Showing posts with label drifters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drifters. Show all posts

Monday, May 10, 2021

The Top 100 Doo-Wop Songs of All Time

Doo-Wop:

Top 100 Songs

Doo-wop emerged in the 1950s as an integral force in the shaping of early rock and roll. The genre was marked by vocal groups, predominantly male and black.

This list was originally a top 20 list posted on the DMDB Facebook page in 2010 after I stumbled across a Doo Wop Hall of Fame (which looks like someone’s personal site). The list has since been revised, aggregating more than 25 best-of lists of doo-wops songs (see sources at the bottom of the page). Those songs appearing on three or more lists were then ranked based on their overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

You can check out an older version of this list here which was used by Stuart Weiss, a DJ with MemoryLaneOldies.com, to do a top 100 countdown his Sunday Night Doo Wop Party radio show in March 2021.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

The DMDB Top 1%

1. The Penguins “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” (1954)
2. The Flamingos “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1959)
3. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” (1956)
4. Danny & The Juniors “At the Hop” (1957)
5. The Platters “The Great Pretender” (1955)
6. The Platters “Only You (And You Alone)” (1955)
7. The Five Satins “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” (1956)
8. The Chords “Sh-Boom” (1954)
9. The Drifters “Save the Last Dance for Me” (1960)
10. The Tokens “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)” (1961)

11. The Platters “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1958)
12. The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel” (1953)
13. The Four Seasons “Sherry” (1962)
14. Gene Chandler “Duke of Earl” (1962)
15. The Four Seasons “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962)
16. The Dell-Vikings “Come Go with Me” (1957)
17. The Platters “My Prayer (Avant de Mourir)” (1956)
18. The Diamonds “Little Darlin’” (1957)

The DMDB Top 2%

19. The Marcels “Blue Moon” (1961)
20. The Coasters “Yakety Yak” (1958)

21. The Platters “Twilight Time” (1958)
22. The Shirelles “Soldier Boy” (1962)
23. The Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man” (1951)
24. The Drifters “There Goes My Baby” (1959)
25. Dion & the Belmonts “A Teenager in Love” (1959)
26. The Drifters “Up on the Roof” (1962)
27. The Monotones “Book of Love” (1958)
28. The Crests “Sixteen Candles” (1958)
29. The Chantels “Maybe” (1958)
30. The Skyliners “Since I Don’t Have You” (1959)

31. The Drifters “Money Honey” (1953)
32. Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs “Stay” (1960)
33. The Elegants “Little Star” (1958)
34. The Impressions featuring Jerry Butler “For Your Precious Love” (1958)
35. The Silhouettes “Get a Job” (1958)
36. The Coasters “Searchin’” (1957)
37. The Shirelles “Dedicated to the One I Love” (1959)
38. The Bobbettes “Mr. Lee” (1957)
39. The Rays “Silhouettes” (1957)
40. The Dominoes with Billy Ward “Stardust” (1957)

41. The Spaniels “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight” (1954)
42. The Fleetwoods “Come Softly to Me” (1959)
43. Dion & the Belmonts “I Wonder Why” (1958)
44. The Clovers “Love Potion No. 9” (1959)
45. The Chordettes “Lollipop” (1958)

The DMDB Top 5%

46. The Crows “Gee” (1954)
47. Little Anthony & the Imperials “Tears on My Pillow” (1958)
48. The Capris “There’s a Moon Out Tonight” (1960)
49. The Dells “Oh What a Nite” (1956)
50. The Coasters “Charlie Brown” (1959)

51. The Cadillacs “Speedoo” (1955)
52. The Coasters “Young Blood” (1957)
53. Shep & the Limelites “Daddy’s Home” (1961)
54. The Moonglows “Sincerely” (1955)
55. The Coasters “Poison Ivy” (1959)
56. The Orioles “It’s Too Soon to Know” (1948)
57. The Duprees “You Belong to Me” (1962)
58. The Danleers “One Summer Night” (1958)
59. The Jive Five “My True Story” (1961)
60. The Heartbeats “A Thousand Miles Away” (1956)

