behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 14, 1958 - The Recording Industry Association Of America (aka RIAA) certifies the first Gold single awarded. The trade organization established in 1952 begin a program to acknowledge and award recordings that achieve a high sales plateau. With the sales of 45 RPM singles and full length LP’s continuing gain momentum, the RIAA establishes the Gold sales award for singles and LP’s that have reached over $1,000,000 in sales in the US. The first single to qualify is “Catch A Falling Star” (#3 Best Seller) by pop singer Perry Como. The first full length album to reach Gold status is the motion picture soundtrack for the Rodgers And Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma!” The sales criteria is later altered for Gold singles at 1,000,000 units and LP’s at 500,000 units shipped. With record sales reaching an all time high by the mid 1970’s, the RIAA establishes the Platinum sales award for singles and LP’s in February of 1976, with singles reaching that mark at 2,000,000 units and LP’s at 1,000,000. When single sales dramatically decline in the 1980’s, the sales requirements are cut in half in 1989 for both Gold and Platinum status. 

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 15, 1965 - “Count Me In” by Gary Lewis & The Playboys is released. Written by Glen D. Hardin, it is the second single for the pop band from Los Angeles, CA led by the son of comedian Jerry Lewis. Having scored a huge hit out of the box with their debut single “This Diamond Ring” in February of 1965, Gary Lewis & The Playboys go from relative obscurity playing at Disneyland, to having a number one single virtually overnight. With this huge success, their producer “Snuff” Garrett is well aware that with the eyes of the public and the music industry now on them, that he needs to find a song strong enough to follow up that first chart topper. After cutting several songs and finding nothing suitable for release, when the solution literally walks into  Garrett’s office early one morning. Keyboardist Glen Hardin, a member of The Shindogs, the house band on the popular music series “Shindig!” tells Snuff that he has a song he’s just finished. The producer has him sit down at the piano, and Hardin plays “Count Me In”. After he’s through playing it, Garrett responds with “That’s it, that’s it!! Let’s record that right now!!” Quickly organizing a session, “Count Me In” is recorded at United/Western Recorders in Hollywood, CA on February 13, 1965 (one week before “Diamond Ring” hits number one), with members of The Wrecking Crew including Hal Blaine (drums), Tommy Tedesco (guitar), and Leon Russell (piano, celeste) who also writes the band arrangement for the song. In addition to Gary Lewis adding his double tracked lead vocals to the song, his vocal is also shadowed by singer Ron Hicklin, a member of the backing vocal studio group The Eligibles (Hicklin, Al Capps and Stan Farber) who perform the background vocals. The singles B-side, the Jan & Dean/Beach Boys influenced hot rod song “Little Miss Go Go” is recorded the day before, featuring the same musicians. Released as a single in mid-March of 1965, “Count Me In” takes off immediately, beating the feared sophomore jinx. Entering the Hot 100 at #88 on April 3, 1965, it quickly rockets into the top five only five weeks later, peaking at #2 on May 8, 1965 behind Herman’s Hermits’ “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter”. Also included in the bands second album “A Session With Gary Lewis And The Playboys”, “Count Me In” is the second of seven consecutive top ten singles for Gary Lewis And The Playboys.

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 15, 1969 - “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks. Written by Tommy Roe and Freddy Weller, it is the second chart topping single for the pop singer, songwriter and musician from Atlanta, GA. Scoring a steady string of hit singles beginning with the Buddy Holly influenced “Sheila” (#1 Pop) in 1962, Tommy Roe follows it up with other top ten hits including “Everybody” (#3 Pop), “Sweet Pea” (#8 Pop), and “Hooray For Hazel” (#6 Pop). By the late 60’s with musical tastes changing, Roe finds it more and more difficult to land on the charts. In 1968, he is paired with record producer Steve Barri, best known for his work with Barry McGuire (“Eve Of Destruction”) and The Grass Roots (“Let’s Live For Today”, “Midnight Confessions”). While writing new material, Roe returns to the bubblegum pop sound of his earlier hits, come up with the melody that evolves into “Dizzy”. He finishes writing it with co-writer Freddy Weller. Recorded in Los Angeles, CA in late 1968, the track features members of the legendary Wrecking Crew studio collective including bassist Joe Osborn and drummer Hal Blaine, who lays down the songs signature pile driver beat. The crowning touch is added by arranger Jimmie Haskell, when he writes a string arrangement that provides a dramatic counterpoint, accenting the basic track perfectly. ABC Records issues “Dizzy” as a single in January of 1969, and it is an immediate smash. Entering the Hot 100 at #86 on February 1, 1969, it leaps to the top of the chart six weeks later. The song goes on to be covered by a number of different artists including Billy J. Kramer and Boney M. Its opening break has been frequently sampled by various Hip Hop artists and producers including Da Youngstas, and by British DJ Chad Jackson on his remix of De La Soul’s “The Magic Number” “Dizzy” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 16, 1955 - “Unchained Melody” by Roy Hamilton is released. Written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, it is the second chart topping for the R&B vocal legend from Leesburg, GA. Written by film score composer North (“A Streetcar Named Desire”, “Spartacus”) and lyricist Zaret (“One Meatball”, “Why Does The Sun Shine?”), the song is originally composed as the theme for the film “Unchained”. It quickly becomes a hit and is covered by numerous artists, including Al Hibbler and Les Baxter who both reach the top 10 with their versions. Hamilton’s version (the third recording of the song) spends three weeks at number one on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues singles chart and number six on the Best Sellers chart. It is Roy Hamilton’s vocal style and arrangement that is the one most directly influences and inspires The Righteous Brothers’ 1965 recording, that becomes the most famous rendition of the song.

