Now She's Left Me

 

 

The Savoy's
Now She's Left Me
John Kluska (A-OK Music BMI)

Summit Records 

1967

 

I Want To Hold Your Hand

 

Hong Kong group (name?) does "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (date unknown)

Sakkarin Boonyarit

 

 EP from Thailand, date unknown. Name of the artist is possibly Sakkarin Boonyarit, but don't quote me.

Sakkarin Boonyarit - Pocketfull Of Rainbow.mp3   
Sakkarin Boonyarit - Hound Dog.mp3               
Sakkarin Boonyarit - Little Sister.mp3           
Sakkarin Boonyarit - Party.mp3                   
 

Forty Pound Chicken

 

This is possibly the same Bill Harris who played bass in the Conway Twitty earliest band when he was called Harold Jenkins.

Conway Twitty and Bill Harris

Forty Pound Chicken

Great Records 1170 (1968)

Santa Is A Dirty Old Man

 

This is The Gino Sisters, as The Wardettes, named after Jay Ward from Ward Productions. who probably asked Sam Gino and his arranger, Scott Engel, to record the song, that was possibly featured in one of their early Bullwinkle cartoons. Or not, because the NBC TV perhaps objected to the title and lyrics. Written by George Atkins of Ward Productions. 

From the minds of Jay Ward and Bill Scott two cartoonists of Ward Productions, the animation studio, Pongo-Britt was how everybody called Ponsonby. Ponsonby Britt was the credited—but fictional—executive producer of the television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Fractured Flickers, Hoppity Hooper, and George of the Jungle.

Someone, Ward explained, wondered if we had an executive producer. We didn’t. Since all the big shows have executive producers it seemed rather undignified for us not to have one. So we dreamed up Ponsonby.  The biography of Britt written by Ward and Scott of course describes him as half Lawrence of Arabia half Captain Cook and half Little Lord , his financial backing it says comes from estranged aunt. Lady Maud. 

Britt eventually became the executive producer credited for all Jay Ward productions; even a fake official biography for Britt was crafted for promotional press releases.  

This release was followed the next year by another Jay Ward related song : "Rocky's Theme" by Billy Joe and The Checkmates.

Santa Is A Dirty Old Man

Reform School Baby

 

The Ramblers  - a Massachusetts High School rock'n roll group - played from Sept 1958 til summer of 1961. They recorded several acetates, but none of their recordings have been released. The Ramblers were Ben Cobb of Newton Centre, pianist, Browne and Nichols student; Steve Berman of Newton Centre, guitarist and calypso singer, and Eddie Jones of Newton Highlands, drummer, both Newton High School students and Brehon Herlihy of Arlington, vocalist.

 
Reform School Baby

Endless Sleep 

 

Brehon Herlihy

According to a Boston Herald article from 2015 Brehon Herlihy played drums on Freddie Cannon's "Tallahassee Lassie"

January 1959, just shy of his 16th birthday Arlington-native Brehon Herlihy got tipped off by his pal Myles Connor, (yes, that Myles Connor, art thief extraordinaire), about an upcoming recording session at Ace Studios that required backing singers. Getting access to Ace studio meant connections to record hops and radio play much sought after by the aspiring young rock 'n' rollers. Connors had convinced Milton Yakus, Ace studio owner that his pal could sing both low and high (like the Alvin & the Chipmunks record that had just dropped).

Arriving at the studio they are disappointed to learn that the backing tracks will be "overdubbed" and their services won't be needed. The session is being cut by North Shore native Freddy Picariello who had made a name for himself fronting Freddy Karmon & the Hurricanes and had caught the eye of local DJ Jack McDermott. Originally titled "Rock & Roll Baby," Freddy's song had now morphed into an ode to a gal from Tallahassee who had a "hi-fi chassis."

After several takes the song seems to be going nowhere and the session drummer known as Carlos informs everyone he has a dentist appointment and has to split. Connor pipes up and says not a problem, Brehon is a great drummer and he can handle it.  Sensing the kids are taking over the guitarist too slips out and local kid Kenny Paulson who had been hanging around the studio looking for a break grabs a guitar and the magic happens.

I Stubbed My Toe

Bryan Legs Walker - I Stubbed My Toe 

Bryan Legs Walker - Trick Or Treat

 

From 1959. Both sides written by Bill Jacoby, who also probably produced the record. Bill Jacoby (1925-2008), a musician and music teacher (touring with the Spike Jones band in 1948) also opened two music stores in Maywood, California and also in Temple City in the fifties.

Bryan Walker (1940-2013)

Bryan Walker served in the US Army from 1962 to 1964.  He was a saxophone player in the 50s (he played the saxophone in the movie Shaggy Dog) and was a driver in the entertainment industry of Universal Studios for many years.