61. The Harptones “A Sunday Kind of Love” (1953)
62. Curtis Lee & the Halos “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” (1961)
63. The Dell-Vikings “Whispering Bells” (1957)
64. The Impalas “Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)” (1959)
65. The Cleftones “Little Girl of Mine” (1956)
66. The Earls “Remember Then” (1962)
67. The Coasters (as The Robins) “Smokey Joe’s Café” (1955)
68. The El Dorados “At My Front Door” (1955)
69. The Cleftones “Heart and Soul” (1961)

The DMDB Top 10%

70. The Clovers “Devil or Angel” (1955)
71. The Mello-Kings “Tonite Tonite” (1957)
72. The Five Satins “To the Aisle” (1957)
73. The Flamingos “Lovers Never Say Goodbye” (1958)
74. The Skyliners “This I Swear” (1959)
75. Lee Andrews & the Hearts “Teardrops” (1957)
76. Dion & the Belmonts “Where or When” (1959)
77. Randy & the Rainbows “Denise” (1963)
78. The Olympics “Western Movies” (1958)
79. The Spaniels “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1958)
80. The Jaguars “The Way You Look Tonight” (1956)

81. Lee Andrews & the Hearts “Long Lonely Nights” (1957)
82. The Falcons “You’re So Fine” (1959)
83. The Turbans “When You Dance” (1955)
84. The Chimes “Once in Awhile” (1960)
85. The Willows “Church Bells May Ring” (1956)
86. The Dubs “Could This Be Magic” (1957)
87. Little Caesar & the Romans “Those Oldies But Goodies Remind Me of You” (1961)
88. The Blue Jays “Lover’s Island” (1961)
89. Danny & the Juniors “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay” (1958)
90. The Shirelles “Tonight’s the Night” (1960)

91. The Shields “You Cheated” (1958)
92. The Mystics “Hushabye” (1959)
93. The Nutmegs “Story Untold” (1955)
94. The Cadillacs “Gloria” (1954)

The DMDB Top 20%

95. The Clovers “Blue Velvet” (1955)
96. The Crests “The Angels Listened In” (1959)
97. The Regents “Barbara-Ann” (1961)
98. The Classics “Till Then” (1963)
99. The Safaris “Image of a Girl” (1960)
100. The Crests “Step by Step” (1960)

The Top 100 Doo-Wop Songs:

The Version Played on MemoryLaneOldies.com

1. The Penguins “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” (1954)
2. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” (1956)
3. The Platters “The Great Pretender” (1955)
4. The Five Satins “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” (1956)
5. The Platters “Only You (And You Alone)” (1955)
6. The Flamingos “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1959)
7. Danny & The Juniors “At the Hop” (1957)
8. The Chords “Sh-Boom” (1954)
9. The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel” (1953)
10. The Tokens “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)” (1961)

11. The Four Seasons “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962)
12. The Platters “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1958)
13. The Platters “My Prayer (Avant de Mourir)” (1956)
14. The Four Seasons “Sherry” (1962)
15. Gene Chandler “Duke of Earl” (1962)
16. The Platters “Twilight Time” (1958)
17. The Dell-Vikings “Come Go with Me” (1957)
18. The Drifters “Up on the Roof” (1962)
19. The Marcels “Blue Moon” (1961)
20. The Diamonds “Little Darlin’” (1957)

21. The Drifters “There Goes My Baby” (1959)
22. The Crests “Sixteen Candles” (1958)
23. The Monotones “Book of Love” (1958)
24. The Coasters “Yakety Yak” (1958)
25. The Elegants “Little Star” (1958)
26. The Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man” (1951)
27. The Silhouettes “Get a Job” (1958)
28. The Skyliners “Since I Don’t Have You” (1959)
29. The Drifters “Money Honey” (1953)
30. The Coasters “Searchin’” (1957)

