Marci and Mates - Pomus and Shuman

Keeping up the occasional post of little known but coulda been hits .

Comment from the yahoo group - spectropop -by Country Paul 

"Shall I Tell Him You're Not Here" sounds as though it isn't sure if it wants to be a Johnny Burnette mid-tempo ballad or The Flamingos' "Nobody Loves Me Like You." 

So, the burning question for years: who

is Marci, and what is a guy doing with a girl's name? " 

Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman -- see below for just a little of what they wrote together .

See Below for the Drifters 

http://www.history-of-rock.com/doc_pomus_and_mort_shulman.htm

http://www.shrout.co.uk/Shuman%20Pomus%20songs.html

1955
You Better Believe It (demo ) - Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman

1956
The Curtain Fell - The Cardinals (unissued)
(Wake Up) Miss Rip Van Winkle - The Tibbs Brothers 
I'm Going Crazy - The Tibbs Brothers
(You've Got) The Magic Touch - The Platters

1957
I Need A Girl - Big Joe Turner
Love Roller Coaster - Big Joe Turner [1]
Misery's Child - Richard Hayes 

1958
I Ain't Sharin' Sharon - Bobby Darin
Plain Jane - Bobby Darin
(Since You're Gone) I Can't Go On - Bobby Darin
Kiss And Make Up - The Crowns
My Island Of Dreams - Clyde McPhatter (written in 1956)
Say The Word - Micky & Sylvia [2]
Sunglasses - The Shades [2]
Too Hot To Handle - Jimmy Simmons [3]
You Be My Baby - Ray Charles [4]

1959
A Teenager In Love - Dion & The Belmonts 
Angel Face - James Darren
Teenage Tears - James Darren
Carryin' The Load - Ray Charles
Comes The Day - Rusty Lane
Foxy Little Mama - Little Tony & His Brothers
Go Jimmy Go - Jimmy Clancy
(It's) Great To Be Young And In Love (later -"A Teenager In Love" )- Doc Pomus
Hound Dog Man - Fabian 
Hushabye - The Mystics 
I Dig Girls - Bobby Rydell
I'm A Man - Fabian 
It's Been Nice (Goodnight) - Marty Wilde
I've Cried Before - Dion & The Belmonts 
Pajama Party - Bobby Pedrick Jr.
People Gotta Talk - Ersel Hickey 
Serious - Michael Cox
Stampede - Danny Valentino [5]
Sweet Talk - Bobby Comstock & The Counts
The Snake And The Bookworm - Pat Shannon
The Tiger And The Mouse - Connie Francis
Too Good - Little Tony & His Brothers
(If You Cry) True, True Love - The Drifters

Turn Me Loose - Fabian 
Two Fools - Frankie Avalon
You Gotta Be A Music Man - Danny Valentino 
You'll Never Tame Me - Bobby Rydell
You're Teasing Me - LaVern Baker

1960
A Mess Of Blues - Elvis Presley 
Desdemona's Lament - Joya Sherill
Doin' The Best I Can - Elvis Presley 
Don't Fly Away - Jan & Dean 
Footsteps - The Skyliners 
Happy Time - The Skyliners 
Havin' Fun - Dion 
I Count The Tears - The Drifters 
If You Need Me - Dave Sampson & The Hunters 
I'm On Fire - Tommy Bruce 
It Tears Me All To Pieces - Ruth Brown [6] 
Lonely Winds - The Drifters 
Lovers Gotta Cry - The Flamingos 
My Private Joy - Dion & The Belmonts 
Nobody But Me - The Drifters 
No One - Connie Francis / Brenda Lee (Doc Pomus demo 1959)
Once Upon A Time - Ricky Valence 
Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters 
Senor Big And Fine - LaVern Baker 
Sorrow Tomorrow - Bobby Darin 
Strollin' In The Springtime - Fabian
Teenage Heartache - Ray Peterson 
This Magic Moment - The Drifters 
Wait - Jimmy Clanton 
We Like Boys (version of "I Dig Girls") - Vernons Girls 
What Went Wrong - Jimmy Oliver 
Your Other Love - The Flamingos 

