NEW YORK — The ‘Monkey,’ the newest teen dance, is a mighty hot one, with three records of monkey tunes really moving this week. Hottest of all three is “The Monkey Time” by Major Lance on Okeh Records. And just to add to the scene the label has issued an LP by the same title. “The Monkey Time” jumped to No. 12 on the Hot 100 this week.
Second hottest of the Monkey hits is “Mickey’s Monkey,” by the Miracles on the Motown Records Tamla label, which is the No. 39 most popular hit on the Billboard chart for the week. And the third most popular “Monkey” tune on the chart is “Everybody’s Monkey” by Freddie Cannon listed on the chart.
There is a fourth monkey hit making the new dance scene as well, pushing forward slowly on the chart, and it is King Curtis’“Do The Monkey,” on the Capitol record label. And there have probably been a half a dozen other monkey dance-themed recordings issued in the past few weeks. On the same kick as well, there have been other related animal-dances like the ‘gorilla,’ and the ‘frog.’ END
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 31, 1963).
MAJOR LANCE * “The Monkey Time” * OKEH RECORDS (1963)
DETROIT — The Stan Kenton Orchestra will kick off the annual Town and Country and Gown Celebrity Series at the University of Detroit, Sunday, August 29. . . . Count Basie, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith and Carmen McRae and their respective groups are due here Sunday for George Wein’s first Festival Prelude at Cobo Hall. . . . Singers Lesley Gore, Stevie Wonder, The Shangri-Las, Coasters, Sunliners, Dis-Coquettes Dancers, along with the Choker Campbell Orchestra Band will team up in a special show “The Swingin’ Kind,” on WXYZ, emceed by 1270 deejay Lee Alan. It is tentatively slated for the ABC television network. . . . Musical comedy star Tessie O’Shea opened Monday, August 16 as headliner at the Elmwood Casino across the Detroit river in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. END
Bandleader Stan Kenton of the Stan Kenton Orchestra.
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 21, 1965).
1954: Alan Freed presents his first Moondog Jubilee Of The Stars Under The Stars at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, featuring Fats Domino, The Clovers, The Orioles, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter. It is the first racially mixed crowd at a concert of this size.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash all accounted for at Sun Records in 1956. (Click on image for larger view).
1958: Feeling that Sun Records head Sam Phillips is spending too much time promoting Jerry Lee Lewis while investing little time with him, Johnny Cash leaves Sun Records and signs with Columbia Records instead.
1960: For his embodiment of decadent American culture, Elvis Presley is named “Public Enemy Number One” by the East Berlin newspaper Young World.
1960: Aretha Franklin begins her first non-gospel recording session, an abortive attempt at jazz-pop with the Columbia label.
1964: A report in Billboard claims that the harmonica is hip again thanks to Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder.
1965: Marianne Faithfull collapses during a performance in Lancashire, England, taken to a hospital, while forced to cancel the remaining stops of her tour in the U.K.
Period press photo shows youngsters burning “banned” Beatles records in Waycross, Ga., 1966. (Click on image for larger view).
1966: Birmingham radio station WACI calls for the first “Beatles Burn-In,” comprised of bonfire burning of Beatles records to protest John Lennon’s recent comments that his group was “bigger than Jesus.”
1966: In Detroit, Michigan, the top 5 songs on WXYZ-AM are No. 5: “The Pied Piper,” Crispian St. Peters; No. 4: “Lil’ Red Ridin’ Hood,” Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs; No. 3: “Sunshine Superman,” Donovan; No. 2: “Summer In The City,” The Lovin’ Spoonful; No. 1: “See You In September,” The Happenings.
1969: Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted in Los Angeles for his failure to perform his required community service hours, which were imposed upon him after he refused to be drafted as a conscientious objector; rather than the janitorial duties he was sentenced to perform at LA County Hospital, as Wilson taught music there instead.
1971: The first big all-star rock benefit concert, The Concert For Bangla Desh, was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden, helmed by George Harrison and featuring Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, and Ringo Starr. The show raised $11 million for starving people in Bangladesh, a recently-liberated area in Pakistan.
American Graffiti; directed by George Lucas 1973. (Click on image for larger view).
1973: The first big oldies revival kicks off in anticipation as George Lucas’ new film, American Graffiti, premieres in Los Angeles. Portraying a night in the lives of several California teenagers in 1962, it made stars out of Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and more, the film went on to inspire the ABC-TV smash Happy Days.
