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Spanky And Our Gang (album)
''Spanky and Our Gang'' is the debut album by Spanky and Our Gang, released on August 1, 1967. The album was released by Mercury Records and included three songs that were released as singles. These were " Sunday Will Never Be the Same", their biggest hit, which reached number Number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1967, "Making Every Minute Count", which reached Number 31, and " Lazy Day", reaching Number 14. "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" and "Lazy Day" both sold over one million copies. "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" was written by Terry Cashman and Gene Pistilli. In an interview, Cashman said that the song was originally written as a ballad, but the group changed it and added the vocal - 'Ba-da-da-da-da' - which turned out to be a "great hook" for the song. Critical reception Writing for Allmusic, music critic Bruce Eder wrote of the album "The group's debut LP demonstrates what can go wrong, even with a group enjoying a trio of hit singles. Though th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spanky And Our Gang
Spanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s sunshine pop band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The band derives its name from Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies of the 1930s (known to modern audiences as ''The Little Rascals''), because of the similarity of McFarlane's surname with that of George McFarland (Spanky). The group was known for its vocal harmonies and had major hits in the US and Canada in 1967–68 with " Sunday Will Never Be the Same," " Lazy Day," " Sunday Mornin'," and "Like to Get to Know You." History and work The group's first album was released by Mercury Records on August 1, 1967, with three popular songs that were released as singles. These were " Sunday Will Never Be the Same" (their biggest hit, which reached No. 9 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1967), followed by "Making Every Minute Count" (reached No. 31/No. 23 in Canada) and " Lazy Day" (reached No. 14). Both "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" and "Lazy Day" sold over one mill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. Written by lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Jay Gorney, it was part of the 1932 musical revue ''Americana''; the melody is based on a Russian-Jewish lullaby. The song tells the story of the universal everyman, whose honest work towards achieving the American dream has been foiled by the economic collapse. Unusually for a Broadway song, it was composed largely in a minor key, as befits the subject matter. The song became best known through recordings by Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallée that were released in late 1932. The song received positive reviews and was one of the most popular songs of 1932. As one of the few popular songs during the era to discuss the darker aspects of the collapse, it came to be viewed as an anthem of the Great Depression. Background The Great Depression in the United States, which started with the 1929 Wall Street crash, had a severe impact on the count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
27 Club
The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific research, it remains a cultural phenomenon, documenting the deaths of celebrities, many noted for their high-risk lifestyles. Because the club is entirely notional, there is no official membership. Cultural phenomenon The 27 Club includes popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27, often as a result of drug and alcohol abuse or violent means such as homicide, suicide, or transportation-related accidents. The "club" has been repeatedly cited in music magazines, journals and the daily press. Several exhibitions have been devoted to the idea, as well as novels, films and stage plays. The deaths of several 27-year-old popular musicians between 1969 and 1971 led to the belief that deaths are more common at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New Mamas And The Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Cass Elliot, and Michelle Phillips and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips, the songwriter, musician, and leader of the group, who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s. The Mamas & the Papas released five studio albums and 17 singles over four years, six of which made the ''Billboard'' top 10, and have sold close to 40 million records worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 for its contributions to the music industry. The band reunited briefly to record the album ''People Like Us'' in 1971 but had ceased touring and performing by that time. Some of their most popular singles include "California Dreamin', "Mon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stuart Scharf
Stuart Scharf (1941 – November 8, 2007) was an American composer, guitarist, and record producer. Scharf grew up in Crown Heights and attended Winthrop Junior High School. Scharf graduated, with honors, from CCNY in 1962 (mathematics major). He was a friend of guitarist Jay Berliner, who influenced his career. In the early 1960s, Scharf was lead guitarist for folk-singer Leon Bibb. He also worked with arranger Walter Raim and folk-singer Judy Collins as well as bassist Bill Lee (father of Spike Lee). For several years he partnered with Martin Gersten, chief engineer of WNCN, in a recording studio at 18 Jones Street in Greenwich Village. They shared this space with folk music broadcaster Skip Weshner. Scharf was a prolific studio musician in New York City in the 1960s, playing guitar with Chad Mitchell, Janis Ian, Al Kooper, and Carly Simon. He also had a producing partnership with Bob Dorough for many years, and together they produced albums by Spanky and Our Gang. Sch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Wisner
