 | Up Up and Away by J Mann - Radio Toast for Cancer Research http://www.donatetomyrelay.org/gtc Radio Toast only plays superb music you may never have heard before. If you enjoyed this post, please donate anything you can (before August 2008) to Cancer Research UK using the link http://www.donatetomyrelay.org/gtc 'Up Up And Away' by the Johnny Mann Singers from 1967- a tune composed by Jimmy Webb. Why? Just because I like it, really. The overall choral work and enunciation are to die for... |
 | Gene McDaniels - 100 Pounds of Clay Eugene B. McDaniels, 12th February 1935, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.A. Gene is a former gospel singer and bandleader. He attended Omaha's Conservatory of Music before setting out on a recording career. Gene signed to the Liberty imprint in the late 50's in California where he worked with the producer Tommy 'Snuff' Garrett, who provided Gene with several songs written by the Brill Building set-up of songwriters. There he enjoyed had a few local hits, including 'In Times Like These' and 'The Green Door'. Following on from those recordings, Gene received two U.S. Top 5 entries in 1961 with 'A Hundred Pounds Of Clay' and 'Tower Of Strength'. Both singles fared less well in Britain, where cover versions by Craig Douglas and Frankie Vaughan took the limelight. Gene McDaniels' influence on British music was acknowledged by his appearance in the, Richard Lester directed, movie 'It's Trad, Dad' that contained his song 'Another Tear Falls'. The movie featured Chubby Checker, Gene Vincent, Gary 'U.S.' Bonds, Acker Bilk, Del Shannon along with many other artists. Gene scored six top forty hits released during 1961 and 1962, backed by The Johnny Mann Singers on each release. His final U.S. chart entry came the following year with 'Point Of No Return', a jazz-based performance and arguably the singer's finest single release along with the song 'Spanish Lace'. He sadly fell from favour when the publics tastes made a bee-line towards the Beatles and their like. In 1965 he released 'Walk With A Winner' for his Liberty label. His following efforts at soul with a social consciousness leaning, paled beside these early recordings. Gene McDaniels continued to record for Liberty until 1965, then switched to Atlantic in the early '70s. |
 | Gene McDaniels - Spanish Lace Eugene B. McDaniels, 12th February 1935, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.A. Gene is a former gospel singer and bandleader. He attended Omaha's Conservatory of Music before setting out on a recording career. Gene signed to the Liberty imprint in the late 50's in California where he worked with the producer Tommy 'Snuff' Garrett, who provided Gene with several songs written by the Brill Building set-up of songwriters. There he enjoyed had a few local hits, including 'In Times Like These' and 'The Green Door'. Following on from those recordings, Gene received two U.S. Top 5 entries in 1961 with 'A Hundred Pounds Of Clay' and 'Tower Of Strength'. Both singles fared less well in Britain, where cover versions by Craig Douglas and Frankie Vaughan took the limelight. Gene McDaniels' influence on British music was acknowledged by his appearance in the, Richard Lester directed, movie 'It's Trad, Dad' that contained his song 'Another Tear Falls'. The movie featured Chubby Checker, Gene Vincent, Gary 'U.S.' Bonds, Acker Bilk, Del Shannon along with many other artists. Gene scored six top forty hits released during 1961 and 1962, backed by The Johnny Mann Singers on each release. His final U.S. chart entry came the following year with 'Point Of No Return', a jazz-based performance and arguably the singer's finest single release along with the song 'Spanish Lace'. He sadly fell from favour when the publics tastes made a bee-line towards the Beatles and their like. In 1965 he released 'Walk With A Winner' for his Liberty label. His following efforts at soul with a social consciousness leaning, paled beside these early recordings. Gene McDaniels continued to record for Liberty until 1965, then switched to Atlantic in the early '70s. |
 | Gene McDaniels - Tower Of Strength Eugene B. McDaniels, 12th February 1935, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.A. Gene is a former gospel singer and bandleader. He attended Omaha's Conservatory of Music before setting out on a recording career. Gene signed to the Liberty imprint in the late 50's in California where he worked with the producer Tommy 'Snuff' Garrett, who provided Gene with several songs written by the Brill Building set-up of songwriters. There he enjoyed had a few local hits, including 'In Times Like These' and 'The Green Door'. Following on from those recordings, Gene received two U.S. Top 5 entries in 1961 with 'A Hundred Pounds Of Clay' and 'Tower Of Strength'. Both singles fared less well in Britain, where cover versions by Craig Douglas and Frankie Vaughan took the limelight. Gene McDaniels' influence on British music was acknowledged by his appearance in the, Richard Lester directed, movie 'It's Trad, Dad' that contained his song 'Another Tear Falls'. The movie featured Chubby Checker, Gene Vincent, Gary 'U.S.' Bonds, Acker Bilk, Del Shannon along with many other artists. Gene scored six top forty hits released during 1961 and 1962, backed by The Johnny Mann Singers on each release. His final U.S. chart entry came the following year with 'Point Of No Return', a jazz-based performance and arguably the singer's finest single release along with the song 'Spanish Lace'. He sadly fell from favour when the publics tastes made a bee-line towards the Beatles and their like. In 1965 he released 'Walk With A Winner' for his Liberty label. His following efforts at soul with a social consciousness leaning, paled beside these early recordings. Gene McDaniels continued to record for Liberty until 1965, then switched to Atlantic in the early '70s. |
