50s/early 60s artists who reinvented themselves

Great thread, going to check out some the unknown-to-me numbers.

Listening to a 1983 Gary US Bonds cd just at this moment. Have that should be famous Chubby Checker cd too

 

I was particularly going to mention Curtis Mayfield. A long way from Gypsy Woman to Superfly.

 

Could Paul Anka have been seen in 1957 as a future lounge act?

 

Sam Cooke went from spirituals to soul. Perhaps not such a great transition.

 

The Everlys were everywhere, even some embarrassing Broadway musical numbers. They went for modern production style in their comeback decade.

Their greatest re-inventions were some rather good solo efforts after their break-up.

 

Sandie Shaw

 

Charlie Rich didn't have big country hits until 1968 according to my Joel Whitburn Book.

When I heard Mohair Sam it knew it was cool, even though I was too young to know of Beatniks. Later I heard Lonely Weekends on an LP of Sun Smash hits.

 

No one has mentioned The Quarrymen?

 

Ronnie James Dio has lead vocals on singles going back to the late 50's, so maybe one of the biggest reinventions for someone from the era:

 

Here you go then.....
When John Met Paul: A Day That Changed The Course of History .
A lot if good information in that link....or read it here if you've time....
.
Quote....
On July 6, 1957, 16-year-old John Lennon met 15-year-old Paul McCartney. It was at St. Peter’s, Woolton’s Parish Church in Liverpool, and John was playing with the Quarry Men at a church fete/garden party.

It was a Saturday afternoon and Paul had gone along to the fete with his friend, Ivan Vaughan, to watch John’s skiffle group, The Quarry Men. (The group was made up of Eric Griffiths, Colin Hanton, Rod Davis, John Lennon, Pete Shotton, and Len Garry.) The group took their name from Quarry Bank High School, which they all attended.

The Quarry Men played on a makeshift stage, in a field behind the church. John played the guitar and sang, while Eric Griffiths also played guitar, Colin Hanton, the drums, Rod Davies a banjo, Pete Shotton was on washboard and Len Garry played the inevitable, tea-chest bass.

Things had got underway in the early afternoon with a short parade through this up-market area of Liverpool, with a couple of lorries bringing the Rose Queen, on the first lorry, with the Quarry Men on a second lorry. The biggest challenge for John and his mates in the band was to stay upright on the back of the moving vehicle while continuing to play; once in the field behind the church things got a little easier.

In the evening the Quarry Men played at The Grand Dance in the church hall, opposite the church; sharing the bill with the George Edwards Band. Ivan Vaughan had on occasions played tea-chest bass with the Quarry Men and it was he who introduced Paul to John.

McCartney, wearing a white jacket with silver flecks and the obligatory black drainpipe trousers, talked with John for a little while and having shown John a technique for tuning, McCartney played some songs, including a medley of Little Richard’s tunes, along with Eddie Cochran‘s “Twenty Flight Rock” and Gene Vincent‘s “Be-Bop-A-Lula.”

According to Paul, “I remember John singing a song called ‘Come Go With Me.’ He’d heard it on the radio. He didn’t really know the verses, but he knew the chorus. The rest he just made up himself. I just thought, ‘Well, he looks good, he’s singing well and he seems like a great lead singer to me.’ Of course, he had his glasses off, so he really looked suave. I remember John was good.”

Afterward, John and Pete Shotton talked over whether or not to ask Paul to join The Quarry Men. They decided it would be a good idea and a couple of weeks later Shotton saw Paul riding his bike in Woolton and asked him to join. After a little thought, Paul agreed to become a member.

And the rest, as they say, is history....unquote

 

Bobby Charles - from the 50s novelty pop of “See You Later Alligator” to some of the best country soul I’ve heard.

 

Muddy waters didn’t same. Electric MUD.

 

Surprised Bo Diddley was not mentioned already .
Who can forget his fabulous early seventies psyche funk peridod on Chess ,

 

'66 Comebacks:
Wanna-be teen idol Little Ritchie Marsh became 'flower power punk' Sky Saxon' (of The Seeds)
Failed teen idol and film actor (Where The Boys Are) Bob Markley became the 'leader' of The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
'Bobby Darin-in-training' Marty Balin became the founder and original lead singer of Jefferson Airplane

 

Good calls.

You mentioning Markley reminded me of Kim Fowley.

Fowley recorded novelty pop singles like Popsicles and Icicles, Nutrocker etc., then comes back near the end of the decade as a cross between Iggy Pop and Captain Beefheart on the (I think, enjoyable) album Outrageous, which tries to be as offensive as possible:

 

Skip Battin, of 'Skip and Flip' fame (another link to Fowley) comes back as a member of a later incarnation of The Byrds.

 

Kim's '70s glam rock period was fun too...which led to his 'discovery' (lol) of The Runaways.

Jimmy Jukebox - 1.Motor Boat (youtube.com)

 

Some of his 70s stuff was actually quite good, like this song from International Heroes

 

Cliff Richard had a bunch of contemporary sounding 70s and 80s pop hits. Even doing some music theatre material - hit single All I Ask Of You with Sarah Brightman from Phantom.

… the guy who had the first rock ‘n’ roll hit in Britain, for all the Americans.

 

Dion, Rick Nelson, Darin, The Everly Bros all made non-teeny bopper LPs in the mid to late 60's. Elvis re-invented himself with his TV special and great studio work in 1969, but then re-invented himself into a Vegas/touring performer stuck in a rut just like his 60's movie rut, while letting his studio work suffer. He really hated recording by 1973.

 

Not to leave out Skip's earlier 'hippie-rock' moves with Evergreen Blueshoes and in the Clint Eastwood film Coogan's Bluff.

 

Wow! Blast from my very young past!

"Mohair Sam" by Charlie Rich is (and was always) a hoot.

Seems to be a somewhat rare track.

Anyone know if it appears on a Various Artist comp (I have zillions of those) -- it was released in 1965.

 

I had it on Treasured Tunes Vol 3

Amazon.ca : treasured tunes

 

On checking Discogs, I find it's on a Various Artists comp - The Hot Stuff Catalog Sampler Vol. II - Mercury Nashville SACD 943. They have four copies for sale, prices ranging from $3.00 to $4.95. Happy hunting!

 

Wow. Didn't know that existed.