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 16, 1964 - “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles is released. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it is issued in both the US and the UK as the official follow up to “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. The single earns a place in the Guinness World Book Of Records when it racks up sales of over 2.1 million copies in advance orders. It enters the chart on March 28, 1964 at #27 and leaps to #1 the following week, making history again for the fastest rise to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 where it spends 5 weeks, residing over a top five in which the other four singles are also by The Beatles. Queens Litho in New York print up a picture sleeve to go along with the single, using the same photo of the band included on the sleeve for “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, packaging them with copies of the single manufactured at Capitol Records’ east coast pressing plant in Scranton, PA. The picture sleeve is printed in relatively small quantities with the Los Angeles plant not manufacturing the sleeve, opting to ship them in generic Capitol sleeves. Over the years, it becomes the rarest commercially issued Beatles picture sleeve with near mint copies valued at nearly $1000 today. Backed with the track “You Can’t Do That” (#48 Pop), both songs make their album debut on the soundtrack to the bands’ first film “A Hard Day’s Night” in June of 1964. In 2011, US retail chain Target issues a limited edition reissue of the 45, complete with a reproduction of the picture sleeve, packaged in a box with a T-shirt.

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 16, 1968 - “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks, also topping the R&B singles chart for 3 weeks on the same date. Written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper, it is the biggest hit for the R&B vocal legend from Dawson, GA. Redding writes the majority of the song in August 1967 while staying on house boat at Waldo Point in Sausalito, CA. The track is recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis on November 22, 1967. Additional overdubs are recorded on December 8, 1967, and is the final recording session before Redding’s death on December 10, 1967. Booker T. & The M.G.’s guitarist and co-writer Steve Cropper overdubs the song’s shimmering lead guitar lines on the song just before it is mixed. “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” is released a month after Otis’ death on January 8, 1968. The single is an immediate smash and ascends the pop and R&B charts simultaneously. Entering the Hot 100 at #67 on January 27, 1968, it climbs to the top of the chart seven weeks later. The record becomes the first posthumous chart topper on the Billboard pop singles chart. “Dock Of The Bay” wins two Grammy Awards in 1969 including Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, and are accepted by Redding’s widow Zelma.  Revered as one of the greatest R&B singles of all time, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1998. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of its original release, Rhino Records reissues the song as a limited edition 7" pressed on gold vinyl on January 9, 2018. The reissue features the rare initial mono mix which is quickly withdrawn from the marketplace, and is replaced with the more commonly heard mix with Redding’s lead vocal placed more prominently in the track. As well as being pressed on colored vinyl, the single also features replicas of the original red and black Volt Records labels, and the correct period Atlantic company sleeve. “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 17, 1958 - “Tequila” by The Champs hits #1 on the Billboard Best Sellers chart for 5 weeks, also topping the R&B singles chart for 4 weeks on March 31, 1958. Written by Danny Flores (credited to the pseudonym “Chuck Rio” on the record), is the biggest hit for the instrumental quintet from Los Angeles, CA. The song is result of an in studio jam at the end of a recording session, inspired by a recent trip that musician Danny Flores takes to Tijuana, Mexico. Because he is signed to another record label at the time, Flores uses the name “Chuck Rio” to mask his real identity. Originally released on actor and country music star Gene Autry’s Challenge record label in January 1958 as the B-side of “Train To Nowhere”, to minimal response until a DJ in Cleveland, OH begins playing “Tequila” instead. Entering the Billboard Best Sellers chart on March 3, 1958 at #23, and jumps to #12 , and then pole vaults right to number one the following week. The single also wins the first Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1959. “Tequila” has a long life after The Champs have faded from the charts. “Tequila” is covered many times over the years by numerous artists, with the original recording being featured in many films including “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”, “The Sandlot” and “Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie” as well as television shows such as “Happy Days”. Acknowledged as a rock & roll classic, the song is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2001. “Tequila” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

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behindthegrooves:

On this day in music history: March 18, 1967 - “Penny Lane” by The Beatles hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it is the thirteenth US number one single for the “Fab Four”. The single is one of the first two songs (along with “Strawberry Fields Forever”) to emerge from the sessions that yields the bands landmark “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. It is titled after a district near the Liverpool City Centre where Lennon had once lived as an art student. The idea for the song comes to McCartney in a dream. Recording sessions for the song begin on December 29, 1966, with the final overdubs being recorded on January 17, 1967. Trumpet player David Mason is hired to play the songs’ signature piccolo trumpet solo after McCartney hears him playing the instrument during a television performance of Bach’s 2nd Brandenburg Concerto. For both the US and UK releases of the single (issued on February 13, 1967 in the US and February 17, 1967 in the UK), it comes packaged with a picture sleeve that features a new portrait of the band on the front, with childhood photos of each member on the back. Entering the Hot 100 at #85 on February 25, 1967, leaping to the top of the chart three weeks later. Surprisingly, the single peaks at #2 on the UK singles chart when it is held off the top by Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me”. “Penny Lane” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

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hellyeahlennon:

John Lennon at the premiere of How I Won The War, October 1967.