-=Who's Got A Birthday Today? (MAY 18)=-

[Roger Ford]

These are today's Birthday people....born May 18 in the years
mentioned :

MEREDITH WILLSON (1902 Mason City Io)
Composer The Music Man & other shows songs include Til There Was You

JOE TURNER (1911 Kansas City Mo)
Boss of The Blues recorded his best body of work in 50's for Atlantic

PERRY COMO (1912 Canonsburg Pa)
Much loved pop crooner/TV star tons of hits right thru 50's

CHARLES TRENET (1913 Narbonne France)
Popular French voc/composer wrote & recorded the original La Mer

KAI WINDING (1922 Aathus Denmark)
Jazz trombonist worked with Benny Goodman,Stan Kenton hit More 1963

DOROTHY LA BOSTRIE (1928 Rayland Ky)
Songwriter who provided Little Richard with a recordable Tutti Frutti

GLEN HARDIN (1939 Ropesville Tx)
One time member of Crickets later pianist for Elvis Presley

.........and here are some folk who said their last goodbyes to us on
this day

LEROY ANDERSON (1975 Woodbury Cn)
Composer (Sleigh Ride) and orchestra leader.#1 hit Blue Tango 1952

FREDDY RANDALL (1999 Teignmouth UK)
UK dixieland jazz bandleader several 50's records on Parlophone

SHARON SHEELEY (2002 Los Angeles Ca)
Girlfriend of Eddie Cochran wrote Ricky Nelson's Poor Little Fool

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EVENTS OF THE DAY

MAY 18 1946

New on the Billboard best selling pop chart is "The Gypsy" Sammy
Kaye. New on the Folk (C&W) chart is "Long Time Gone" Tex Ritter.

MAY 18 1955

In New York City,Titus Turner records four tracks for two singles :
"All Around the World"/"Do You Know" (Wing 90006, June) and "Big
John"/"Sweet And Low" (Wing 90033, October). Titus is backed by :
Mickey Baker (guitar) ; Milt Hinton (bass) ; Sam Taylor (tenor sax) ;
Leslie Johnakins (baritone sax) ; Ernie Hayes (piano) ; Bobby
Donaldson (drums) ;Willie Rodriguez (percussion). Wing is a subsidiary
of Mercury Records.

First Hickory session for Rusty & Doug at the Hickory studio in
Nashville. Two singles are the result : "So Lovely Baby"/"Why Cry For
You" (Hickory 1027, July) and "Let's Stay Together"/"Honey Honey"
(Hickory 1042, November). Personnel : Rusty Kershaw (vocal) ; Doug
Kershaw (vocal, fiddle) ; Wiley Barkdull (bass vocal, piano on "Honey
Honey") ;Chet Atkins (guitar) ; Eddie Hill (rhytm guitar) ; Louis
Fornerat (steel guitar) ; Ernie Newton (bass).

MAY 18 1956

Freshly signed to King Records,Big John Greer records an answer song
to "Long Tall Sally" called "Come Back Uncle John". Coupled with "Let
Me Come Home" from the same session, it is released on King 4941 in
June.Greer is accompanied by Billy Valentine (piano) ; Mickey Baker
(guitar) ;Carl Pruitt (bass) ; Jimmy Lewis (bass) ; Panama Francis
(drums).Location : New York City.

MAY 18 1957

Guy Mitchell returns to the top spot in the UK when his "Rockabilly"
assumes the #1 position this day----ending the run at the top of
Lonnie Donegan with "Cumberland Gap"

MAY 18 1959

First of three New York sessions by The Crickets at Bell Sound Studio,
produced by Jack Hansen. On this day they record "I Fought the Law"
and "A Sweet Love" (both first released on the LP "In Style With the
Crickets", Coral CRL 57320, 5 December 1960 ; also released as a
single in September 1961 on Coral Q 72240 in the UK only). , UK only).
The Crickets at this point are Earl Sinks vocals, rhythm guitar ;Sonny
Curtis, lead guitar ; Joe Mauldin, bass ; Jerry Allison, drums.

Ray Sharpe has his first session for the Jamie label. The future # 46
hit "Linda Lu" is originally coupled with "Red Sails In The Sunset"
(Jamie 1128, June), later with "Monkey's Uncle",also from this session
(same catalogue number). The fourth track, "Kewpie Doll" is released
on Jamie 1164 in August 1960 (c/w "Give'n Up" from a later session).
"Red Sails In The Sunset" is overdubbed with the sax of Plas Johnson
on May 29, at Goldstar studio in Hollywood.Personnel : Ray Sharpe
(vocals / guitar) ; Don Cole, Buddy Long, Donnie Owens (guitars) ;
Buddy Wheeler (bass) ; Alvin Simmons (acoustic bass) ;Bob Taylor
(drums).Produced by Lee Hazlewood and Lester Sill at Audio Recorders
in Phoenix,
Arizona.