31. The Fleetwoods “Come Softly to Me” (1959)
32. Dion & the Belmonts “A Teenager in Love” (1959)
33. The Rays “Silhouettes” (1957)
34. The Shirelles “Soldier Boy” (1962)
35. Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs “Stay” (1960)
36. The Dominoes with Billy Ward “Stardust” (1957)
37. The Impressions featuring Jerry Butler “For Your Precious Love” (1958)
38. The Spaniels “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight” (1954)
39. Dion & the Belmonts “I Wonder Why” (1958)
40. The Cadillacs “Speedoo” (1955)

41. The Moonglows “Sincerely” (1955)
42. The Shirelles “Dedicated to the One I Love” (1959)
43. The Capris “There’s a Moon Out Tonight” (1960)
44. The Chantels “Maybe” (1958)
45. The Dells “Oh What a Nite” (1956)
46. The Bobbettes “Mr. Lee” (1957)
47. The Clovers “Love Potion No. 9” (1959)
48. The Harptones “A Sunday Kind of Love” (1953)
49. The Coasters “Young Blood” (1957)
50. Little Anthony & the Imperials “Tears on My Pillow” (1958)

51. The Coasters “Charlie Brown” (1959)
52. Shep & the Limelites “Daddy’s Home” (1961)
53. The Orioles “It’s Too Soon to Know” (1948)
54. The Duprees “You Belong to Me” (1962)
55. Curtis Lee & the Halos “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” (1961)
56. The Coasters “Poison Ivy” (1959)
57. The Jive Five “My True Story” (1961)
58. The Clovers “Devil or Angel” (1955)
59. The Jaguars “The Way You Look Tonight” (1956)
60. The Heartbeats “A Thousand Miles Away” (1956)

61. The Danleers “One Summer Night” (1958)
62. The Crows “Gee” (1954)
63. The Dell-Vikings “Whispering Bells” (1957)
64. The Chordettes “Lollipop” (1958)
65. Dion & the Belmonts “Where or When” (1959)
66. Randy & the Rainbows “Denise” (1963)
67. The Cleftones “Little Girl of Mine” (1956)
68. The Impalas “Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)” (1959)
69. The El Dorados “At My Front Door” (1955)
70. The Cleftones “Heart and Soul” (1961)

71. The Skyliners “This I Swear” (1959)
72. The Chimes “Once in Awhile” (1960)
73. Lee Andrews & the Hearts “Teardrops” (1957)
74. The Clovers “Blue Velvet” (1955)
75. The Coasters (as The Robins) “Smokey Joe’s Café” (1955)
76. The Cadillacs “Gloria” (1954)
77. The Earls “Remember Then” (1962)
78. The Velvetones “The Glory of Love” (1957)
79. The Five Satins “To the Aisle” (1957)
80. The Blue Jays “Lover’s Island” (1961)

81. The Channels “That’s My Desire” (1957)
82. Lee Andrews & the Hearts “Long Lonely Nights” (1957)
83. The Falcons “You’re So Fine” (1959)
84. The Classics “Till Then” (1963)
85. The Regents “Barbara-Ann” (1961)
86. The Mello-Kings “Tonite Tonite” (1957)
87. The Safaris “Image of a Girl” (1960)
88. The Nutmegs “Story Untold” (1955)
89. Danny & the Juniors “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay” (1958)
90. The Diablos “The Wind” (1954)

91. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers “I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent” (1956)
92. The Crests “The Angels Listened In” (1959)
93. The Channels “The Closer You Are” (1956)
94. The Olympics “Western Movies” (1958)
95. Little Caesar & the Romans “Those Oldies But Goodies Remind Me of You” (1961)
96. The Crests “Step by Step” (1960)
97. Lee Andrews & the Hearts “Try the Impossible” (1958)
98. The Willows “Church Bells May Ring” (1956)
99. The Flamingos “Lovers Never Say Goodbye” (1958)
100. The 5 Royales “Dedicated to the One I Love” (1958)

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 2/26/2010; last updated 5/10/2021.

at 13 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Cynthia Weil: Top 30 Songs

First posted 12/7/2019.

