Somethin' Smith and the Redheads were an
American vocal group
A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s.
Types
Vocal groups can come in s ...
, doing mostly
pop standards
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standard ...
in the 1950s. Their biggest
hit single was "
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" in 1955, which reached #7 in the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The following year they reached #27 with their
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "
In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town
"In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town" is a popular song written by Ira Schuster and Jack Little with lyrics by Joe Young, published in 1932. Ted Lewis and His Band performed it in the film ''The Crooner'' in 1932. His version was released as a sing ...
". Both releases were issued on the
Epic Records label
A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...
.
The group consisted of Smith (Robert H. (Red) Robinson;
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
,
banjo, and
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
), Saul Striks (December 8, 1924 – c. December 1979;
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
) and Major Short (June 22, 1924 – March 30, 2018;
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
).
Minor chart records included "
Heartaches", "
Ace In The Hole", and "
You Always Hurt The One You Love". In 1961, they recorded their final album for the MGM label, which also resulted in one final single being released from the album.
The trio parted ways in 1966. Saul Striks began a new group called the Saloonatics with himself on piano and Ralph J. Guenther on bass and banjo.
Striks died from a heart attack in December 1979 at either 54 or 55 years old. Robinson is also dead.
Short lived in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he got into the banjo hall of fame,
[https://www.islandpacket.com/latest-news/9epo7m/picture32996520/alternates/FREE_1140/z5Aru.So.9.jpeg ] until he died on March 30, 2018, at the age of 93.
References
American vocal groups
{{US-band-stub