1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
hit single produced by
Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 (for Cameo) and 1958 (for Parkway) to 1967. Among the types of music released were doo-wop, ...
the Orlons
The Orlons are an American R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1960. The group won gold discs for three of their singles.
Career
The quartet consisted of lead singer Rosetta Hightower (June 23, 1944 – August 2, 2014), Shi ...
. The song is also credited under the
Ariola Records
Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...
label. The song was a number-four hit on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Pop chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
and reached number three on its
R&B chart
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
. One of the group's biggest songs during their career, "Don't Hang Up" remains an icon of the early 1960s era of popular music and was awarded gold disc status for selling over one million copies.
Chart performance
Credits
*Written by
Dave Appell
David Appell (March 24, 1922 – November 18, 2014) was an American musician, musical arranger and record producer born in Philadelphia.
Career
Appell (pronounced "AP-el") is associated mainly with the Cameo-Parkway record label, in whose his ...
&
Kal Mann
Kal Mann (born Kalman Cohen; May 6, 1917 – November 28, 2001) - accessed June 2010 was an American
Bernie Lowe
Bernard Lowe (born Lowenthal, November 22, 1917 – September 1, 1993) was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist and bandleader.
Born in Philadelphia, Lowe started Teen Records and in 1955 was working with Freddie Bell and t ...
*Lead vocals: Rossetta Hightower
*Backing vocals: Marlena Davis & Shirley Brickley
*Support vocals: Steve Caldwell
Bruce Springsteen performance
Popular culture
*The song achieved notoriety again in the 1990s, when it was included in the
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...