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#12 Billboard Top 100, #16 R&B Singles Chart
In 1961 a group of Detroit high school students formed a singing group called the Domingos who naturally patterned their sound after Motown. When another local group suggested they audition for RicTic Records (home of the Flaming Ember(s) and the Reflections and eventually purchased by Motown) they hung around the studio and stated singing with Edwin Starr who had a partially written song and the result was “Oh How Happy” recorded for The Golden World Label.
An independent producer liked what he heard and gave the soulful singers a new name and took them to Impact Records where “OHH” was recorded and became a hit in 1966! The group soon broke up in 1970.
More historical detail on the blue-eyed soul group can be found here at this well done web site.
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#92 Billboard Hot 100
“Just We Two” , a 1969 Motown LP of duets by Edwin Starr and Blinky (Sandra Williams) contains their cover version of the classic.
Composed by Charles Hatcher, this feel-good classic is another tune I have always loved both when the original came out in 1966, when Edwin & Blinky’s cover came out, and then later when the J5 cover came out, with my then love Jermaine singing lead. Of course MJJ’s background harmonizing and Tito’s bass is awesome too. Just listen and I bet you will agree. Here it is as it appears on the J5’s 1971 “Third Album.”
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Please vote and share your favorite version of this song. I know I went off the Theme a bit by sharing covers of the original by the Blue Eyed Soul Artist being recognized — but I just love the song in all incarnations and wanted to share my joy. Hope you don’t mind.
Trivia: Even thought the group helped to create this classic, often covered hit song, they never got the writing credit they deserved. The record was credited solely to Charles Hatcher — the birth name of Edwin Starr!
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The 1969 Grammy for the Best Rhythm and Blues Song was “Color Him Father,” Richard Spencer, songwriter.
Just like another Grammy winning song in 1969, “A Boy Name Sue, “ “Color Him Father” is all about the superb lyrics!
Composed by group member Richard Spencer of Washington DC’s The Winstons, this song tells of the love for a step-father that holds a special place in my heart. When it came out I was learning to love my new step-mother (R.I.P) as another person to trust in my young confused life.
The song got a lot of local airplay (I lived then and now in the Maryland suburbs of DC) and truly was inspirational in my life.
The Winstons had recorded a song prior to this one on the Curtom Label that was a minor local success, but “CHF” was their first and last big hit on the Metromedia label. It charted #2 R&B and of course won a Grammy.
Rev. O.C. Smith recorded a popular cover of the song that appeared on his 1969 LP ” O.C. Smith At Home,” but I prefer the original by the Winstons when composer Richard Spencer sings the lead.
Color Him Father by Richard Spencer
There’s a man at my house he’s so big and strong
He goes to work each day, stays all day long
He comes home each night looking tired and beat
He sits down at the dinner table and has a bite to eat
Never a frown always a smile
When he says to me how’s my child
I’ve been studying hard all day in school
Tryin’ to understand the golden rule
Think I’ll color this man father
I think I’ll color him love
Said I’m gonna color him father
I think I’ll color the man love, yes I will
He says education is the thing if you wanna compete
Because without it son, life ain’t very sweet
I love this man I don’t know why
Jexcept I’ll need his strength till the day that I die
My mother loves him and I can tell
By the way she looks at him when he holds my little sister nell
I heard her say just the other day
That if it hadn’t been for him she wouldn’t have found her way
My real old man he got killed in the war
And she knows she and seven kids couldn’t of got very far
She said she thought that she could never love again
And then there he stood with that big wide grin
He married my mother and he took us in
And now we belong to the nman with that big wide grin
Think I’ll color this man father
I think I’ll color him love
Said I’m gonna color him father
I think I’ll color the man love, yes I will
OSML TRIVA: The Winstons toured as the backup band for The Impressions
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2412855_euekv/19-ThenYouCanTellMeGoodbye.mp3] The Casinos – Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye (1967) #6 Pop Singles
The Casinos lead singer Gene Hughes, IMHO, has a beautiful, beautiful singing voice. And “TYCTMG” , written by the talented singer/songwriter John Loudermilk, just couldn’t help but move up the Billboard charts to #6 in 1957 as performed by the nine piece ensemble “The Casinos” that were formed from the group “The Legends.”
Read all about the detailed formation of the group here at Cincinnati’s Own The Original Casinos Website. This is where I found the great Fraternity Records promotional photo of the group that I have posted above.
It is unfortunate that this song was their first and last hit.
Now let’s fast forward more than 35 years later.
I truly love this video from one of those Fabulous PBS Doo-Wop Specials. I hope it stays around awhile and doesn’t vanish as so many do.
Mr. Gene Hughes sounds great singing lead on his classic. I recall watching this when it originally aired and I have watched it many, many times since (I need to save up for the video — don’t I?)
It is wonderful that he got to perform again to a group of adoring fans before his untimely death following complications from a car crash in 2004.
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Kyu Sakamoto – Sukiyaki aka Japanese Love Song (1963) #1 Adult Contemporary, #18 R&B, #1 Pop
This wonderful, much covered song, composed by Hachidal Nakamura, was the first Japanese song to ever reach the top of the American music charts. I recall singing it as a child having no clue as to what the song was about … I just made up my own words to the marvelously jaunty and catchy melody!
Kyu Sakamoto was born Hisashi Oshima in 12/10/41. This well respected Japanese actor and singer died in the 8/12/85 crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 leaving behind his wife and two children.
