Some of my favorite original "45s"

September 4th, 1962 was a day that will always loom large in my life. It was the first day of my sophomore year in high school, but that's not why it's important. I was downtown buying school supplies, and I bought my first two "phonograph" records. From that point on I was hooked on music. For the next year or two I bought dozens of these 45s (so called because they were played on the record players of the time at 45 RPMs). I even basically gave up buying baseball and football cards to invest my money in "platters".

Those first two were Silver Threads and Golden Needles by the Springfields and A Swinging Surfari by Billy Vaughn. The Springields record, featuring, by the way, a young Dusty Springfield, is still one of my favorites, but Billy Vaughn has slipped off the playlist. I'm going to list some of my favorites among these early tracks with the option to play the track along with a little photo video related to that player or track.

The list does not include nearly all of my old favorites. I could have included Brook Benton, The Exciters, Barbara Lynn, Barbara George, and many others. Maybe I'll add more as time goes on.

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Here then is the list in no particular order.











1. The Springfields: "Silver Threads and Golden Needles".
The Springfields were Mary "Dusty" O'Brien, her brother Dion and Tim Feild. Mary changed her name to Dusty Springfield and Dion changed his to Tom Springfield when the group was formed. They had some success in Great Britain but were not noticed in the U.S. until this record was released in June 1962 (I believe), and it went on to be a top-20 hit. As I noted above, I bought it in September 1962. Their first album, titled "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", was released in 1962 and was coincidentally the first album I ever owned (Christmas present). Feild was replaced by Mike Hurst in early 1962, so I guess that's Hurst singing on this record, although Feild is listed in the album notes as a member. Dusty, of course, went on to much greater fame as a solo artist in th '60s. As a special bonus, I'm listing two additional songs off that album (in play-only mode) because of the special significance this album has for me, but also because they are two good tracks in their own right.

