Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Wayne’s Music 5/6 May 2012.  1950s.  Remember when?

Midnight Shift                Buddy Holly made this in the same studio where two weeks earlier, Elvis Presley had recorded “Heartbreak Hotel”.  At the time there was no such group as the Crickets, they were modestly known as The Three Tunes.         

I Love To Play My Ukulele             here’s one for Ukulele groups everywhere from Max Bygraves, the man who built his career on old songs and bad jokes.                         

I’m Sorry I Made You Cry     after she recorded “Who’s Sorry Now”, Connie Francis could do no wrong.  She was even onto a winner with this revival of a 1918 song.      

I’m In The Dog House              Dick Charlesworth and his City Gents were among the most successful of the second tier in a trad boom hierarchy dominated by the bands of Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk. 

Way Down Yonder In new Orleans   Freddy Cannon with his rocked up version of a 1922 song, using the full noise and gigantic drum beat he became known for … hence the nickname Boom Boom. 

Don’t Take The Stars                From the golden age of doo-wop – this is possibly the only chart entry from The Mystics, from the Italian neighbourhood in the Bensonhurst district of Brooklyn, New York.

Pa’s Not Home            Nellie Lutcher from Louisianna, who wrote many of her own songs and, unlike many other artists of the 40s and 50s, retained the valuable publishing rights to them. 

Re-Enlistment Blues               Merle Travis a real pioneer who introduced a finger picking syncopated guitar style that is named after him. 

Comes Along A Love              Kay Starr with her 1952 hit single, she holds the distinction of being the only full-blooded Red Indian to have reached number one in the UK. 

mama Don’t Allow It               The Joe Daniels Jazz Band.

Softly Softly                 Ruby Murray with the girlish voice took the pop-music world by storm in the 50s.

True Love          Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly This was the first and only gold record for Grace Kelly and was the 21st gold record for Bing Crosby.

The Man Who Plays The Mandolino                Dean Martin

The Big Beat                 Fats Domino

Everybody Loves My baby                Temperance Seven         

7 Little Girls                  Avons. the two sisters–in-law Valerie and Elaine Murtagh added Ray Adams from nat Gonella’s band to the lineup and this was the first single release, a cover of Paul Evans and The Curls’ American hit song in 1959.

My melancholy Baby              Tommy Edwards aiming directly at the teen market with his trendy slop beat treatment of an old standard in 1959.                      

problems           The Everly Brothers released this song in the UK when they flew into the country with the Chordettes and Andy Williams for a series of concerts in 59.

The Only man On The Island       Tommy Steele with a cover version that kept him on the charts in 1958/59 …as he was moving away from his earlier, rowdier rock and roll classics.  

Wayne’s Music Sunday 6 May 2012.  The 1950s.  PART ONE.

The Wonder Of You                 Ray Peterson  - the first time you heard this song was when he released it in 1959 as a single.  Eleven years later, Elvis prelsey asked Peterson if he could record it.  Peterson said you don’t have to ask – you’re Elvis Presley.  The king replied “Yes I do – you’re Ray Peterson  (or so the story goes).         

Fools Fall In Love                   The Drifters, more of a trademark than a group these days, marketed as a universal brand by the owners of the name, the managerial team of George and Fay Treadwell.  The four vocalists on this track are Johnny Moore, Gerhart Thrasher, Charlie Hughes and Tommy Evans, the first Drifters record to reach the pop charts in 1956.

Tennessee Saturday Night              Ella Mae Morse  

Sweeter Than You               Ricky Nelson at 19 years of age – when he was in the throes of filming “Rio Bravo’ with John Wayne, the legendary actor instilled a lot of confidence in his co-stars and Ricky soaked up the vibe like a sponge.     

Sugar Rose          Humphrey Lyttelton                 

PART TWO.

Now And Then There’s A Fool Such As I           Elvis Presley with a bit of old school country mixed in with rock and roll, a reinvention of the old 1952 song while The King was on leave from the US Army.                                  

To Know Him is To Love Him      the song that is famous for one thing above all others , it introduced the world to Phil Spector.

Oh Carol               Neil Sedaka with the song he wrote about his then girlfriend, Carol Klein who became Carol King in later life.

Heart And Soul             another standard that Mel Torme cared about …

Side By Side                Billie Holiday said that Kay Starr “was the only white woman who could sing the blues” …

 Don’t Let The Stars get In Your Eyes       Skeets McDonald with a song that was first sung by its author, Slim Willett and The Brushcutters.

That’s My Home           Acker Bilk has won immortality for his surprise 1962 hit "Stranger on the Shore," To the jazz world, though, he has a longer-running track record as one of the biggest stars of Britain's trad jazz boom, playing in a distinctive early New Orleans manner. 

The Man From Laramie                  James Stewart was the Man From Laramie.  he starred in five classic western films by director Anthony Mann. In all five, he plays a man who is haunted by the past. The films are famous for their groundbreaking use of the landscape to portray the characters' feelings.  Here’s the song from the movie sung by Al Martino.

Pickin’ A Chicken                Eve Boswell, born in Hungary, educated in Switzerland, before her family left England with The Boswell Family circus.  Eve became a well known singer in South Africa, and with this song, and other hit singles, she got her own Radio Show in Britain in 1954. 

Cumberland Gap                  Vipers Skiffle Group – what I remember about this leading skiffle outfit, is that George Martin produced their records, and Shadows, Hank Marvin, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan were former members of the group. 

Western Movies           more doo-wop from a California High School group – The Olympics. 

Young Fashioned Ways           Chris Barber’s jazz Band  -

A Pub With No beer              where were you when you first heard this song?  T’was a long time ago … 53 years ago Gordon Parsons adapted the song from the original poem by Dan Sheahan , of Ingham, North Queensland. 

Remember When                 The Platters with the theme song for this weeks programme …written by The Platters manager and mentor Buck Ram and piano player Mickey Addy .  It started out as a B side, and as often happened, a deejay turned the record over and soon the song was in the charts.                         

May You Always        The McGuire Sisters – Phyllis, Dorothy and Christine were always on the radio in the 50s.

Woman From Liberia                   Jimmie Rodgers with a pop version of a gospel standard in 1958.           

Cathy’s Clown               Everly Brothers              

Young Love                            Sonny James takes you back maybe to your teenage days, of young love and all that.  He wasn’t the first to put out this song, the writer Ric Cartey and The Jiva-Tones did that in 1956.  Vocal backing on the recording was provided by the Eligibles, a Pacific Northwest vocal group that backed Sonny James on several songs, 

Tell me That You Love Me            Fats Domino, with possibly his first single release in 1960.

 Buona Sera                   Acker Bilk