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Taste of Honey - Sukiyaki aka Japanese Love Song (1981) #1 Adult Contemporary, #1 R&B Singles, #3 Pop Singles
It wasn’t until the 1981 cover version, by the disco era R&B “Two-Hit Wonder” group “Taste of Honey,” topped the charts again that I recalled the original Japanese version of my youth. This version was slowed down in tempo and given English lyrics and then I knew it was meant to be a love song: but the lyrics that were used were not a translation of the original Japanese song.
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Selena – Sukiyaki aka Japanese Love Song (1989)
This beautiful Spanish language cover of “Sukiyaki” performed by Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (b.4/16/71 d.3/31/95) appeared on her 1989 release “Selena.”
Selena is by no means a “One Hit Wonder” but I just included her version here because it is truly beautiful and I like it and it’s my blog
I hope you enjoy all three versions as much as I do.
TRIVIA: After “Sukiyaki” was a hit for “Taste of Honey, the duo went to Japan and toured with Kyu Sakamoto!
The lyrics were written by Rokusuke Ei and the melody was composed by Hachidai Nakamura. The lyrics tell the story of a man who looks up and whistles while he is walking so that his tears won’t fall. The verses of the song describe him doing this through each season of the year. The original Japanese title was considered too difficult for American audiences to remember and pronounce, therefore a well-known word that people would associate with Japan was used – Sukiyaki, even though the word has nothing to do with the song. A Newsweek columnist noted that the re-titling was like issuing “Moon River” in Japan under the title “Beef Stew.”
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2400857_fpkk3/17-SoeurSourire-Dominique.MP3] Soeur Sourire – Dominique (1963) #1 Adult Contemporary, #1 Pop Single
Born Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, the woman who became known in America as the “Singing Nun”, entered a religious order in 1959 and became Sister Luc-Gabrielle.
Sister Luc-Gabrielle enjoyed composing songs as gifts for her friends. Eventually the Phillips Record Company signed her seeing her potential and renamed her Soeur Sourire (Smiling Sister).
Her song “Dominique” topped the U.S. charts and her first LP, entitled “The Singing Nun,” also zoomed to #1 and is the only Belgium song to do so here in the states.
Sister was a reluctant sensation who did not care for performing concerts nor was her Mother Superior pleased – especially after Soeur’s Ed Sullivan appearance in 1964 and the MGM Autobiography starring Debbie Reynolds was released.
Eventually Sister left the Order and released an unsuccessful second LP. She and Annie Pesher then ran a school for autistic children until the government demanded $600,000. from her in back taxes. (And yet Sister had given all of her musical earnings to her order.) Unable to pay the money Sister and Annie committed suicide.
Such a sad ending for this talented and dedicated one hit wonder. There are many Web Pages dedicated to the Singing Nun’s story. Here are some interesting ones for additional reading.
TRIVIA: Deckers’ made a disco version of her 1963 sole hit in 1982 — almost twenty years later. Check out the video below. -’) I prefer the original though. Don’t you?
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2384361_8mhix/Exciters-TellHim.mp3] The Exciters – Tell Him (1963) Peaked #4 Pop, #5 R&B.
I love this song so much. Of course since I am writing about it today that means I will be singing it for the next week or two since it is one of those tunes that is catchy and it sticks in you brain a while. ; 0
Written by Bert Russell, this tune was produced by the great team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Lead singer Brenda Reid belts this out joyously accompanied by the other group members.
It is truly unbelievable that a group that sounds this great falls under the “One Hit Wonder” Banner. There just is no justice in the music business.
The Exciters only had four other singles make the Billboard Top 100. One of those songs just happened to be the original version of “Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy” that was released in 1964 as the follow-up to “Tell Him” and yet this great song only peaked at #78 on both the Pop and R&B charts. But we know it is a great song since British invasion group Manfred Mann ’s cover, of this Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich penned classic, zoomed all the way to #1 here in the USA!
You gotta love this vintage video. This takes me back to the time when a young lady always wore gloves as part of her ensemble
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Yeah I know they are lip singing but it is all about the visual so sit back and relax and sing along with Brenda.
TRIVIA: Group members Brenda Reid and baritone Herb Rooney married and continued to lead “The Exciters” for a while. Then they recorded some disco music as “Brenda & Herb” in the Eighties.
The couple eventually retired their group and divorced. But their son, L.A. Reid, went on to become on of the most successful music producers and label executives of our era!
MORE TRIVIA: The Exciters covered “A Little Bit of Soap” – The Jarmels “Wonderful One Hit” as previously posted here.
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2384360_eiucb/TheJarmels-ALittleBitofSoap.mp3] A Little Bit of Soap – The Jarmels (1961) R&B #7, Pop #12
Richmond, Virginia’s Nathaniel Ruff , Ray Smith, Paul Burnett, Earl Christian and Tom Eldridge had been singing together in church and school. As a group, The Jarmels were signed to Laurie Records and their second single, “A Little Bit of Soap” composed by Bert Berns, was the hit that added them to the list of National One-Hit Wonders.
Their first single, “Little Lonely One,” was a hit in New York only and their singles after “Soap” never charted.
Trivia: The Jarmel’s later membership included Richmond born Major Harris, who subsequently became part of the Delfonics and had a solo career as well peaking with the #1 smash “Love Won’t Let Me Wait.”
Of course MJJ’s background harmonizing and Tito’s bass is awesome too. Just listen and I bet you will agree. Here it is as it appears on the J5’s 1971 “Third Album.”
The Winstons had recorded a song prior to this one on the Curtom Label that was a minor local success, but “CHF” was their first and last big hit on the Metromedia label. It charted #2 R&B and of course won a Grammy.