(From the "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" album - time 2:14, size 2.61MB)
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2. April Stevens and Nino Tempo: "Deep Purple".
April and Nino were a sister and brother act from Niagara Falls, NY. This record was released in 1963 and actually reached number one in November. It was, believe it or not, awarded the Grammy for the best "rock and roll record" of that year. They went on to record a number of "standards" including "Whispering", another of my favorite old 45s, which reached number 11. But maybe even higher on my personal list is the flip side of "Deep Purple", the somewhat wacky long-named "I've Been Carrying A Torch For You So Long That I Burned A Great Big Hole In My Heart". As another special bonus, I'm including a play-only version of this classic.
Deep Purple - time 2:40, size 3246KB)
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3. Rick Nelson: "I Got a Woman".
This track, while not a big hit for Nelson, is for sure one of my top ten favorite recordings ever. You may argue that the original Ray Charles version is better, but I believe the band absolutely smokes on this one, and so does Rick. James Burton played guitar on the biggest Rick Nelson hits. He was a tremendous influence on the Fender Telecaster players who came later. As a special bonus I include a video of the band doing this "live" - of course, it's lip-synched.
(From the "For Your Love" album" time 2:24, size .994MB)
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Special bonus: Rick and James play "I Got a Woman" (of course it's lip-synched):
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4. Dion: "Ruby Baby".
Dion DiMucci had a string of hits in the '50s and '60s, both with backup groups (the Belmonts and the generally uncredited Del-Satins) and as a solo artist. This track was recorded in late 1962 and released in December of that year or early in 1963. It rose to #2 on the charts. This one is also one of my top ten favorite recordings ever.
(From any number of "greatest hits" collections) time 3:08, size 3.59MB)
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Special bonus: Dion sings "Ruby Baby" (of course it's lip-synched):
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5. Roy Orbison: "In Dreams".
Roy Orbison is probably my all-time number one musical hero. He wrote or co-wrote so many classic songs: "Crying", "Running Scared", "It's Over", "Oh Pretty Woman", and dozens more, including this track. "In Dreams" was released in 1963 and reached the Top 10. I bought it in March of that year. While I could have picked a number of the Big O's hits for this list, some of which I may even like better, I can't think of a better representative of his style and hits. Roy tragically died in 1988 just as his career was being revitalized as one of the "Traveling Wilburys".
(From the "In Dreams" album - time 3:52, size 3.23MB)
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6.Frank Ifield -"I Remember You".
Frank Ifield had a distinctive style which featured a sort of yodeling, you might say. If you listened to "Deep Purple" above it might not surpise you that I frequently like this style! This song peaked at #5 in October 1962. Note: Sometimes it's listed as "I'll Remember You", but my copy says "I Remember You".
(time 2:04, size 2.48MB)
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7. The Crystals: "He's a Rebel".
There were a number of "girl groups" I could have picked for this list - The Exciters, The Shirelles, maybe others - but this one and The Jaynetts (coming up later) seem to be at the top. The Crystals were a Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" group. In reality the actual "Crystals" reportedly did NOT sing on this track (or, in fact, on MOST of the tracks listed as by the Crystals), but it was actually recorded by the "Blossoms" with Darlene Love as the lead singer. There were, in fact, several different groups of singers who recorded as "The Crystals", and I won't try to untangle it all. Suffice it to say that this is a great recording. The song was written by Gene Pitney who makes an appearance on this list below. The record reached #1 in November 1962, and I bought it in October of that year.
(From any number of "greatest hits" collections - time 2:31, size 3.00MB)
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8. Los Indios Tabarajas - "Maria Elena".
The Tabajaras Indians, two brothers from Brazil, had been recording possibly as early as the 1940s, but their big break in the USA came in 1963 when this track reached the top 100 for 14 weeks. It is a beautiful guitar duo played on the DelVecchio "Tabajaras Indians guitar" which Chet Atkins used on many of his recordings.(There is large disagreement whether Maria Elena was recorded on the DelVecchio or on a classical guitar.) This record reached as high as #6 on the Billboard pop charts in late 1963.
(From various albums - time 3:08, size 3.38MB)
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9. Floyd Cramer: "San Antonio Rose".
Floyd Cramer with his distinctive piano style was (along with Chet Atkins) one of the most influential Nashville musicians of his time. He was also just about my earliest real musical hero, before I started playing guitar. I was fortunate to see him in person in 1965 in a concert in Raleigh, NC which also featured Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph. Floyd's first big hit and probably his most famous one was his 1960 recording "Last Date". I could have picked that one for this list, but I'm going with the Bob Wills tune "San Antonio Rose".
(From the "Last Date" album - time 3:59, size 2.72MB)
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10. Lolita: "Sailor".
She was born Edith Zuser and recorded under the name Lolita. This song was recorded in Germany in late 1959 and eventually found its way to the U.S. where it reached #5 in December 1960. This song was also recorded about that same time by several other artists, notably Petula Clark, who also had hits with it. But this is the version I have, and I like it a lot. I'm sure I was especially drawn to it at that time because I was studying German in high school.
(time 2:51, size 3.41MB)