1961 
A Texan And A Girl From Mexico - Anita Bryant 
Could Somebody Take My Place Tonight - Dion & The Belmonts 
Don't You Dare Let Me Down - Conway Twitty 
Here Comes The Night - Dion & The Belmonts 
I Just Wanna Make Love - Jimmy Clanton 
It Was Never Meant To Be - Dion 
It's Not True - Ricky Valance 
Little Ship - The Delicates, Arlene Martell, Jess Conrad 
Little Sister - Elvis Presley
(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley 
Might Cold (To A Warm, Warm Heart) - Fabian 
Misery - Del Shannon 
Rag Doll - Jess Conrad 
Room Full Of Tears - The Drifters 
So Close To Heaven - Ral Donner 
School Of Heartbreak - Ral Donner 
Some Kind Of Wonderful - The Drifters 
Somebody New Dancing With You - The Drifters 
Souvenir Of Mexico - Ben E. King 
Surrender - Elvis Presley
Sweets For My Sweet - The Drifters 
Wide Wide World - Del Shannon 
Would You Stand By Me - Billy Fury 
You Never Talked To Me That Way - The Drifters 

1962
Kiss Me Quick - Elvis Presley 
Ginny In The Mirror - Del Shannon 
Gonna Get Back Home Somehow - Elvis Presley 
It Only Takes A Minute - Michael Holliday
Night Rider - Elvis Presley 
Queen Of The Twisters - Bill Haley
Seven Day Weekend - Gary 'US' Bonds
Spanish Lace - Gene McDaniels 
Suspicion - Elvis Presley 
You Never Talked About Me (version of "You Never Talked To Me That Way") - Del Shannon 

1963
All You Got To Do Is Touch Me - Bobby Vee 
Can't Get Used To Losing You - Andy Williams
(It's A) Long Lonely Highway - Elvis Presley 
I Need Somebody To Lean On - Elvis Presley 
It's A Lonely Town (Lonely Without You) - Gene McDaniels 
Judy, Judy, Judy - Johnny Tillotson [7] 
Shall I Tell Her - Dionne Warwick 
Troubled Mind - Dion
The Ups And Downs Of Love - Freddy Cannon

1964
Always Is A Long, Long Time - Michael Holliday
(I'm) Gonna Cry 'Til My Tears Run Dry - Irma Thomas [8]
Lucy (You Sure Did It This Time) - The Dennisons 
Tell Me What I Can Do - Tony Orlando, The Rattles 
Viva Las Vegas - Elvis Presley 
Wrong For Each Other - Andy Willams

1966
All The King's Horses (And All The King's Men) - Bobby Vinton
Bring Him Back - Cissy Houston
Never Say Yes - Elvis Presley
One Day - Gene Pitney
Petticoat White (Summer Sky Blue) - Bobby Vinton
(He's) Raining In My Sunshine - Jay & The Americans
Say Those Magic Words - The McCoys, The Birds [9]
(You Make Me Feel) So Good - The McCoys [9]
The World Of Broken Hearts - Cissy Houston
What Every Woman Lives For - Elvis Presley

1967
Double Trouble - Elvis Presley

Year / Artist uncertain
Hello, How Ya Been? Goodbye - Guitar Slim ( 1958? )
Leave It To Me - Band Of Angels
The Many Faces Of Love - Andy Williams

It Must Be Love / Besame Baby

Buying those 45's often you really did get 2 songs that you liked . Released as Johnny Maestro , not as the Crests . Coed 562
Discography information from Disco File http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5970079-disco-file
by Fernando L Gonzalez

It Must Be Love - A side



Recorded November 10, 1961,  Besame Baby   B side - 


 R.I.P. JOHN (May 7, 1939-March 24, 2010)

Randy Atcher and T bar V Ranch

Remember rushing home to watch T bar  V Ranch on your giant 14 " black and white tv after school ? And the music " Brush Your teeth Each Morning ?"
At Large In Louisville has  a nice reminiscence about actually being there http://atlargeinlouisville.blogspot.com/2008/07/down-on-t-bar-v-ranch.html

More on Randy Atcher 

Randall "Randy" Atcher (December 7, 1918 – October 9, 2002) was an American country musician.

Atcher was born in Tip Top, Kentucky, the fifth in a family of eight. Soon after his birth his family moved to North Dakota, and then back to Kentucky when he was twelve. As a high schooler, Atcher played guitar and mandolin on WHAS radio in Louisville. He intended to continue his education at Western Kentucky State College, but a flood at the family home quashed the plan.