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Songwriter born 10/18/1940 in New York City, NY. Worked frequently with Barry Mann, whom she married in 1961. Their song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” as recorded by the Righteous Brothers, is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

Top 30 Songs
Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. This list includes songs both written and sung by King. The recording artist is noted in parentheses. Songs which hit #1 on these charts are noted: United States Billboard Hot 100 pop chart (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard adult contemporary (AC), Billboard R&B (RB), United Kingdom pop chart (UK), Canadian pop charts (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (The Righteous Brothers, 1964) #1 US, CB, HR, UK, CN

DMDB Top 5%:

2. On Broadway (The Drifters, 1963)
3. Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton, 1977) #1 CW
4. You’re My Soul and Inspiration (The Righteous Brothers, 1966) #1 US, CB, HR, CN
5. We Gotta Get Out of This Place (The Animals, 1965)
6. Don’t Know Much (Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville, 1989) #1 AC
7. Somewhere Out There (Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram, 1986)
8. On Broadway (George Benson, 1978)

DMDB Top 10%:

9. He’s So Shy (The Pointer Sisters, 1980)
10. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Daryl Hall & John Oates, 1980)
11. Running with the Night (Lionel Richie, 1983)
12. If Ever You’re in My Arms Again (Peabo Bryson, 1984)
13. Love Will Conquer All (Lionel Richie, 1986)
14. Saturday Night at the Movies (The Drifters, 1964)
15. Never Gonna Let You Go (Sergio Mendes, 1983)

DMDB Top 20%:

16. All of You (Julio Iglesias & Diana Ross, 1984)
17. He’s Sure the Boy I Love (The Crystals, 1962)
18. Kicks (Paul Revere & the Raiders, 1966) #1 CN
19. Somewhere Down the Road (Barry Manilow, 1981) #1 AC
20. Just Once (Quincy Jones & James Ingram, 1981)
21. Hungry (Paul Revere & the Raiders, 1966)
22. Uptown (The Crystals, 1962)
23. Walking in the Rain (The Ronettes, 1964)
24. Baby Come and Get It (The Pointer Sisters, 1983)
25. I’ll Take You Home (The Drifters, 1963)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

26. Blame It on the Bossa Nova (Eydie Gorme, 1963)
27. Conscience (James Darren, 1962)
28. Where Have You Been All My Life (Arthur Alexander, 1962)
29. Bless You (Tony Orlando, 1961)
30. So Long Dixie (Blood, Sweat & Tears; 1972)

Awards:

at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, December 6, 2019

Barry Mann: Top 30 Songs

First posted 12/6/2019.

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Rock songwriter born Barry Imberman on 2/9/1939 in Brooklyn, NY. Often worked with Cynthia Weil, whom he married in 1961. Their song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” as recorded by the Righteous Brothers, is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

Top 30 Songs
Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. This list includes songs both written and sung by King. The recording artist is noted in parentheses. Songs which hit #1 on these charts are noted: United States Billboard Hot 100 pop chart (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard adult contemporary (AC), Billboard R&B (RB), United Kingdom pop chart (UK), Canadian pop charts (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (The Righteous Brothers, 1964) #1 US, CB, HR, UK, CN

DMDB Top 5%:

2. On Broadway (The Drifters, 1963)
3. Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton, 1977) #1 CW
4. Sometimes When We Touch (Dan Hill, 1977) #1 CN
5. You’re My Soul and Inspiration (The Righteous Brothers, 1966) #1 US, CB, HR, CN
6. We Gotta Get Out of This Place (The Animals, 1965)
7. Don’t Know Much (Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville, 1989) #1 AC
8. Somewhere Out There (Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram, 1986)
9. On Broadway (George Benson, 1978)
10. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Daryl Hall & John Oates, 1980)

DMDB Top 10%:

11. I Love How You Love Me (Paris Sisters, 1961)
12. Saturday Night at the Movies (The Drifters, 1964)
13. Never Gonna Let You Go (Sergio Mendes, 1983)

DMDB Top 20%:

14. He’s Sure the Boy I Love (The Crystals, 1962)
15. Kicks (Paul Revere & the Raiders, 1966) #1 CN
16. Who Put the Bomp in the Bomp Bomp Bomp (Barry Man, 1961) #1 CN
17. Just Once (Quincy Jones & James Ingram, 1981)
18. Hungry (Paul Revere & the Raiders, 1966)
19. Uptown (The Crystals, 1962)
20. Walking in the Rain (The Ronettes, 1964)
21. How Much Love (Leo Sayer, 1977)
22. Baby Come and Get It (The Pointer Sisters, 1983)
23. I’ll Take You Home (The Drifters, 1963)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

24. Blame It on the Bossa Nova (Eydie Gorme, 1963)
25. Conscience (James Darren, 1962)
26. Where Have You Been All My Life (Arthur Alexander, 1962)
27. Bless You (Tony Orlando, 1961)
28. So Long Dixie (Blood, Sweat & Tears; 1972)
29. I Just Can’t Help Believin’ (Elvis Presley, 1970)
30. I Will Come to You (Hanson, 1997)

Awards:

at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, January 6, 2013

The Doo-Wop Jukebox Hall of Fame

Doo-Wop Jukebox Hall of Fame:

years unknown

While the website says “this new Hall of Fame” will have inductees who “will be chosen by a Board of Directors,” the site looks dated and more like a one-person operation. It includes both song and group inductees. There is no indication of when the Hall was started or if it is still around. At last check, the website was down.

Listed below are the groups who have been inducted. Groups are awkwardly categorized as Aces (the absolute best of the best), Kings (just as good, but they can’t all be first), Queens (the last of your favorite groups), and Jacks (as the various members see it).

See other Hall of Fames.

  • Lee Andrews & the Hearts (King)
  • The Blue Notes (Jack)
  • The Cadillacs (King)
  • The Channels (King)
  • The Chantels (Ace)
  • The Cleftones (King)
  • The Clovers (King)
  • The Coasters (Jack)
  • The Crests (King)
  • The Dell Vikings (Queen)
  • The Dells (King)
  • Dion & the Belmonts (King)
  • The Dominos (Queen)
  • The Drifters (King)
  • The Dubs (Ace)
  • The Duprees (Queen)
  • The Fascinators (Jack)
  • The Five Keys (Ace)
  • The Five Satins (King)
  • The Flamingos (Ace)
  • The Harptones (Ace)
  • The Heartbeats (Ace)
  • The Jesters (Queen)
  • The Jive Five (Jack)
  • Lil’ Anthony & the Imperials (King)
  • Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers (Queen)
  • The Marcels (King)
  • The Moonglow (Ace)
  • The Nutmegs (Queen)
  • The Orioles (King)
  • The Paragons (King)
  • The Platters (Ace)
  • The Ravens (Jack)
  • The Shells (Jack)
  • The Skyliners (Ace)
  • The Solitaires (Queen)
  • The Spaniels (Ace)
  • The Students (Queen)
  • The Swallows (Jack)
  • The Valentines (Queen)
  • The Vibrations (Queen)

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 1/6/2013; last updated 7/12/2025.
at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Grammy Hall of Fame Inductees for 2013

image from kfwbarn.com

In 1973, the Recording Academy (more widely known as the Grammys) established a Hall of Fame to, as it says on their website, “honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old.” GH On November 21, the 2013 class was inducted, marking the 40th anniversary of the Grammy Hall of Fame. UT The full list now comes to 933 entries. UT

Neil Portnow, the President and CEO of the Recording Academy, echoed the Grammy’s mission by calling this new batch of recordings “memorable for being both culturally and historically significant.” HP Inductees include both albums (in italics) and songs (in quotation marks). Here are the 2013 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees:

  • AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
  • James Brown “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965)
  • Ray Charles “Hit the Road Jack” (1961)

  • John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963)
  • Francis Craig & His Orchestra “Near You” (1947)
  • The Drifters “On Broadway” (1963)
  • Bob Dylan “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964)

  • Joe Falcon “Allons À Lafayette (Lafayette)” (1928)
  • Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, & the Foggy Mountain Boys Foggy Mountain Banjo (1961)
  • Carols Gardel “El Día Que Me Quieras” (1935)
  • Son House “My Black Mama (Parts 1 & 2)” (1930)

  • Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)
  • Billy Joel “Piano Man” (1973)

    Piano Man

  • Elton John Elton John (1970)
  • Louis Jordan “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” (1946)
  • Little Richard Here’s Little Richard (1957)
  • Memphis Jug Band “Stealin’ Stealin’” (1928)
  • Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um (1959)

  • Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run (1973)
  • Buck Owens “Act Naturally” (1963)
  • Richard Pryor That N*****’s Crazy (1974)
  • Frank Sinatra “Theme from ‘New York New York’” (1980)

  • W.H. Stepp “Bonaparte’s Retreat” (1937)
  • Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman “The Titanic” (1924)
  • Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton “Hound Dog” (1953)

  • Lennie Tristano Sextet Crosscurrents (1949)
  • Various Artists Lost in the Stars (original Broadway cast, 1949)

Resources and Related Links:
at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 22, 2011

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller: Top 50 Songs


l to r: Mike Stoller, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Leiber; image from rollingstone.com

Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

Top 50 Songs

Songwriter and record producer Jerry Leiber was born Jerome Leiber on 4/25/1933 in Baltimore, MD. He died on 8/22/2011. Mike Stoller, his songwriting partner and also a producer, was born 3/13/1933 in Belle Harbor, New York City, NY. They were one of the songwriting teams to work in the legendary Brill Building, known for housing some of pop music history’s most famous songwriters and publishers in the 1950s and ‘60s. Three of their songs – “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Stand by Me” – are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999.

For a complete list of their DMDB honors, check out the separate DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia pages for Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Many of these songs have been recorded multiple times. Only the highest-ranked version in Dave’s Music Database is included in this list. The recording artist is noted in parentheses. Songs which hit #1 on these charts are noted: United States Billboard Hot 100 pop chart (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard adult contemporary (AC), Billboard R&B chart (RB), Billboard country chart (CW), UK pop chart (UK), Canadian pop chart (CN).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (1956) #1 US, CB, RB
2. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957) #1 US, CB, RB, CW, UK, CN
3. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961) #1 RB, UK, CN
4. Wilbert Harrison “Kansas City” (1959) #1 US, CB, HR, RB, CN

DMDB Top 5%:

5. The Drifters “On Broadway” (1963)
6. The Drifters “There Goes My Baby” (1959) #1 CB, RB
7. The Coasters “Yakety Yak” (1958) #1 US, CB, HR, RB
8. Elvis Presley “Don’t” (1957) #1 US, CB, CN
9. Sean Kingston “Beautiful Girls” (2007) * #1 US, UK, CN, AU
10. The Coasters “Searchin’” (1957) #1 RB

11. Ben E. King “Spanish Harlem” (written by Leiber with Phil Spector, 1960)
12. The Coasters “Charlie Brown” (1959) #1 CN
13. Warren G with Nate Dogg “Regulate” (1994) **
14. The Coasters “Young Blood” (1957) #1 RB
15. The Clovers “Love Potion No. 9” (1959)
16. The Coasters “Poison Ivy” (1959) #1 RB

DMDB Top 10%:

17. The Coasters “Along Came Jones” (1959)
18. Elvis Presley “She’s Not You” (1962) #1 UK
19. Peggy Lee “Is That All There Is?” (1969) #1 AC
20. The Coasters (as the Robins) “Smokey Joe’s Café” (1955)
21. Michael McDonald “I Keep Forgettin’” (1982) #1 RR

DMDB Top 20%:

22. The Drifters “Dance with Me” (1959)
23. Elvis Presley “Loving You” (1957)
24. Elvis Presley “Treat Me Nice” (1957)
25. Ruth Brown “Lucky Lips” (1957)
26. Elvis Presley “Bossa Nova Baby” (1963)
27. Elvis Presley “Love Me” (1956)
28. Johnny Cash with June Carter Cash “Jackson” (Leiber – credited to his wife Gaby Rogers – with Billy Edd Wheeler, 1967)
29. The Shangri-Las “Past, Present and Future” (by 1966)
30. The Monkees “D.W. Washburn” (1968)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