 | Gene McDaniels - Chip Chip Eugene B. McDaniels, 12th February 1935, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.A. Gene is a former gospel singer and bandleader. He attended Omaha's Conservatory of Music before setting out on a recording career. Gene signed to the Liberty imprint in the late 50's in California where he worked with the producer Tommy 'Snuff' Garrett, who provided Gene with several songs written by the Brill Building set-up of songwriters. There he enjoyed had a few local hits, including 'In Times Like These' and 'The Green Door'. Following on from those recordings, Gene received two U.S. Top 5 entries in 1961 with 'A Hundred Pounds Of Clay' and 'Tower Of Strength'. Both singles fared less well in Britain, where cover versions by Craig Douglas and Frankie Vaughan took the limelight. Gene McDaniels' influence on British music was acknowledged by his appearance in the, Richard Lester directed, movie 'It's Trad, Dad' that contained his song 'Another Tear Falls'. The movie featured Chubby Checker, Gene Vincent, Gary 'U.S.' Bonds, Acker Bilk, Del Shannon along with many other artists. Gene scored six top forty hits released during 1961 and 1962, backed by The Johnny Mann Singers on each release. His final U.S. chart entry came the following year with 'Point Of No Return', a jazz-based performance and arguably the singer's finest single release along with the song 'Spanish Lace'. He sadly fell from favour when the publics tastes made a bee-line towards the Beatles and their like. In 1965 he released 'Walk With A Winner' for his Liberty label. His following efforts at soul with a social consciousness leaning, paled beside these early recordings. Gene McDaniels continued to record for Liberty until 1965, then switched to Atlantic in the early '70s. |
 | Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Gordon Lightfoot, Jr. was born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. He was twelve when he made his first appearance at Massey Hall in Toronto, after winning a competition for boys whose voices had not yet changed. As a teenager, Lightfoot learned piano and taught himself to play drums and percussion. In high school, Lightfoot performed in extensively and eventually became largely self-taught in playing folk guitar. He was influenced during this time by 19th-century master American songwriter Stephen Foster. He was also an accomplished high school athlete and set school records in track and field during his time for shot put and pole vault. Lightfoot moved to California in 1958. He studied at Hollywood's Westlake College of Music, which had many Canadian students. To support himself, he sang on demonstration records and wrote, arranged, and produced commercial jingles. He became influenced by the folk music of Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and The Weavers. In Canada, Lighfoot performed with The Swinging Eight, a group featured on CBC TV's Country Hoedown, and with the Gino Silvi Singers. He soon became known in the Toronto coffee houses promoting folk music. In 1962, Lightfoot released two singles that were local hits in Toronto and received some airplay elsewhere in Canada as well. In 1963 and 1964 Lightfoot began to develop a reputation as a songwriter. Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded "Early Mornin' Rain" and "For Lovin' Me;" a year later both songs were recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. Other performers recording one or both songs included Chad and Jeremy and the Johnny Mann Singers. Established recording artists such as Marty Robbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"), Leroy Van Dyke ("I'm Not Saying"), Judy Collins ("Early Morning Rain"), Richie Havens ("I Can't Make It Anymore"), and The Kingston Trio ("Early Morning Rain"), all achieved chart success with Gordon Lightfoot's material. In 1965, Lightfoot signed a recording contract with United Artists and released his own version of "I'm Not Saying" as a single. Appearances at the Newport Folk Festival, the Tonight Show, and New York's Town Hall increased his following and his reputation. In 1966, he released his debut album Lightfoot!, which brought him increased recognition as both a singer and a songwriter. It featured many now-famous songs, including "For Lovin' Me," "Early Mornin' Rain," "Steel Rail Blues," and "Ribbon of Darkness." On the strength of the Lightfoot! album, which mixed Canadian and universal themes, Lightfoot became one of the first Canadian singers to achieve real stardom in his own country without having to move to the United States. Between 1966 and 1969, Lightfoot recorded four additional albums for United Artists: The Way I Feel (1967), Did She Mention My Name? (1968), Back Here On Earth (1968), and the live recording Sunday Concert (1969). During those years, he consistently placed singles in the Canadian top 40, including "Go-Go Round", "Spin, Spin", and "The Way I Feel". His biggest hit of the era was a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", which peaked at #3 on the Canadian charts. Internationally, Lightfoot's albums from this time were well-received, but did not produce any hit singles. Outside of Canada, he remained better known as a songwriter than as a performer. Lightfoot was signed to Warner Bros./Reprise in 1970 and had a major hit in the United States with his recording of "If You Could Read My Mind." The song was originally featured on his 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger, which did not sell well. After the success of the song, the album was re-released under the new title If You Could Read My Mind. It reached #5 nationally and the success of the song represented a major turning point in Gordon Lightfoot's career. It also had only the second recorded version of "Me and Bobby McGee" as well as "The Pony Man","Your Love's Return" and "The Minstrel of The Dawn". Over the next seven years, he recorded a series of successful albums that established him as a singer-songwriter. His 1976 single, Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, reached #2 on Billboard and became his signature song. |
 | Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown Gordon Lightfoot, Jr. was born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. He was twelve when he made his first appearance at Massey Hall in Toronto, after winning a competition for boys whose voices had not yet changed. As a teenager, Lightfoot learned piano and taught himself to play drums and percussion. In high school, Lightfoot performed in extensively and eventually became largely self-taught in playing folk guitar. He was influenced during this time by 19th-century master American songwriter Stephen Foster. He was also an accomplished high school athlete and set school records in track and field during his time for shot put and pole vault. Lightfoot moved to California in 1958. He studied at Hollywood's Westlake College of Music, which had many Canadian students. To support himself, he sang on demonstration records and wrote, arranged, and produced commercial jingles. He became influenced by the folk music of Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and The Weavers. In Canada, Lighfoot performed with The Swinging Eight, a group featured on CBC TV's Country Hoedown, and with the Gino Silvi Singers. He soon became known in the Toronto coffee houses promoting folk music. In 1962, Lightfoot released two singles that were local hits in Toronto and received some airplay elsewhere in Canada as well. In 1963 and 1964 Lightfoot began to develop a reputation as a songwriter. Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded "Early Mornin' Rain" and "For Lovin' Me;" a year later both songs were recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. Other performers recording one or both songs included Chad and Jeremy and the Johnny Mann Singers. Established recording artists such as Marty Robbins ("Ribbon of Darkness"), Leroy Van Dyke ("I'm Not Saying"), Judy Collins ("Early Morning Rain"), Richie Havens ("I Can't Make It Anymore"), and The Kingston Trio ("Early Morning Rain"), all achieved chart success with Gordon Lightfoot's material. In 1965, Lightfoot signed a recording contract with United Artists and released his own version of "I'm Not Saying" as a single. Appearances at the Newport Folk Festival, the Tonight Show, and New York's Town Hall increased his following and his reputation. In 1966, he released his debut album Lightfoot!, which brought him increased recognition as both a singer and a songwriter. It featured many now-famous songs, including "For Lovin' Me," "Early Mornin' Rain," "Steel Rail Blues," and "Ribbon of Darkness." On the strength of the Lightfoot! album, which mixed Canadian and universal themes, Lightfoot became one of the first Canadian singers to achieve real stardom in his own country without having to move to the United States. Between 1966 and 1969, Lightfoot recorded four additional albums for United Artists: The Way I Feel (1967), Did She Mention My Name? (1968), Back Here On Earth (1968), and the live recording Sunday Concert (1969). During those years, he consistently placed singles in the Canadian top 40, including "Go-Go Round", "Spin, Spin", and "The Way I Feel". His biggest hit of the era was a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", which peaked at #3 on the Canadian charts. Internationally, Lightfoot's albums from this time were well-received, but did not produce any hit singles. Outside of Canada, he remained better known as a songwriter than as a performer. Lightfoot was signed to Warner Bros./Reprise in 1970 and had a major hit in the United States with his recording of "If You Could Read My Mind." The song was originally featured on his 1970 album Sit Down Young Stranger, which did not sell well. After the success of the song, the album was re-released under the new title If You Could Read My Mind. It reached #5 nationally and the success of the song represented a major turning point in Gordon Lightfoot's career. It also had only the second recorded version of "Me and Bobby McGee" as well as "The Pony Man","Your Love's Return" and "The Minstrel of The Dawn". Over the next seven years, he recorded a series of successful albums that established him as a singer-songwriter. His 1976 single, Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, reached #2 on Billboard and became his signature song. |
 | My Elusive Dreams BCB Band sings My Elusive Dreams by Charlie Rich. Charlie Rich was simultaneously one of the most critically acclaimed and most erratic country singers of post-World War II era. Rich had all the elements of being one of the great country stars of the '60s and '70s, but his popularity never matched his critical notices. What made him a critical favorite also kept him from mass success. Throughout his career, Rich willfully bended genres, fusing country, jazz, blues, gospel, rockabilly, and soul. Though he had 45 country hits in a career that spanned nearly four decades, he became best-known for his lush, Billy Sherrill-produced countrypolitan records of the early '70s. Instead of embracing the stardom those records brought him, Rich shunned it, retreating into semiretirement by the '80s. Rich began his professional musical career while he was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the