Albany. At night, you could get WKBW with Tommy Shannon, WABC with Cousin Brucie, and WOR in Chicago. Of course, we were up on world affairs because there was news on the half-hour we had to wait through to get back to our music.”
Another proponent of the expansion of the Rock sound was the disc jockey. According to “Encyclopedia.com 1950s music”: “This disc jockey programming forever changed the power of controlling the billboard hits from what it used to be, adults, to now teenagers and young adults. They now were buying these records, making those artists popular and forcing the new music not only onto the charts, but to the top of the charts.”
Another element in promoting the Rock ‘n Roll sound was the car radio, and especially after the stereo car radio was introduced in 1960. Now we all rolled down our windows and shared our Rock ‘n Roll favorites.
Yet another element was the jukebox and there was hardly a diner or bar across the United States that didn’t have one. Now we could hear our Rock ‘n Roll while having a hot dog, soda, or a cold beer.
Still another and very important element to Rock’s sudden popularity was, per an article in “Discover “Music”: “The golden age of 45s came at a time when teenagers, in a less constricted post-war world, found in record-buying something to bond over and identify with. Music became the most popular form of entertainment and shaped teenage lifestyles.” Even more importantly, teens could afford a 45 record as the price in 1955 was 65 cents. The albums were significantly pricier.
“Discover Music” went on to say about Bill Haley’s“ Rock Around the Clock” and 45 record: “….a million copies were bought in March 1955 alone. It was the first single by a rock’n’roll band to top the charts, and was No.1 for eight weeks.” Engineered by the purchase of those
65 cent 45s!
Still another element boosting Rock ‘n Roll was the emergence of TV shows dedicated to Rock music. The Ed Sullivan Show hosted early rock performers like Elvis, Bill Haley and Buddy Holly.
Per “Twin Cities Music Highlights”: ”American Bandstand premiered in the Twin Cities on Channel 11 on August 5, 1957, the first day it went national. The first song played was “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Jerry Lee Lewis. In the early days, it could be seen daily for two hours, from 3 to 5 pm.” This tv show, hosted by Dick Clark, did more than any other to bring Rock ‘n Roll into the homes of millions of teens.
Shindig was a highly successful show that hosted top Rock groups. Its success prompted a similar series, Hullabaloo, starting in January 1965, and other productions like Shivaree and Hollywood a Go/Go.
We can’t forget one TV sitcom called the “Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” We watched little Ricky Nelson grow up, starting as a shy 12-year-old who occasionally was allowed to play the guitar on the show. Ricky got better. When he was 17, the producer decided to let Ricky sing a song during the last few minutes of the show. That first song, “I’m Walkin’,” became a hit, and little Ricky became a star before our eyes. The girls swooned for Ricky.
“Hello Mary Lou” and “Poor Little Fool” followed, a part of the 30 top 40 songs within the next five years, more than anyone but Elvis.
Locally, we added to that Rock ’n Roll promotion. Twist-A-Rama was a very popular local Utica, NY, version of American Bandstand, that originally spotlighted local bands in the Mohawk Valley area.
According to the Oneida County Historical Society: “Hosted by local radio personality Hank Brown, Twist-A-Rama was a Central New York television show that debuted in 1964 on @WKTV NEWSChannel 2 . Broadcasts live every Sunday.
Originally scheduled to air only two weeks, it went on to be the most popular television show in the Mohawk Valley. Guests included national performers such as: Chubby Checker, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Neil Sedaka, Mary Wells, and more.”
All of these elements together ushered Rock ‘n Roll to the front stage of the national audience. That national audience was the youth of America, who bought the records and bought the tickets to those subsequent grand touring performances.
It must be mentioned that Rock & Roll historically changed music in two ways. One was by making the electric guitar the dominating instrument in popular music starting in the mid 1950s. Secondly, Rock also made popular the triad of guitar, drum and keyboard as a performing act (later adding a second guitar) which was new to popular music.