31. The Coasters “Run Red Run” (1959)
32. The Coasters “One Kiss Led to Another” (1956)
33. The Coasters “What About Us” (1959)
34. Elvis Presley “Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello” (1962)
35. Maria Muldaur “I’m a Woman” (1974)
36. Cheech & Chong “Framed” (1976)
37. Ruth Brown “Jack O’ Diamonds” (1959)
38. The Coasters “Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)” (1961)
39. The Drifters “Fools Fall in Love” (1957)
40. LaVern Baker “Saved” (1961)

41. Elvis Presley “King Creole” (1958)
42. LaVern Baker with Jimmy Ricks “You’re the Boss” (1961)
43. Elvis Presley “You’re So Square, Baby I Don’t Care” (1957)
44. Jay & the Americans “Only in America” (1963)
45. Ben E. King “I Who Have Nothing” (1963)
46. The Coasters “The Idol with the Golden Head” (1957)
47. The Coasters “Down in Mexico” (1956)
48. The Coasters “Shoppin’ for Clothes” (1960)
49. Brook Benton “Do Your Own Thing” (1968)
50. The Boys in the Band “How ‘Bout a Little Hand for the Boys in the Band” (1970)

* contains sample of “Stand by Me”
** contains sample of “I Keep Forgettin’”

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 8/23/2011; updated 8/8/2023.

at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, June 13, 2011

Clyde McPhatter: An R&B Legend



Clyde McPhatter, 1932-1972


June 13, 1972: One of R&B’s greatest singers, Clyde McPhatter, died of a heart attack in a New York hotel room. Only 39, he had struggled for years with alcoholism and depression and was, according to Jay Warner’s On This Day in Music History, “broke and despondent over a mismanaged career that made him a legend but hardly a success.”

McPhatter fronted two of the most influential groups in R&B history, helping to make him one of the top 1000 music makers of all time according to Dave’s Music Database. From 1950 to 1953, he was a member of the Dominoes. “Sixty Minute Man” was the biggest R&B hit of 1951, AMG topping the Billboard R&B charts for 14 weeks. All Music Guide called it “the first identifiable rock & roll record…by a black group to make the jump from the R&B to the pop charts.”



It was sung by Bill Brown, but generally McPhatter handled lead vocals, such as on 1952 #1 R&B hit “Have Mercy Baby.” With the group at one point billed as Billy Ward and His Dominoes, Ward collected the lion’s share of the profits. McPhatter wasn’t making enough to live on and quit. Atlantic Records’ co-founder Ahmet Ertegun offered him a chance to form a new group and the Drifters, a name suggested by McPhatter, were born. Ertegun once proclaimed them “the all-time greatest Atlantic group.”

The Drifters became a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee which, as their Rock Hall bio says, “epitomized the vocal group sound of New York City.” McPhatter saw two more long stays at #1 on the R&B charts with “Money Honey” and “Honey Love,” which was the biggest R&B hit of 1954. AMG



By 1955, McPhatter left for a solo career, landing R&B #1 songs with 1956’s “Treasure of Love”, 1957’s Long Lonely Nights”, and 1958’s “A Lover’s Question.” The latter was a top 10 U.S. pop hit as well.



The monstrous success of Motown groups like the Temptations, the Four Tops, and the Miracles owe a debt to the blueprint McPhatter forged. Significantly, McPhatter’s own ex-groups enjoyed success with and without him. The Dominoes landed a dozen top ten R&B hits in the 1950s with five different singers. The Drifters used six singers on 25 top ten R&B hits over a twenty-year chart run. The group’s most notable frontmen were fellow DMDB top 1000 music makers Jackie Wilson, who helmed two top ten R&B hits for the Dominoes (“You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down”, “Rags to Riches”), and Ben E. King, who sang lead with the Drifters from 1959-61 on six top ten R&B hits, including “There Goes My Baby” and “Save the Last Dance for Me.”

Both men also enjoyed solo success on the R&B and pop charts. Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops” and “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” were both top 10 pop hits. King pulled off the same feat with “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand by Me.” The latter makes the book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999.

