I love fifties music, particularly rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and rhythm ‘n’ blues, plus the odd bit of country, jazz and skiffle. Even the pop music has a quaint, old-fashioned charm that I find strangely appealing.
Of course, submitting fifties tracks to a sixties thread isn’t quite playing the game, but as 1959 is almost the sixties, and as I (and others) have quite happily submitted tracks from that year before (believing that we were bending rather than breaking thread rules), here are a dozen more tracks from the final year of the glorious fifties.
Bobby Darin - Queen Of The Hop (1959)
1959 was a good year for Bobby Darin. In May he topped the UK singles charts with the semi-classic, “Dream Lover”, while in September he topped them once again with the out-and-out classic, “Mack The Knife”. Back in January, “Queen Of The Hop” could get no higher than no. 24, which is a great pity, because afaic it’s a great rock ‘n’ roll single.
The Browns - The Three Bells (1959)
English language version of “Les Trois Cloches”, a hugely successful French song dating back to the forties and originally recorded by Edith Piaf et les Compagnons de la Chanson.
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue Got Married (1959)
This is the sequel to one of Buddy’s best known and most popular singles, “Peggy Sue”, and was a minor hit in the UK a few months after his tragic death on February 3rd 1959.
Ritchie Valens - Donna (1959)
I love this song! A minor UK hit single for Valens in March 1959, a month after he was killed in the same air crash that killed Buddy Holly.
Johnny Otis and Marci Lee - Telephone Baby (1959)
Oh, wonderful stuff! I could listen to this type of music all day.
Sarah Vaughan - Broken Hearted Melody (1959)
If I were to list my Top Fifty female singers all the so-called divas of the last quarter of a century would be conspicuous by their absence. There would, however, be no shortage of fifties jazz singers, most notably Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Dinah Washington and, of course, Sarah Vaughan. This track is much more pop than jazz, but it’s still Sarah at her very best.
Eddie Cochran - Somethin' Else (1959)
Original and imho best version of the song successfully covered twenty years later by the Sex Pistols.
Jackie Wilson - That’s Why I Love You So (1959)
A while back I devoted to a whole post to tracks by the brilliant Jackie Wilson, and since then I can’t get enough of the man’s music, so here’s another gem from him.
Connie Francis - Young Love (1959)
This is an album track I’ve only recently discovered. Prior to that, I was only familiar with the 1957 UK chart-topping version by Tab Hunter, an actor, who by his own admission, couldn’t sing to save his life. Connie Francis has an exceptional voice, so hearing her version of this song for the very first time really was a case of going from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Ray Charles - Night Time Is The Right Time (1959)
My favourite ever track by the great Ray Charles. R’n’B just doesn’t get any better than this!
Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen (1959)
I adore this man’s voice! Although it would appear that back in August 1959 the British record buying public did not, for while this single languished at number 23 in UK chart, a quite appalling (imho) British cover version by Craig Douglas was at number one. Unbelievable!
Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks - Mary Lou (1959)
I only discovered this track earlier today. What a find! The Hawks (minus Hawkins) would years later become the Band.
Of course, submitting fifties tracks to a sixties thread isn’t quite playing the game, but as 1959 is almost the sixties, and as I (and others) have quite happily submitted tracks from that year before (believing that we were bending rather than breaking thread rules), here are a dozen more tracks from the final year of the glorious fifties.
Bobby Darin - Queen Of The Hop (1959)
1959 was a good year for Bobby Darin. In May he topped the UK singles charts with the semi-classic, “Dream Lover”, while in September he topped them once again with the out-and-out classic, “Mack The Knife”. Back in January, “Queen Of The Hop” could get no higher than no. 24, which is a great pity, because afaic it’s a great rock ‘n’ roll single.
The Browns - The Three Bells (1959)
English language version of “Les Trois Cloches”, a hugely successful French song dating back to the forties and originally recorded by Edith Piaf et les Compagnons de la Chanson.
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue Got Married (1959)
This is the sequel to one of Buddy’s best known and most popular singles, “Peggy Sue”, and was a minor hit in the UK a few months after his tragic death on February 3rd 1959.
Ritchie Valens - Donna (1959)
I love this song! A minor UK hit single for Valens in March 1959, a month after he was killed in the same air crash that killed Buddy Holly.
Johnny Otis and Marci Lee - Telephone Baby (1959)
Oh, wonderful stuff! I could listen to this type of music all day.
Sarah Vaughan - Broken Hearted Melody (1959)
If I were to list my Top Fifty female singers all the so-called divas of the last quarter of a century would be conspicuous by their absence. There would, however, be no shortage of fifties jazz singers, most notably Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Dinah Washington and, of course, Sarah Vaughan. This track is much more pop than jazz, but it’s still Sarah at her very best.
Eddie Cochran - Somethin' Else (1959)
Original and imho best version of the song successfully covered twenty years later by the Sex Pistols.
Jackie Wilson - That’s Why I Love You So (1959)
A while back I devoted to a whole post to tracks by the brilliant Jackie Wilson, and since then I can’t get enough of the man’s music, so here’s another gem from him.
Connie Francis - Young Love (1959)
This is an album track I’ve only recently discovered. Prior to that, I was only familiar with the 1957 UK chart-topping version by Tab Hunter, an actor, who by his own admission, couldn’t sing to save his life. Connie Francis has an exceptional voice, so hearing her version of this song for the very first time really was a case of going from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Ray Charles - Night Time Is The Right Time (1959)
My favourite ever track by the great Ray Charles. R’n’B just doesn’t get any better than this!
Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen (1959)
I adore this man’s voice! Although it would appear that back in August 1959 the British record buying public did not, for while this single languished at number 23 in UK chart, a quite appalling (imho) British cover version by Craig Douglas was at number one. Unbelievable!
Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks - Mary Lou (1959)
I only discovered this track earlier today. What a find! The Hawks (minus Hawkins) would years later become the Band.
)
