Terrific Records

The Sweethearts

"Just Got The Feeling (Can't Sit Down)

T.Stewart-W.H. Miller
Miller Songkraft Music BMI

Terrific Records 151
be specific...demand terrific

Billboard, February 9, 1959

PLENTY EXCITEMENT
Victor Tests ‘Terrific’ Label With Odd Results

NEW YORK – RCA Victor quietly tested a new record label, Terrific Records, last month, and thereby hangs a tale. The tale involves the new label, its first release, an offer to buy the master, a cover record, an unhappy publisher, and a lot of excitement.

The Terrific record was recorded by Eddie Heller, then at Victor, now a free-lance a&r man at M.G.M. It featured a duo called the Sweethearts, with Teacho Wiltshire and his combo backing the pair. The tune was called « I’ve Just Got The Feelin and I Can’t Sit Down ». The tune was and is published by Wiltshire and Bill Miller’s firm, Songcraft Music. Victor releasing the disking on the Terrific label (the first and only release so far) and turned it over Chips Distributing in Philadelphia to get it started.

The record got played around Philadelphia, altho few people, besides the distributor, knew it was an RCA Victor label release. Joe Carlton, of Carlton Records, was tipped on the potentialities of the disk, and he called Wiltshire and Miller and offered to buy the record at a sum reputed to be $5,000. They referred him to Victor. Carlton upped his offer, it is reported, but Victor refused to sell the Terrific master.

Carlton, never one to be blocked off from a potential hit, decided that if he couldn’t buy the record, he’d cover the record. And cover it he did, with a record released last week mith Marie Knight and Rex Gavan [sic]. Howewer, the title of the tune on this waxing is « I Can’t Sit Down » and it’s published by Sheldon Music. The latter is of the opinion that the tune was originally a P.D. piece of material, and the Carlton version is slightly different than the Terrific version. Wiltshire and Miller, however, are very upset about the Carlton record, specifically about a cover record with a different publisher. Whether there will be more records on Terrific is not known at this time.

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