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Phil Medley
Philip Medley (April 9, 1916 – October 3, 1997) was an American songwriter, notable for his composition " Twist and Shout", which he wrote along with Bert Russell. The song was made famous by both The Isley Brothers and The Beatles. Medley also wrote " A Million to One" and co-wrote, always with Russell, "If I Didn't Have a Dime" for Gene Pitney. He was also a co-writer of the song "Killer Joe", recorded by many bands including the Rocky Fellers, the Rivieras and the Kingsmen. In 1994, he played guitar for The Jeffersons at the Great Oak Farm Benefit. He wrote "Styrofoam Airplane". His niece is singer Sharon Brown, who had a top ten hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ... chart in 1982 with the song " I Specialize in Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. A songwriter who mainly writes the lyrics for a song is referred to as a lyricist. The pressure from the music industry to produce popular hits means that song writing is often an activity for which the tasks are distributed between a number of people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with a songwriter with the task of creating original melodies. Pop songs may be composed by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own music publishers, while others have external publishers. The old-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twist And Shout
"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers in 1962. The song has been covered by several artists, including the Beatles, Salt-N-Pepa, and Chaka Demus & Pliers, who experienced chart success with their versions. Original version The Top Notes, an American R&B vocal group, recorded "Twist and Shout" at the Atlantic Studios on February 23, 1961. The session was arranged by Teddy Randazzo and produced by Phil Spector.The Top Notes' Howard "Howie" Guyton provided the lead vocals, with accompaniment by saxophonist King Curtis, guitarist John Pizzarelli, drummer Panama Francis, and backing vocalists the Cookies. In a song review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger described the Top Notes recording as "a Latin-tinged raveup with a drab generic R&B melody" that he felt was "not very g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bert Russell
Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piece of My Heart", " Here Comes the Night", " Hang on Sloopy", " Cry to Me" and " Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", and his productions include " Baby, Please Don't Go", " Brown Eyed Girl" and " Under the Boardwalk". Early life Born in the Bronx, New York City, to Russian Jewish immigrants, Berns contracted rheumatic fever as a child, an illness that damaged his heart and would mark the rest of his life, resulting in his early death. Turning to music, he found enjoyment in the sounds of his African American and Latino neighbors. As a young man, Berns danced in mambo nightclubs, and made his way to Havana before the Cuban Revolution. Music career Beginnings (1960–1963) Shortly after his return from Cuba, Berns began a seven-year run ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music". Together with a fourth brother, Vernon, the group performed gospel music until Vernon's death a few years after its formation. After moving to New York City in the late 1950s, the group had their first successes during these early years, and rose to prominence in 1959 with their fourth single, " Shout", written by the three brothers, which became their first single to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and sold over a million copies. In the 1960s, the group recorded songs for a variety of labels, including the top 20 single " Twist and Shout" and the Motown single " This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", before ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements. Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen, and built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over three years from 196 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Million To One
"A Million to One" is a song written by Phil Medley and first recorded by Jimmy Charles and the Revellettes. Chart history The single, released by Promo Records (P-1002), peaked at number five on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart. Covers "A Million to One" has been covered by many artists and some versions appeared on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (peak positions indicated below). * Patti Austin (1967) * Five Stairsteps (1968) – No. 68 * Brian Hyland (1969) – No. 90 * The Manhattans (1972) - No. 114Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004 * Donny Osmond (1973) – No. 23 * Jermaine Jackson (1973) * J. R. Bailey (1977) * Selena (1986) * New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ... (1986) References {{DEFAULTSORT:M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene Pitney
