"The 'In' Crowd" is a 1964

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

written by

Billy Page William E. Page II, better known as Billy Page, was an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing " The 'In' Crowd", which was a 1965 hit for both Dobie Gray and the Ramsey Lewis Trio. The song was also a 1974 hit f ...

and arranged by his brother

Gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

and originally performed by

Dobie Gray Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter. Gray's music spanned multiple genres, including soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included " The 'In' Cro ...

on his album ''Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go"''. It appeared on an episode of '' Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember'', featuring in the last week of November 1964, the month Gray's rendition was released.

Chart performance

In the US, Gray's version reached number 11 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 20 February 1965. Outside the US, "The 'In' Crowd" went to number 25 on the UK Singles Chart and number 8 in Canada. Gray's

Shindig! ''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,Ramsey Lewis Trio Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album '' Th ...

recorded an instrumental version of the tune in May 1965. Performed live at Bohemian Caverns nightclub in Washington, D.C., their jazzy take was released in June and reached number 5 on the Hot 100 on 9 October 1965, as well as peaking at number 2 for three weeks on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. In Canada, the record reached number 6 in the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' charts. A longer edit of the song provides the title track for the Trio's successful live album. Writing in 2015, jazz critic

Kevin Whitehead Kevin Francis Whitehead (born April 27, 1952) is an American jazz critic and author. Biography Born in New York City, Whitehead studied at Oswego State University in New York, then earned a Masters in American Literature and Culture at Syracuse ...

said: "As Lewis has told a couple of interviewers, the trio met at a nearby eatery to discuss repertoire. Their kibitzing waitress Nettie Gray suggested a current pop hit, "The 'In' Crowd" by Dobie Gray. Ramsey Lewis didn't know that tongue-in-cheek ode to hipster self-congratulation, so they dropped a coin in the jukebox. ... I hope they left Nettie Gray a very good tip. Ramsey Lewis liked "The 'In' Crowd" enough to work up an arrangement in the unjazzy key of

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

so bassist Eldee Young could work his open strings. And the trio really amped up the groove. Opening night, the audience instantly locked in with drummer Redd Holt." The Lewis Trio

Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...

single was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2009.

Other versions

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

on his 1974 album '' Another Time, Another Place''; also released as a single, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. * "The 'In' Crowd" was the last cut on ''

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears ''If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears'' is the debut studio album by the American vocal group the Mamas & the Papas (stylized as ''The Mama's and the Papa's''), released on February28, 1966. The stereo mix of the album is included on '' All th ...

'', the first album put out by the group,

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York C ...

, in 1966, with "Mama" Cass Elliot singing the lead vocal. The album reached number one on the ''Billboard'' album chart. In a 2020 retrospective review, published on the occasion of the album's reissue on vinyl, the staff of ''Best Classic Bands'' dubbed this version a "rollicking cover".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:In Crowd, The 1965 singles Ramsey Lewis songs Dobie Gray songs Bryan Ferry songs 1964 songs 1974 singles Argo Records singles Articles with quotation marks in the title