We all looked forward to our new records but sometime the experience was not what we expected. Friend Mary DeLuca told a story about her parents buying a stereo. “It was in 1963, the stereo was purchased from Montgomery Ward in Herkimer. I was so excited because it came with a free record! Oh, what could the record be? Well, I was never more disappointed to learn that the record was………Mitch Miller and his Orchestra! And I had to hear it over and over.”
Rock ‘n Roll branched out to include that wonderful doo wop sound popularized from 1955-1959. According to an article in “Early Doo Wop,” “The term “doo-wop”….refers to the vocables and nonsense syllables these groups sang to compensate for their lack of instruments.” It was an informal musical science, practiced outside, on the corner, under the street lamps. Per “Britannica, arts and culture – doo-wop,”: “Many young enthusiasts in these communities had little access to musical instruments, so the vocal ensemble was the most popular musical performing unit. Doo-wop groups tended to rehearse in locations that provided echoes—where their harmonies could best be heard. They often rehearsed in hallways and high school bathrooms and under bridges.” And oh, what those vocal ensembles produced. Who can forget “Earth Angel” by the Penguins, “In the Still of the Night” by the Five Satins (what a cool name), “Blue Moon” by the Marcels, “The Duke of Earl” by Gene Chandler?
Remember the lines “And when I hold you
You’ll be my Duchess, Duchess of Earl,
We’ll walk through my dukedom,
And a paradise we will share…”.
They don’t write lines like that anymore. Probably a good thing. My favorite doo-wop is perhaps lesser known, the hauntingly beautiful “Image of a Girl” by the Safaris. What’s your favorite?
In 1958, the American Rock ‘n Roll influence infiltrates the city of Liverpool, England. The rhythm of rock brashly beats in the heart of many lads from Liverpool, who form bands and write music, setting the stage for an unprecedented piece of Rock history to come.
In 1959, tragedy struck the Rock ‘n Roll family. Richie Valens, the first Latin rock star who recorded the smash hit “La Bamba,” the Big Bopper who had hits with “Chantilly Lace” and “The Purple People Eater,” and Buddy Holly of the Crickets, who hit it big with “Peggy Sue”
and “That’ll Be the Day,” perished together in a plane crash. Struggling in freezing weather on the road, their tour bus broke down. They chartered a small plane to take them to their next gig, took off in a snowstorm, and crashed shortly after take off. It would become known as The Day the Music Died.
Then came that Mowtown sound.
Per “1950’s Music”: “Motown music is a pop music style associated with Motown Records. In 1959, Berry Gordy….founded the record label that helped define the sound of soul music and popularized the genre in the 1960s. The label cultivated a roster of majority Black singers,
songwriters, musicians, and producers who combined impeccable skill, elegant looks, and irresistible pop hooks.” It was the first African-American-owned label to achieve extraordinary success in the recording market. They had their own unique “Detroit” sound.
Some of the most commonly used instruments by the Motown studio recording group, according to musician Reggie May, included “drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, but also included piano, horns (such as trumpets and saxophones), and tambourine. Additionally, many Motown songs featured backing vocals, which were typically performed by groups of singers known as “The Andantes” or “The Vandellas.” Together this created Motown’s famous, unique “Wall of Sound”. Mowtown exploded on the music scene with an astonishing roster of young talent that dominated the early 60s sound. They included The Temptations, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Martha and the Vandellas, and Smokey Robinson.
However great as they all were, one group was supreme. They were aptly called The Supremes. According to a story in “Britannica,” “Not only were they the second most successful singing group of the decade—surpassed only by the Beatles—but they remain the most successful female singing group of all time. The group’s glamorous lead singer, Diana Ross, went on to a remarkable solo career as a singer and actor.”
The Supremes reached number one in the Billboard charts a dozen times, including hits like “Stop, in the Name of Love,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” my favorite “Baby Love,” “You Keep Me Hanging On,” “Someday, We’ll Be Together,” and “ Come See About Me.”
In 1960, Elvis Presley was discharged from the Army, and it was like he never left. Elvis had three number-one hit singles that year, “It’s Now Or Never,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and “Stuck On You”.
In 1961, a little-known group first performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. The group featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best on drums.