The Impalas record the follow-up to their big hit "Sorry I Ran All The
Way Home". "Oh What A Fool"/"Sandy Went Away" is released
on Cub 9033 in June and will get no higher than # 86 on the Billboard
charts. "Woodchuck Song" and "The Loves We Share" are tracks for
the group's first LP, also titled "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)"
(Cub 8003, August).Orchestra (10 musicians) conducted by Leroy
Holmes.Location : Metropolitan Studios in New York City.

Wilbert Harrison reaches the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Hundred with
his version of "Kansas City" replacing "The Happy Organ" by Dave
"Baby" Coertez. New entries on the chart are "Lipstick On Your Collar"
Connie Francis,"So Close" Brook Benton,"My Melancholy Baby" Tommy
Edwards,"Frankie" Connie Francis,"Tall Cool One" Wailers,"Hallelujah I
Love Him So" Peggy Lee,"Bongo Rock" Preston Epps,"Graduation's
Here" Fleetwoods,"Judy" David Seville,"Hey Little Lucy" Conway
Twitty,"Lovey Dovey" Clyde McPhatter,"The Class" Chubby Checker,
"Russian Bandstand" Spencer & Spencer ,"Only One Love" Steve
Lawrence,"The Wonder Of You" Ray Peterson,"Someone To Come
Home To" Ames Brothers and "I Can't Get You Out Of My Heart" Al
Martino.. Johnny Horton's "The Battle Of New Orleans" rises to #1 on
the C&W chart deposing "White Lightning" George Jones. Newies on
the R&B chart include "The Twist" Hank Ballard & The Midnighters,
"Personality" Lloyd Price and "I'm Ready" Fats Domino

Jesse Lee Turner sings "Baby Please Don't Tease"on "American
Bandstand"

MAY 18 1960

Saxophonist Plas Johnson records four tracks for the LP "Mood For The
Blues" (Capitol T 1503, January 1961) : "Since I Fell For You",
"Chloe", "Mood For The Blues" and "Tanya" (also released as a single,
Capitol 4436, September, c/w "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" from
a later session).Personnel : Plas Johnson (tenor sax) ; Rene Hall,
Bill Pitman (guitars) ;Ray Johnson (piano) ; Ernie Freeman (organ) ;
Red Callender (bass) ; Earl Palmer (drums). Plus a string section,
arranged by Gerald Wilson.

MAY 18 1961

Final Imperial session for Huey "Piano" Smith & The Clowns. "More
Girls"/"Sassy Sara" is released on Imperial 5772 in August. The other
two tracks, "Psycho" and "Somebody Told It" will first be released on
the LP "The Imperial Sides 1960-61" in 1983 (Pathe-Marconi 1546731,
France). Musicians include Huey Smith (piano, arranger), Robert Parker
and Walter Kimble (tenor saxophones),Justin Adams and George Davis
(guitars) and Robert French (drums).Produced by Dave Bartholomew at
Cosimo's Studio, New Orleans.

After its smash hit reception on Broadway,"The Sound Of Music"
debuts in its British stage production this day when it opens at the
Palace Theatre,London----where it will duplicate its huge US success

MAY 18 1963

Roy Orbison starts his first tour of England opening at the Adelphi
Theatre in Slough. The Beatles & Gerry & The Pacemakers are also on
the bill

Jackie DeShannon makes her national television debut on The Jackie
Gleason variety show on CBS. Its not recorded what she sang but its a
good bet it was her new Billboard hit entry this day (see below)

On the Billboard Hot Hundred this day Jimmy Soul's "If You Wanna Be
Happy" takes the #1 spot from Little Peggy March and "I Will Follow
Him". New entries are "My Summer Love" Ruby & The Romantics,
"Birdland" Chubby Checker,"Blue On Blue" Bobby Vinton,"Gypsy Woman"
Rick Nelson,"There Goes My Heart Again" Fats Domino,"Shake A Tail
Feather" The Five Du-Tones,"If My Pillow Could Talk" Connie Francis,
"Lonely Boy Lonely Guitar" Duane Eddy,"Needles And Pins" Jackie De
Shannon and "Pride And Joy" Marvin Gaye. New on the R&B chart is
"If You Need Me" Wilson Pickett

MAY 18 1978

"The Buddy Holly Story" bio-pic starring Gary Busey premiers this day
in Dallas,Texas

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Acknowledgement for recording session info used in this series goes to
Dik de Heer's "In The Can" website. For more info see

http://members.home.nl/henk.gorter/Itcindex.html

ROGER FORD
-----------------------

"Spam Free Zone" - to combat unwanted automatic spamming I have added
an extra "b" in my e-mail address (mari...@bblueyonder.co.uk).
Please delete same before responding.Thank you!

[The Bloomfield Buddy]

On May 18, 6:54 am, maria...@bblueyonder.co.uk (Roger Ford) wrote:
>
> JOE TURNER (1911 Kansas City Mo)
> Boss of The Blues recorded his best body of work in 50's for Atlantic

I was lucky enough to see him live in about 1977, at The Cookery in
NYC. Just him with Lloyd Glenn on piano. Somewhere I have a cassette
tape of the show that i recorded that night. It actually sounded
pretty good from what I remember.