1988: Cincinnati radio station WCVG changes its format, becoming the first US all-Elvis radio station. The Elvis concept died within a year due to “Elvis fatigue” drawn in the ratings.
1994: Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announce their marriage in the Dominican Republic 11 weeks earlier.
Deaths: Johnny Burnette; 1960. Bill Buchanan (Buchanan and Goodman); 1996.
Releases:“The Twist,” Chubby Checker; 1960. “Burning Love,” Elvis Presley; 1972.
Recordings:“Hey Jude,” The Beatles; 1968. “Because,” The Beatles; 1969.
Charts: 1959: “Lonely Boy,” Paul Anka; hits No. 1 on the charts. 1964: “A Hard Day’s Night,” The Beatles; hits No. 1 on the charts. 1970: “25 Or 6 To 4,” Chicago Transit Authority; hits No. 1 on the charts.
Certifications: ‘Chicago V,’(LP)Chicago; certified gold by the RIAA.
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day….
A special THANK YOU goes out to our friend, James Heddle, Tucson, Arizona, for his recent contribution to our website — in sharing this historic and rare WXYZ (1945) wartime radio booklet with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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Herman’ Hermits “Look’s Who’s On First!” year-end trade publication ad for 1965.(Click on image for larger view).
NEW YORK — Herman’s Hermits, the hottest record-selling act today, have set a precedent by having their latest single release, “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter,” break into the Hot 100 chart at the No. 12 position this week. This is the highest jump of any record, thus far, that has ever hit the chart. The previous high was the Beatles’ release of their single “A Hard Day’s Night,” on Capitol Records, which vaulted at the No. 21 spot last year.
Herman’s Hermitscurrently have three singles ranked within the top 20 of the Hot 100 chart, with their “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat” at No. 6,“Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” at No. 12 and “Silhouettes”“at No. 19 after only three weeks on the charts.
Herman (Peter Noone) with WKNR’s J. Michael Wilson, Bob Green and Paul Cannon along with Hermit Derek “Lek” Leckenby in 1965.(Click on photo for larger view; photo courtesy Scott Westerman and Keener13.com).
Just last month, WKNR, the number one top 40 radio station in Detroit, confirmed “Can’t You Heart My Heartbeat” as having been the most popular hit in record sales, through the station’s own influence with its listeners. “Heartbeat,” recently was the No. 1 song onWKNRfor three consecutive weeks in the Motor City. The song hit the No. 13 position at the station onFebruary 25after debuting there (at No. 28) the previous week. It jumped all the way to the No. 1 spot on WKNR the following week, beginningMarch 3, and it stayed at the top there through March 24, when it dropped down to the No. 4 spot on Keener 13.
Herman’s Hermit’s “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter,” was finally released as a single in the U.S. on MGM in late-April, 1965. (Click on image for larger view).
But the latest tune, from the British band’s latest LP, has received what is considered the heaviest airplay of any record not released as a single to date.
Disk jockeys were playing the track from the group’s smash LP, “Introducing Herman’s Hermits,” which is currently at No. 3 this week on the Top LP’s chart in Billboard.
While “Silhouettes” was just released three weeks ago, MGM were forced to release “Mrs. Brown” due to popularity and demand and to date has found there has been no effect in the sale of the other two singles by the same group.
The advanced airplay on this tune has obviously helped the sales of this LP tremendously, since demand has forced consumers to buy the package to obtain “Mrs. Brown.”
The group is scheduled to arrive in this country Monday, April 19, for a month of one-nighters with the Dick Clark tour starting April 30. Prior to thatHerman’s Hermitswill make several personal appearances upon their arrival here. They are slated to appear on ABC-TV’s “Shindig” on May 4.END
___
(Information and news source: Billboard; April 17, 1965)
BILLBOARD APRIL 17, 1965
HERMAN’S HERMITS
“Mrs Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter,” eventually went on to become the nation’s No. 1 song for three consecutive weeks — May 1, May 8, May 15, before dropping down to No. 2 on May 22, 1965 — according to the Billboard charts for May 1965.
Gary Stevens, WKNR (Detroit) afternoon deejay, is currently on tour in Europe and England along with his wife Peggy. Tour will include stops along the way to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Plans includes a visit with the Beatles in the U.K. as well. During the trip, Stevens will be shooting film for his daily WKBD-TV dance show on Detroit’s channel 50.
(Information and news source: Billboard; January 23, 1965).
From the MCRFB news archives: 1963
MAJOR LANCE * “The Monkey Time” * OKEH RECORDS (1963)