early '50s. While he was stationed in Oklahoma, he formed a group called the Velvetones, which played jazz and blues and featured his fiancée, Margaret Ann, on lead vocals. Rich left the military in 1956, and he began performing clubs around the Memphis area, playing both jazz and R&B; he also began writing his own material. Rich managed to land a job as a session musician for Judd Records, which was owned by Judd Phillips, the brother of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. Around this time, saxophonist and Sun recording artist Bill Justis heard Rich play at the Sharecropper Club and asked the pianist to write arrangements for him. Sam saw Rich perform with Justis at a club gig and asked him to record some demos at Sun Studios. Phillips rejected the resulting demos, claiming they were too jazzy. After absorbing some Jerry Lee Lewis records Justis gave him, Rich returned to Sun quickly and became a regular session musician for the label in 1958, playing and/or singing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, and Ray Smith. He was also writing songs, including "Break Up" for Lewis, "The Ways of a Woman in Love" for Cash, and "I'm Comin' Home" for Mann, which was later cut by Elvis Presley. In August of 1958, Rich released his first single, "Whirlwind," for the Sun subsidiary Phillips International. Throughout 1959, he recorded a number of songs at Sun, though only a handful were actually released. Rich didn't have a hit until 1960, when his third Phillips International single, "Lonely Weekends," became a Top 30 pop hit. However, none of its seven follow-up singles were a success, though several of the songs would become staples in his set, including "Who Will the Next Fool Be?," "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and "Midnight Blues." In the early '60s, Rich's career remained stalled. He left Sun Records in 1964, signing with Groove, a newly established subsidiary of RCA. His first single, "Big Boss Man," was an underground, word-of-mouth hit, but its Chet Atkins-produced follow-ups all stiffed. On Groove, he jazzily interpreted standards, but he also performed a handful of originals, including "Tomorrow Night" and "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore." Groove went out of business by the beginning of 1965, leaving Rich without a record contract. |
 | Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues BCB Band sings Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues by Charlie Rich. Charlie Rich was simultaneously one of the most critically acclaimed and most erratic country singers of post-World War II era. Rich had all the elements of being one of the great country stars of the '60s and '70s, but his popularity never matched his critical notices. What made him a critical favorite also kept him from mass success. Throughout his career, Rich willfully bended genres, fusing country, jazz, blues, gospel, rockabilly, and soul. Though he had 45 country hits in a career that spanned nearly four decades, he became best-known for his lush, Billy Sherrill-produced countrypolitan records of the early '70s. Instead of embracing the stardom those records brought him, Rich shunned it, retreating into semiretirement by the '80s. Rich began his professional musical career while he was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the early '50s. While he was stationed in Oklahoma, he formed a group called the Velvetones, which played jazz and blues and featured his fiancée, Margaret Ann, on lead vocals. Rich left the military in 1956, and he began performing clubs around the Memphis area, playing both jazz and R&B; he also began writing his own material. Rich managed to land a job as a session musician for Judd Records, which was owned by Judd Phillips, the brother of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. Around this time, saxophonist and Sun recording artist Bill Justis heard Rich play at the Sharecropper Club and asked the pianist to write arrangements for him. Sam saw Rich perform with Justis at a club gig and asked him to record some demos at Sun Studios. Phillips rejected the resulting demos, claiming they were too jazzy. After absorbing some Jerry Lee Lewis records Justis gave him, Rich returned to Sun quickly and became a regular session musician for the label in 1958, playing and/or singing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, and Ray Smith. He was also writing songs, including "Break Up" for Lewis, "The Ways of a Woman in Love" for Cash, and "I'm Comin' Home" for Mann, which was later cut by Elvis Presley. In August of 1958, Rich released his first single, "Whirlwind," for the Sun subsidiary Phillips International. Throughout 1959, he recorded a number of songs at Sun, though only a handful were actually released. Rich didn't have a hit until 1960, when his third Phillips International single, "Lonely Weekends," became a Top 30 pop hit. However, none of its seven follow-up singles were a success, though several of the songs would become staples in his set, including "Who Will the Next Fool Be?," "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and "Midnight Blues." In the early '60s, Rich's career remained stalled. He left Sun Records in 1964, signing with Groove, a newly established subsidiary of RCA. His first single, "Big Boss Man," was an underground, word-of-mouth hit, but its Chet Atkins-produced follow-ups all stiffed. On Groove, he jazzily interpreted standards, but he also performed a handful of originals, including "Tomorrow Night" and "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore." Groove went out of business by the beginning of 1965, leaving Rich without a record contract. |
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