In 1962, Peter, Paul, and Mary began their successful career as one of the most popular pop folk bands. The musicians maintained complete artistic control over their recordings, a rarity at that time. Their early hits included “Lemmon Tree,” “500 Miles,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Also, in 1962, the Four Seasons gave us the first of their many number-one hits, “Sherry Baby”.
In the early 60s a swelling of American Rock talent added to the existing top names vying for our ears. Lesley Gore and Brenda Lee, Sonny & Cher, The Four Seasons, The Platters, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Ray Charles, Bobby Vinton, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Chubby
Checker, Bobby Vee, The Righteous Brothers, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, The Shirelles, Del Shannon, Dusty Springfield, The Temptations, Neil Sedaka, The Crystals, The Chiffons, Jan and Dean, and even a Singing Nun. There are dozens more that I’m not recalling.
One more group was The Kingsman, who created a national scandal, due only to overzealous censors, with their recording of “Louie Louie.”
According to an article in “50s Web,”: “Louie Louie” became pretty much the only hit or other mention for the Kingsmen. It was, however, famous because of the poor enunciation of lead singer Jack Ely. The lyrics were incorrectly interpreted as being indecent. The song was banned by several radio stations as well as the entire State of Indiana until the band proved that the lyrics were harmless.” So, due to the ban, of course, we all sang “Louie Louie” as often and as loudly as we could!
So, in 1962, I was 15 years old. My tastes in music were changing. I seemed to have developed an appreciation of songs that involved holding hands, perhaps a kiss, or maybe true love. My idealized notion of love was reinforced by melodies and lyrics by several artists.
Remember Freddy Cannon’s hit, Palisades Park:
“You’ll never know how great a kiss can feel,
When you stop at the top of a ferris wheel,
When I fell in love
Down at Palisades Park….”
Or Barbara Lewis’ dynamic torch standard, “Baby I’m Yours, And I’ll be yours, until the stars fall from the sky, Yours, until the rivers all run dry, In other words, until I die….”
How about The Ray Charles singers, and “Love Me with all your Heart that’s all I want Dear, Love me with all your heart or not at all, Just promise me this, that you’ll give me, all your kisses, Every winter, every summer, every fall…..”
These songs, these lyrics still resonate deeply with me today. They romanticized what my dream love would be:
Let me kiss you at the top of a ferris wheel, (thanks Freddy)
and I’ll be yours until the stars fall from the sky, (thanks Barbara)
so just love me with all of your heart. (thanks Ray Charles Singers).
I had it all figured out.
In 1963, a unique and exciting sound captured our musical ears and our imagination like no other. The Beach Boys. The fresh faces of brothers and cousins, the t-shirts or striped shirts and khakis, and their fondness for the beach, surf, cars, and girls all helped create the “California Sound.” It was an instantly beloved, fun and care free sound. In an article by Patrick Klacza, entitled Style Archive: “The Beach Boys”: “Now here are some youngsters who have never really surfed, shifted (in a hot rod), or scored (with the ladies). Nevertheless, they are about to lie and say they have, and the music will be so good that nobody will care that they are lying.”
However, what really set them apart was their talent. Both singing and writing. Per Lee Greenwood in a piece in “God Bless the USA”: “The Beach Boys are considered “America’s Band”. They are one of the most successful and influential bands of all time. Their style and ability made them America’s first and most-loved rock band. Some of their songs include “Good Vibrations”, “Barbara Ann”, “Little Surfer Girl”, “Surfin’ USA”, and “Little Saint Nick”, to name just a few.” To name a few more “California Girls”, “Sloop John B”, “In My Room”, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “ Help Me Rhonda”, “Be True to Your School”, and “The Warmth of the Sun”.
The Beach Boys had four (or more) voices, which is more than most bands, so naturally a fuller sound could be created. More importantly, the Beach Boys had a great blend of mid tones, mixed in with Brian’s incredibly distinctive falsetto. The final piece was the addition of, just not a supporting bass, but an integral strong bass, which created complex harmonies and a depth to their vocal arrangements which you don’t find elsewhere. So, the individual voice ranges when blended created a harmony that made the Beach Boys sound unique. A Rock ‘n Roll choir they were and we were all singing in that chorus. Thank you Brian Wilson for your genius of composition that gave us such delight.