James Joseph Wisner (December 8, 1931 – March 13, 2018) was an American pianist, arranger, songwriter, and producer. He is best known for his 1961 hit single "Asia Minor", released under the name Kokomo. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Wisner received classical training as a youngster, and attended Temple University as a psychology student in the late 1950s. He formed the Jimmy Wisner Trio in 1959 with Chick Kinney on drums and Ace Tesone on bass. This ensemble backed musicians who toured through Philadelphia, including Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae, Dakota Staton, and the Hi-Lo's.Jimmy Wisner at Rockabilly.nl He released several full-length albums as a musician, but in 1961 recorded a [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Seiter
John Seiter (born August 17, 1944) is an American musician. He is best known for his work as a drummer for Spanky and Our Gang and The Turtles. Biography Seiter's first official credit came on a 1972 recording of ''Peter and the Wolf'' for United Artists, the brainchild of actor and director Rob Reiner. Seiter first rose to prominence, however, as a member of the pop group Spanky and Our Gang. He joined the band in 1967, shortly after they achieved their first charting hit, " Sunday Will Never Be the Same", and stayed for three studio albums and a live concert recording. The band collapsed after the 1968 death of Malcolm Hale, and Seiter accepted a position as drummer for The Turtles, replacing John Barbata. The Turtles recorded one final studio album, ''Turtle Soup'', then disbanded as well. Seiter next joined Rosebud for their eponymous debut, but shortly after the album's release the band collapsed in the wake of the divorce of members Judy Henske and Jerry Yester. Seiter sub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oz Bach
Paul Michael "Oz" Bach (June 24, 1939 – September 21, 1998) was an American folk musician and bassist for the 1960s group Spanky and Our Gang. Bach entered music in 1962 as a guitarist, singer and comedian, before switching to bass in 1963. He then played as a back-up musician for Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, Bob Gibson and Josh White. In 1965, Bach and his friend Nigel Pickering made the acquaintance of Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, a singer from Chicago. The three later became Spanky and Our Gang. The trio released their eponymous debut album in 1967. He left the band prior to the release of their second album ''Like to Get to Know You'' in 1968. He then began to work as an arranger for Linda Ronstadt, Steve Miller and Sérgio Mendes. In the late sixties, Bach joined band such as Wings, Spooner Summit, and Tarantula. After 1972, Bach started a talk show in Florida and directed an award-winning short film "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" (1977). Bach died of cancer in September 1998. He was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigel Pickering
Nigel Pickering (born Fredy Ray Pickering; June 15 1929 - May 5 2011) was an American folk rock musician, who co-founded and was a songwriter for Spanky And Our Gang. Career Nigel Pickering was born Fredy Ray Pickering in 1929 in Pontiac, Missouri. Pickering began his music career playing guitar on the radio with a Milwaukee group called "The Westernaires" in the mid 1950s. Their show was called "Ranch House Roundup" and he was the character "Ranger Tom." Prior to being in Our Gang, Nigel was a member of the folk trio The Folksters, whom appeared on two 1962 episodes of The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson (November 19th and 26th). The trio included Kenny Hodges, who later played in Spanky And Our Gang. Pickering first met Spanky McFarlane and Oz Bach at a Hurricane party in Chicago, Illinois in 1965. The three, along with Malcom Hale and John Seiter, formed Spanky And Our Gang, best known for songs such as '' Lazy Day'', '' Sunday Will Never Be The Same'', and ''Like To Get To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jo Mapes
Jo Mapes (July 20, 1931 - February 2, 2018) was an American folk singer, songwriter, critic and writer. She was prominent in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s and later became an advertising copywriter and nightclub critic for the Sun-Times in Chicago. Life She was born Joanne Claire Coombs in Chicago, and moved to Los Angeles with her mother when in her teens. At Thomas Starr King Junior High School she was friendly with Odetta Felious, and developed a love of folk songs. In the early 1950s she began singing and playing guitar in folk clubs, and in 1955 she appeared on the TV talent show '' Chance of a Lifetime''.Biography by Bruce Eder at Allmusic.com Retrieved 4 April 2014 She moved to |
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer. After traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family, Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s. Starting in the 1970s, he was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the decade and one of its best-selling artists. By 1974, he was one of America's best-selling performers; AllMusic has called Denver "among the most beloved entertainers of his era". Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed. He had 33 albums and singles that were certified Gold and Platinum in the U.S by the RIAA, with estimated sales of more than 33 million units. He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leaving On A Jet Plane
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter John Denver in 1966, originally included on his debut demo recording ''John Denver Sings'' as "Babe I Hate To Go". He made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas of that year. Denver's then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title and was renamed "Leaving on a Jet Plane" in 1967. In 1969, simultaneous to the success of the Peter, Paul and Mary version, Denver recorded the song again for his debut studio album, '' Rhymes & Reasons'', and it was released as a single in October 1969 through RCA Records. Although it is one of John Denver's best known songs, his single failed to enter the charts. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was re-recorded for the third and final time in 1973 for '' John Denver's Greatest Hits'', the version that also appears on most of his compilation albums. Background John Denver, then a relatively unknown musician in the Los Angeles folk scene of 23 years o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
