"Tell Him No" is a 1959 song by Travis and Bob and was the only Top 40 hit for the duo in the United States while peaking at #1 in Canada and the Netherlands. The song also reached #1 in the Netherlands with cover versions by Dean and Marc,

The Mudlarks The Mudlarks were an English pop vocal group of the late 1950s and early 1960s. They had two Top 10 UK hit singles in 1958. Career The Mudlarks were a family group from Luton, Bedfordshire, England, originally comprising Fred Mudd (1933–2007) ...

and The Fouryo's.

Background

"Tell Him No" was written about a boy telling a girl to watch out for another boy interested in her.

Recording

"Tell Him No" was planned to be the B-side for Travis and Bob's cover of "

All I Have to Do Is Dream "All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the ''Rolling Stone' ...

" by

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

. However, after performing for record producer Henry Bailey in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, the duo were offered a record deal. Travis and Bob recorded the track in

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan ...

for Sandy Records.

Acquisition

In March 1959,

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

bought the distribution rights for "Tell Him No" from

Sandy Records Sandy Records was a short-lived but very influential independent rock and roll record label established in Mobile, Alabama by Paul DuBose and Johnny Bozeman in early 1957. It launched the careers of many artists such as Ray Sawyer, lead vocalist ...

for $12,000.

Cameo Records Cameo Records was an American record label that flourished in the 1920s. It was owned by the Cameo Record Corporation in New York City. Cameo released a disc by Lucille Hegamin every two months from 1921 to 1926. Cameo records are also noted ...

and

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

also competed for the rights of the single.

Reception

''Billboard'' predicted Travis and Bob's version of "Tell Him No" would become a future hit.

Chart performance

In the United States, Travis and Bob's version of "Tell Him No" charted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 while a cover by Dean and Marc reached #42. Other non-charting covers in the US include a Bigtop recording by The Jackson Brothers and

Margie Rayburn Marjorie Helen Orwig (June 3, 1924 – June 14, 2000), better known as Margie Rayburn, was an American traditional pop singer. Rayburn was born in Madera, California, United States, and sang as a member of The Sunnysiders, who had a Top 40 hit in ...

's rendition of the song produced for

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

but later retracted. Outside of the United States, non-charting covers of "Tell Him No" were released in Australia by The Unichords for W&G and Ted & Ray for

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

. Alternatively, "Tell Him No" reached #1 in the Netherlands for Travis and Bob alongside covers by Dean and Marc, The Mudlarks and The Fouryo's, which was released under the name "Zeg niet nee".

Background

Recording

Acquisition

Reception

Chart performance

Charts

Travis & Bob version

Dean & Marc version

The Fouryo's version

The Mudlarks version

See also

References