My college buddy Hal Ferguson had this to say: “Music is a big reason why growing up in the 50s and 60s was the best time to be young and alive! I started buying 45s in the early 60s and the Beach Boys were my favorite and still are today. The harmony was something that made them stand out. We couldn’t wait to buy the latest song or album by artists we liked. Of course the Beatles and the British Invasion were favorites too. 1964 was a time to wear your hair like the Beatles did. My younger brother and I and a friend of ours would sing along to Beatles records pretending to be John, Paul and Ringo. I stuck my brother with Ringo.”
In 1963 another music immortal rose to prominence as Bob Dylan took to the stage.
From Wikipedia: “…. songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) and “The Times They are a-Changing (1964) became anthems for the civil rights and antiwar movements. From an article by Doug Bradley entitled “the 25 Songs that Defined the Boomer generation”
was a piece on the legendary Bob Dylan: “Like a Rolling Stone- 1965: Bob Dylan”: “For me, this is the greatest song of all time. The confrontational lyrics, the questioning, the cynicism, the sound, the length — they all combined to make this so unique and exceptional.
We’d never heard anything quite like it before. Every time that snare drum popped, we turned up the car radio and sang this tune at the top of our lungs. How do you spell freedom?
Memorable lyric snippet:
“How does it feel,
To be on your own,
With no direction home,
Like a complete unknown,
Like a rolling stone”.
Do you remember 1963’s “Sukiyaki ?
I think we all fondly recall the first foreign song ever to rise to number one on the charts. It grew in worldwide sales to become one of the best-selling singles of all time. Just what was so special about it? Did the lyrics tell an unforgettable story? Not likely, as the song was recorded in the Japanese language! It was a pleasing male vocal and a lovely infectious melody that we couldn’t get out of our heads. Maybe Bill Walton was right when he said music was “The Window to Our Souls.” Sukiyaki opened that window and climbed right in.
Occasionally, a recording is so emotionally powerful that it grabs our hearts and compels us to feel the passion of those perfect vocal harmonies. The Righteous Brothers epic 1964 recording of “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” just might be the greatest recording of that era. (Did you know a young Cher was a part of the backup vocals?) The iconic opening lines: “You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips/ And there’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips”. The song will be forever remembered as a classic of the 20th century.
Just when it all couldn’t get any better musically – it did.
In 1964, a seismic shift in music occurred in America, which had never been experienced before or after. According to the Grammy Museum, “That year, British bands launched what became commonly known as an “invasion” of the American pop charts and culture. Led by the Beatles and other British bands and artists such as The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, Donovan, the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, the Searchers, the Animals, and many more, completely and dramatically affected the course of Rock ‘n Roll in America. At no other time in the 20th century had American popular music been so jolted by foreign sounds and influences.” The UK music was entirely influenced by early American rock, but it was the British lad’s interpretation that America became utterly infatuated with. The Grammy Museum article continued: “ Coupled with intriguing accents, radically new fashion ideas and hairstyles, and a genuine artistic excellence, the British Invasion ignited a music renaissance in America and permanently and prominently established the U.K. on the Rock ‘n Roll map.” Their sound had universal freshness and appeal. In addition to the headliner groups previously listed, the invasion also included Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, The Hollies, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Maryanne Faithful, Tom Jones, Manfred Mann, Peter and Gordon, The Who, The Zombies, The Tremeloes, Lulu, The Troggs, Chad and Jeremy, The Moody Blues, and Freddy and the Dreamers. They all had multiple hit songs. Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones with “Satisfaction,” “Time is on My Side,” and “Get Off of My Cloud,” Herman’s Hermits with “I’m Into Something Good,” “Silhouettes,” and “Mrs. Brown You’ve got a Lovely Daughter,” The Dave Clark Five with the great “Do You Love Me” and “Glad All Over.” The Animals, with their masterpiece “House of the Rising Sun,” gave us Rock’s most iconic opening guitar riff.