In 1938, he left Louisville for Chicago and put a band together there. He won slots performing on WJJD and WBBM and became a local star; he also recorded occasionally with his older brother, Bob Atcher. During World War II he spent nearly four years in the Air Force, and married his wife Daphne, an Australian. Upon his discharge he returned to WHAS, performing on their Old Kentucky Barn Dance, and signed a contract with MGM Records. WHAS expanded into a television division in 1950, and the next year Atcher formed a new band, the Red River Ramblers, who performed on the WHAS children's show T-Bar-V Ranch every weekday at 4PM. Randy, the star of the show, and his sidekick, Cactus (played by Tom Brooks, brother of actor and comedian Foster Brooks), sang songs, performed skits, and gave parenting tips. In 1953, White Castle began advertising its hamburgers through the show, the first of several companies who contracted product placement.

The show ran until 1970, when it was abruptly cancelled. the Red River Ramblers, who included George Workman on bass, Shorty Chesser on guitar, Bernie Smith on guitar and banjo, Sleepy Marlin on fiddle, and Tiny Thomale on piano, also performed on the Hayloft Hoedown TV show (which ran to 1971) and live at local state fairs and events.

Thanks to  Bruce Nussbaum for sending this link with more great information
http://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=13560

More Info

http://www.incredibleinman.com/?page_id=584

More on The Five Stars and Ronnie Haig from Indianapolis. Thanks Dennis Bell

This came in from Dennis Bell
Make sure you check out his fabulous oldies web sites . Just look on the left side bar  of the blog under music links
http://home.insightbb.com/~dennismbell/oldies/
http://home.insightbb.com/~dennismbell/farcorner/

 All of you all please send ideas for us to research and send your personal stories .

The backing band on Atom Bomb Baby was Boyd Bennett.
http://www.colorradio.com/five_stars.htm

Interview with Bill Campbell of 5 Stars is in this link
http://www.colorradio.com/interviews/5_Stars_Interview11_2010_Bill_Campbell.mp3

http://www.colorradio.com/Ronnie_Haig.htm

Source

Color Radio with Brian Lee   http://www.colorradio.com/

http://www.kvmr.org/  Internet Radio Available

He also has a blog 

Love You So - Ron Holden

To start off 2011 , here is an all time favorite -


 Check it out for the whole story
 http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8705

Ron Holden and the Thunderbirds ended up at Fred Rasmussen’s Acme Sound and Recording home studio in North Seattle (7551 28th Avenue NE) with hopes of cutting his “Love You So,”  “Louie Louie” -- and perhaps something else.

 “We did it in Fred Rasmussen’s living room. For 19 hours there were 14 people in this room which was 10 x 12 [feet] -- it was the engineer, his wife, his daughter, and his dog sitting there on the couch, and a couple of the guys’ girlfriends. Larry Nelson was playing the claves and Chuck Markulis was playing the tambourine. Little Willie Bell and I were in the alcove and the other guys were all in the other room. And every time the dog would bark, we’d have to start over! On “Love You So” it was up into the 90s on takes! It was ridiculous!”

The Thunderbirds had worked out an arrangement of “Love You So” that employed the unusual and hypnotically off-beat Caribbean-derived clavé pulse. The song, however, kicks off with what is considered (by modern-pop-single-standards) an impossibly long -- twenty bar -- instrumental intro before Holden’s plaintive vocals begin. It was apparently after cutting “Louie Louie” (with Bell on vocals), that the crew decided to try another song and Holden improvised some lyrics over a raucous riff that became the thrown-together gem, “My Babe.”

Session completed, the Master Tape was sent to Challenge Records, which promptly shipped it back saying that their corporate focus had recently shifted to Country/Western music. But Nelson and Markulis reminded them of their previous agreement and the label compromised by shipping the would-be record moguls 5,000 label-less copies of the “Love You So” / “My Babe” single. That was when Nelson and Markulis’ Nite Owl Record company (423 Boren Street) was born. The first task was designing, printing, and gluing (one-by-one) new labels on those discs.
Sidebar Dave Marsh in his book Louie Louie http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=dave+marsh+louie+louie&x=0&y=0, , has a lot more about Ron Holden and the Playboys

Comment - The Good Old Days , right 

June 13 , 1960