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, including 11 in the top ten. Among his most famous hits are "Town Without Pity", "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", "I'm Gonna Be Strong", " It Hurts to Be in Love", and " Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". He also wrote the early-1960s hits " Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, " Hello Mary Lou" by Ricky Nelson, and " He's a Rebel" by the Crystals. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Early years Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, the son of Anna A. (Orlowski) and Harold F. Pitney. The third of five children of a lathe operator, Pitney lived with his family in Rockville, Connecticut, during his formative years. He grew up in Rockville, now part of Vernon, Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, the second-longest-running series with a primarily African American cast by episode count and the first to prominently feature a married interracial couple. Show The show focuses on George and Louise Jefferson, a prosperous African-American couple who have been able to move from Queens to Manhattan owing to the success of George's dry-cleaning chain, Jefferson Cleaners. The show was launched as the second (and longest running) spin-off of ''All in the Family'', on which the Jeffersons had been the neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker. The show was the creation of Norman Lear. ''The Jeffersons'' eventually evolved into more of a traditional sitcom, but episodes occasionally focused on serious issues such as alcoholism, racism, suicide, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sharon Brown (singer)
Sharon Brown is an American singer-songwriter and musician who was born in Harlem, New York City. She is the niece of songwriter Phil Medley, who co-wrote the song " Twist and Shout". She is also the daughter of drummer William Brown, who played with musicians such as The Isley Brothers and Cannonball Adderley. Career Brown co-wrote and sang backup vocals on the 1976 release of CBS Rock Band "Blood Sweat & Tears" Mirror's Image " LP song titled "Love Looks Good On You" former lead vocalist for "Rare Earth" Jerry La Croix. In addition to starting her own music publishing company, ''Tshaym music publishing company BMI'', she has also worked with acts such as Ronnie Dyson from the Broadway hit play ''Hair'' singing "Aquarius". Sharon Brown also acted as musical coordinator and songwriter worked alongside Todd Rundgren. She and her bandmate keyboardist Ronnie Bishop wrote a song called "The Family Tree" in 1975, which was recorded by Al Chilsom, Gart Alexander and Sharon Brown ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hot Dance Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as the Disco Action Top 30 chart on August 28, 1976, and became the first chart by ''Billboard'' to document the popularity of dance music. The first number-one song on the chart for the issue dated August 28, 1976, was " You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees, spending five weeks atop the chart and the group's only number-one song on the chart. In January 2017, ''Billboard'' proclaimed Madonna as the most successful artist in the history of the chart, ranking her first in their list of the 100 top all-time dance artists. Madonna holds the record for the most number-one songs with 50. Katy Perry holds the record for having eighteen consecutive number-one songs. Perry's third studio album, ''Teenage Dream'' (2010), became the first album in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Specialize In Love
"I Specialize in Love" is a song written by Lotti Golden and Richard Scher. Mixed by Tee Scott, the song was a club hit in the early 1980s when recorded by American singer Sharon Brown, the niece of songwriter Phil Medley. Released as a single in March 1982, by Profile Records, it spent three weeks at number two on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, her only song to reach this survey. The single also charted on the UK Singles Chart, becoming an international club hit. A remixed version of the song was released in 1994, entering the UK Singles Chart for a second time. Brian Chin of ''Billboard'' called "I Specialize in Love" a "very skillful pastiche of a whole passel of recent street and fusion sounds, along with a simple rap." Exposé version Ten years later, the American girl group Exposé included a cover version of the song on its 1992 self-titled studio album. This version featured lead vocals by Ann Curless , Jeanette Jurado and Kelly Moneymaker. It was produced by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joel Whitburn
Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on November 29, 1939."Joel (Carver) Whitburn". '' Contemporary Authors''. Detroit: Gale. 2002. He started collecting records in his teens, first subscribed to '' Billboard'' in 1953, and when the Hot 100 was introduced in 1958 started recording the chart placings of records on index cards. After graduating from Menomonee Falls High School in 1957, he attended Elmhurst College and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, but did not receive a degree from either institution. Career Whitburn worked on record distribution for RCA in the mid 1960s, using his chart statistics to inform radio stations, before founding his own company, Record Research, Inc., in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in 1970. He put together a team o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