However good they were, it was the band that climbed out of the Cavern Club in Liverpool and crossed the pond that electrified America. The Beatles and Beatlemania had arrived. The Fab Four, John, Paul, George and Ringo had landed, and every teen girl in America wanted to hold their hand. Huge throngs greeted them wherever they went. The Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evening, Feb. 9, 1964, and had an estimated TV audience of 73 million American viewers (the first Super Bowl drew 26 million viewers). The 73 million was nearly 40% of the U.S. population at that time!
This may sum up the dominance of the Beatles: The Beatles had six number-one singles in 1964.! “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (became the number-one single of the year), “ She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Love Me Do,” A Hard Day’s Night,” and “I Feel Fine.” They
followed that up with five number-one singles in 1965. “Help,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Eight Days a Week,” “I Feel Fine,” and one of the greatest recordings of all time, “Yesterday.” They have the most number one hits, 20, than any other recording artist. The Beatles would go on to become legendary and the iconic Rock ‘n Roll band.
You do know how the Beatles chose their name, right? The Beatles did a lot of Buddy Holly’s numbers. Buddy Holly’s group was the Crickets, so they thought why not another insect; the Beetles. Then John changed the spelling to Beatles just to be unique. And there you have it,
The Beatles!
Think of the many unique sounds that were born out of the early rock ‘n roll creative process. Think of Ike and Tina Turner, so different from the Supremes, who were so different from the Beach Boys, who were so different from the Rolling Stones, who were different from Herman’s Hermits, who were different from The Four Seasons etc., etc. All great Rock ‘n roll music and all a unique sound, and we loved it all.
Friend Hal Ferguson recalled:
“I can still remember a lot of the artists and words when I hear a song. It’s amazing that we can remember the words to a song when we hear it, but couldn’t remember high school history after reading it! My 45s collection is now in a jukebox I have in my game room. At my 50th high school reunion I made up a quiz about 60s music and it was great to hear people remembering those great songs and artists.”
According to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, as of January 2012, of the top 500 most influential rock songs, 58% came from the 1950s (20%) and the 1960s (38%).
So we come to the year I graduated from high school, 1965. I certainly remember the top hits of that year. Besides the 5 Beatles hits, there was “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones, The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling”, Petula Clark’s “ Downtown”, Herman’s Hermits’ “ Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat?”, “My Girl” by The Temptations and Elvis Presley’s “Crying in the Chapel”.
To convey the depth of our grasp on the eras music, in addition to the above top great hits of 1965, which we remember so well, I’ll list some “second and third tier” songs from 1965, and you from this era, will also know them all. Take some time to play them. Walk back in time….and smile…..
1965 We Five -You were on my Mind
1965 The Seekers – I’ll Never Find Another You
1965 Mel Torme – Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me
1965- Gary Lewis & the Playboys – This Diamond Ring
1965- Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction
1965 -Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders – Game of Love
1965- Shirley Ellis – The Name Game
1965- The Yardbirds – For Your Love
1965 – Glenn Yarbrough – Baby the Rain Must Fall
1965- The Kinks- All Day & All of the Night
1965- Jackie DeShannon- What the World Needs Now is Love
1965- The Searchers – Love Potion Number 9
1965- The Ad Libs – The Boy from New York City
1965 – The Loving Spoonful- Do You Believe in Magic
1965 – Del Shannon – Keep Searching ( We’ll Follow the Sun)
1965- Bobby Goldsboro – Little Things
1965- Peter & Gordon- True Love Ways
1965- Four Tops – It’s the Same Old Song
Imagine, all from 1965 alone, and I could have named a dozen more. It shows that we, in a moment in time, were awash in a wonder of talent. Singers, songwriters, guitar and keyboard players, and rockin’ drummers all producing memorable melodies that still resonate today. It truly was the atmospheric soundtrack of our youth. Some fine music has been authored both before and after the 1955-1965 timeframe of our article. Those of us who grew up in that era will all tell you, in no uncertain terms, that we were very fortunate to experience that special time and place, where that incredible music coincided with our youth.
Allen Kazmerski
This is the 3rd in a series of 1955-1965 articles.
The first two were “Our Main St.” and “Musings of My Youth”.
The next in the series is “Our Entertainment.”