The Spokesmen were an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
trio. They scored a
hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
in the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1965 with the tune "The Dawn of Correction", which was a partially sarcastic counterpoint and
answer record An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...
to
Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". Later he would pioneer as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music.
Early life
McGuire was born in O ...
's
protest song
A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.
Among social mov ...
, "
Eve of Destruction". The song was written by the group's members,
John Medora
John L. Medora (born May 28, 1936), also known as John or Johnny Madara, is an American singer, songwriter, composer and record producer best known to have teamed up with David White and Arthur Singer to write the 1957 hit song "At the Hop".
...
,
David White, and Ray Gilmore, the latter a long time radio personality at
WIBG
(Wibbage) 990AM in Philadelphia, Pa. The tune hit #36 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
. They also released a remake of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Michelle" as a single on
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
that got significant airplay on WIBG.
Co-composers White and Medora had previously co-written several hit singles, including "
At the Hop
"At the Hop" is a 1950s pop song written by Artie Singer, John Medora, and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors. The song was released in the fall of 1957 and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, becomi ...
" for
Danny and the Juniors
Danny & the Juniors are an American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally consisting of Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most widely recognized for thei ...
; "
You Don't Own Me
"You Don't Own Me" is a popular song written by Philadelphia songwriters John Medora, John Madara and David White (musician), David White and recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963, when Gore was 17 years old. The song was Gore's second most succe ...
" for
Lesley Gore
Lesley Sue Goldstein (May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015), known professionally as Lesley Gore, was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. At the age of 16, she recorded the pop music, pop hit "It's My Party (Lesley Gore song), I ...
; and "
1-2-3" for
Len Barry
Leonard Warren Borisoff (June 12, 1942 – November 5, 2020), known professionally as Len Barry, was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, record producer, author, and poet.
Life and career
Born on June 12, 1942 and raised in Philadelphia, ...
. White died on March 16, 2019, at the age of 79.
Members
*
John Madara
John L. Medora (born May 28, 1936), also known as John or Johnny Madara, is an American singer, songwriter, composer and record producer best known to have teamed up with David White and Arthur Singer to write the 1957 hit song "At the Hop".
...
(real name:
John Medora
John L. Medora (born May 28, 1936), also known as John or Johnny Madara, is an American singer, songwriter, composer and record producer best known to have teamed up with David White and Arthur Singer to write the 1957 hit song "At the Hop".
...
)
*
David White (real name:
David White Tricker), formerly of
Danny & the Juniors
Danny & the Juniors are an American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania originally consisting of Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most widely recognized for thei ...
*Ray Gilmore
Discography
Album
* 1965: ''The Dawn of Correction'':
** “'It Ain’t Fair” / “
Colours
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
” / “Have Courage, Be Careful” / “
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
"Love Minus Zero/No Limit" (read "Love Minus Zero over No Limit", sometimes titled "Love Minus Zero") is a song written by Bob Dylan for his fifth studio album ''Bringing It All Back Home'', released in 1965. Its main musical hook is a series of t ...
” / “Like a Babe” / “
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon (though credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released on the album ''Help!'' in August 1965.
Composition and recording
Len ...
” / “The Dawn of Correction” / “
Down in the Boondocks” / “Better Days Are Yet to Come” / “
There but for Fortune” / “For You Babe” / “
It Ain't Me Babe
"It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the albu ...
'”
Singles
* August 1965: “The Dawn of Correction” / “For You Babe”
* November 1965: “It Ain’t Fair” / “Have Courage, Be Careful”
* December 1965: “
Michelle” / “Better Days Are Yet to Come”
* May 1966: “Today's the Day” / “Enchante”
* November 1966: “
I Love How You Love Me
"I Love How You Love Me" is a song written by Barry Mann and Larry Kolber. It was a 1961 Top Five hit for the pop girl group The Paris Sisters, which inaugurated a string of elaborately produced classic hits by Phil Spector. Bobby Vinton had a Top ...
” / “Beautiful Girl”
* 1967: “Flashback” / “Mary Jane”
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spokesmen, The
American pop music groups
Decca Records artists