Like so many gifted musicians, McPhatter led a troubled life. However, his legacy remains in tact, thanks to the music and influence he left behind.




For more information, including special recognitions for acts, songs, and albums, check out individual entries in the DMDB music makers’ encyclopedia for the Dominoes, the Drifters, Ben E. King, Clyde McPhatter, and Jackie Wilson.



at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Vocal Group Hall of Fame

Vocal Group Hall of Fame:

1998-2008

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was conceived by Tony Butala, a member of the group The Lettermen. In 1998, he and a financial partner opened The Vocal Hall of Fame & Museum Company in his hometown of Sharon, Pennyslvania. That year, the first class was inducted and that was continued through 2008. According to the website, the 10th anniversary (and last) induction ceremony was held November 6-9, 2008, at the Chevrolet Center in Youngstown, Ohio.

Only groups and duos are eligible. Inductees must have at least a ten-year history in the music business, have had a significant hit record or composition, and have a minimum of three-party harmony. There are also categories for each year’s slate of inductees incluing ‘40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and duos. Here are the inductees during that time with their years of induction in parentheses:

See other Hall of Fames.

A

B

C

  • The Cadillacs (2004)
  • The Chantels (2002)
  • The Charioteers (2003)
  • The Chiffons (2005)
  • The Chi-Lites (2005)
  • The Chordettes (2001)
  • The Chords (2007)
  • The Clovers (2002)
  • The Coasters (1999)
  • The Commodores (2003)
  • The Crests (2004)
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash (1998)
  • The Crystals (2005)
D

  • Danny & The Juniors (2003)
  • The Dells (2004)
  • The Del Vikings (2005)
  • Deep River Boys (2006)
  • The Diamonds (2004)
  • Dion & The Belmonts (2000)
  • Dixie Hummingbirds (2000)
  • The Dominoes (2006)
  • The Doobie Brothers (2004)
  • The Drifters (1998)
  • The Duprees (2006)
E-F

  • Eagles (2001)
  • Earth Wind & Fire (2003)
  • The Everly Brothers (2004)
  • 5th Dimension (2002)
  • The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi (1998)
  • The Five Keys (2002)
  • The Five Red Caps (2007)
  • The Five Satins (2003)
  • The Flamingos (2000)
  • Fleetwood Mac (2005)
  • The Fleetwoods (2006)
  • The Four Aces (2001)
  • The Four Freshmen (2001)
  • The Four Knights (2002)
  • The Four Lads (2003)
  • The Four Preps (2007)
  • The Four Seasons (1999)
  • The Four Tops (1999)
  • The Four Tunes (2004)
G-H-I

  • The Golden Gate Quartet (1998)
  • Haydn Quartet (2006)
  • The Harptones (2002)
  • The Hi-Lo’s (2006)
  • The Hilltoppers (2005)
  • The Hoboken Four (2007)
  • The Hollies (2006)
  • The Impressions (2003)
  • Ink Spots (1999)
  • The Isley Brothers (2003)
J-K

L

M

N-O

  • The Neville Brothers (2005)
  • The Oak Ridge Boys (2001)
  • The O’Jays (2004)
  • The Orioles (1998)
  • Tony Orlando and Dawn (2007)
P-Q

R

S

  • The Shangri-las (2006)
  • The Shirelles (2002)
  • Simon & Garfunkel (2006)
  • The Skylarks (2000)
  • The Skyliners (2002)
  • Sly & the Family Stone (2007)
  • Sons of the Pioneers (2005)
  • The Soul Stirrers (2000)
  • The Spaniels (2005)
  • The Spinners (1999)
  • The Stylistics (2004)
  • The Supremes (1998)
  • The Swan Silvertones (2002)
T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

  • The Temptations (1999)
  • Three Dog Night (2000)
  • The Tokens (2004)
  • The Traveling Wilburys (2007)
  • The Tymes (2005)
  • The Vogues (2001)
  • The Weavers (2001)
  • The Whispers (2003)
  • Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs/The Gladiolas (2007)

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 11/9/2008; last updated 3/29/2023.
at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)