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11. Johnny Tillotson: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry".
Tillotson started out singing typical "teeny-bopper" songs like "Poetry in Motion", but somewhere along the way he decided to sing some country music. Both sides of this record, recorded in 1962, were Hank Williams songs. I'm choosing to feature "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", but the flip side, "I Can't Help It", is also very good and was, in fact, a bigger hit. I bought this record in December 1962.
(time 2:54, size 1.317MB)
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12. Buddy Holly: "Early in the Morning".
As with many of the other artists in this list, there were many choices I could make for Buddy Holly. I picked "Early in the Morning" because it so well illustrates his vocal style and his rockin' ability. The song was written by Bobby Darin (with Woody Harris), and Darin did the first recording of it. Buddy's version reached the top 40 in the U.S. I bought the song on an EP with three others (the back cover is shown in the video). To show his softer side, I include a bonus listen for "Heartbeat". This track highlights his guitar playing. I believe he was one of the earliest to popularize the Fender Stratocaster guitar.
( time 2:07, size 2.47MB)
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13. The Jaynetts: "Sally, Go 'Round The Roses".
This recording is one of my very most favorites from this era. It's a "mystical", strange, almost psychodelic recording with a jazzy organ, overlaid girls' voices, and really very little in the way of traditional song structure. The amazing production was by Abner (NOT PHIL!) Spector. I had trouble finding suitable pictures for the video, but that may not be a problem, since it's not at all clear who actually sang on this tune. According to one person who was present, there were at one point up to twenty voices on the track. The lyrics have been described as having all kinds of interpretations, but to me the simplest and most likely is that they were based on a girls' jump-rope rhyme. The record reached #2 on the charts in September 1963.
(time 3:14, size 3.77MB)
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14. Brian Hyland: "Warmed Over Kisses (Left Over Love)".
You may detect a trend or two in this list, including one that I liked a lot of country-sounding music from this era. This record by Brian Hyland, "Warmed Over Kisses (Left Over Love)", is an example. Brian had a number of hits before and after this one, but I kind of liked this one. It's also one of the first records I ever bought, as I purchased it in October 1962. The record made the top 25 in 1962. I like the production on this track, with the mournful harmonica and the piano riff (Floyd Cramer?).
(From any number of oldies compilation albums - time 2:22, size 2.85MB)
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15. The Chordettes: "Born To Be With You".
The Chordettes had a #1 hit in 1954 with "Mr. Sandman" and a #1 in 1958 with "Lollipop". In between, in 1956, they had a #5 hit with this recording, "Born To Be With You". The version I have was released in 1961 as a Cadence Records "Gold Record Series" with "Born To Be With You" on one side and "Mr. Sandman" on the other. "Born", written by country singer Don Robertson, does not have a lot of lyrics, so some of the recording is just the girl singers humming and one part with (reportedly) composer Robertson whistling a counter melody.
(From various oldie albums - time 2:47, size 3.23MB)
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16.The Beatles : "I Saw Her Standing There".
The Beatles! Greatest band ever! This was their first USA hit, backed with, of course, "I Want To Hold Your Hand". "I Saw Her Standing There" was recorded on February 11, 1963, but was not released in the USA until December 1963 as the flip side of "I Want To Hold Your Hand". Memories are a little hazy after 55 years, but I'm pretty sure that the Beatles and this record in particular inspired me to learn to play the guitar. The first Beatles I album I bought was "The Beatles Second Album", which I bought in May 1964.
(From the "Please Please Me" album - time 2:56, size 1.464MB)
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17. Tommy Roe - "Sheila". Tommy Roe first recorded "Sheila", a song he wrote, in 1960, but it was his 1962 re-recording that made it to #1 on September 1, 1962. As a side note, it's reported that Jerry Reed played guitar on this track. The recording is obviously a tribute to Buddy Holly. Roe went on to have a number of hits through the 1960s. "Sheila" was also one of the first records I ever bought, probably in August or maybe September 1962. As another side note, Tommy toured Europe in 1963 with Chris Montez ("Let's Dance" and "Call Me"), and they met an up-and-coming group called "The Beatles". Reportedly, Roe tried to get ABC records to sign the Beatles, but they refused.
(From lots of oldies albums - time 2:06, size 2.57MB)
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18. Tommy Tucker: "Hi-Heel Sneakers".
This record made it to #11 on the Billboard list in 1964. I spent countless hours trying to play these licks. The guitar was reportedly played by Dean Young, part of the Rhythm and Blues duo Dean and Jean (NOT the surfers Jan and Dean).
(From a number of collection albums - time 2:45, size 3.425MB)
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19. Jimmy Dean "Please Pass The Biscuits".
Jimmy Dean got his start in the mid-1950s with local radio and tv shows. Patsy Cline and Roy Clark got their first breaks on those shows. He had a national TV show in the 1960s where Jim Henson got his first exposure for his "Muppets". Jimmy's biggest hit was 1961's "Big Bad John" (also in my collection), which reached #1 on both the pop and country charts. My selection here, however, was the "B" side of "Little Black Book", which was a modest hit in 1962. The song was a top-10 hit for writer Gene Sullivan in 1957, but I'm not familiar with his version. I do laugh at Jimmy's rendition. "Mama! Pass the biscuits PLEASE!".
(From a number of collection albums - time 2:57, size 3.75MB)
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