Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "White Silver Sands" by Bill Black's Combo

For the week ending March 13, 1960, on the Billboard Hot 100, we have a relatively mediocre group of newcomers.  Retiring Guy nearly decided to forego the "Song of the Week" honor but, at the last minute, bestowed it upon "White Silver Sands" by Bill Black's Combo, which makes its debut at #70 and peaked at #9 -- its only week in the top 10.  It spent a total of 14 weeks on the chart.  Born in Memphis in 1927, Bill Black was a session musician on Elvis Presley's earliest recordings.

Other songs making their first appearance this week.

"Sink the Bismarck" by Johnny Horton. (69, 3, 18)
Horton specialized in historical story songs and experienced his greatest success with "The Battle of New Orleans", which spent 6 week at #1 in the late spring/early summer of 1959.  The most popular YouTube video of "Sink the Bismarck" has 1,158,159 views.

"I Love the Way You Love" by Marv Johnson. (79, 9, 13)
Produced by Barry Gordy.  For Retiring Guy, the song brings to mind Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

"Just One Time" by Don Gibson. (80, 29, 11)
More at home on the country charts, Gibson reached the top 10 of the Hot 100 just once, with "Oh Lonesome Me" in the spring of 1958.

"Never Let Me Go" by Lloyd Price. (82, 82, 3)
The "B" side of "Lady Luck", which entered the Hot 100 on February 1, 1960.

"Footsteps" by Steve Lawrence. (84, 7, 13)
The third of three top 10 hits in a row for the man usually mentioned in the same breath with Eydie Gorme.

"Apple Green" by Jane Valli. (89, 29, 13)
June used a win on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts show as a springboard to a musical career.  Her biggest hit was a 1953 recording of "Crying in the Chapel".

"Closer Walk" by Pete Fountain. (93, 93, 2)
The clarinestist's first of 2 appearance on the Hot 100.

"What'cha Gonna Do" by Nat King Cole. (94, 92, 2)
The "B" side of "Time and the River", which debuted on February 1, 1960.

"Suddenly" by Nick Dematteo. (95, 90, 2)
Another Italian teen from Philadelphia -- 18 at the time this record was released -- Nick makes his only appearance on the Hot 100.

"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" by Bobby Comstock & the Counts. (99, 90, 4)

"Down by the Riverside" by Les Compangnons de la Chanson. (100, 60, 8)

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Werewolf" by the Frantics

Retiring Guy is a sucker for surf-guitar instrumentals, which makes it so amazing that he's never heard of the Frantics, though he's sure Little Steven has. Not that this Seattle group tore up the charts with this song, though I suspect they had a loyal regional following.

"Werewolf" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #83 for the week ending March 7, 1960. It then spent another week at the same position before going bye-bye.

Other songs making their first appearance.

"About This Thing Called Love" by Fabian. (53, 31, 7)
The "B" side of "String Along".

"Teddy" by Connie Francis. (77, 17, 11)
The "B" side of "Mama".

"Summer Set" by Monty Kelly. (82, 30, 11)
His only Hot 100 appearance. Luxuria Music must certainly have this song on its playlist, if only the strength of the kitschy album cover.

"Starbright" by Johnny Mathis. (84, 25, 11) Typically lush and pretty song from the easy-listening master, who scored 3 top 10 hits in 1957 -- "It's Not For Me To Say", "Chances Are", and "The Twelfth of Never" -- but hasn't since this territory since then.

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Ernie Fields. (85, 54, 8)
Two songs with "Chattanooga" enter the Hot 100 in consecutive weeks. What's with that?

"The Same Old Me" by Guy Mitchell. (89, 51, 6)
In late 1956/early 1957, Mitchell's "Singing the Blues" spent an amazing 10 weeks at #1 and 26 weeks on the Hot 100 overall.

"Step by Step" by the Crests. (90, 14, 15)
This infectious song, which almost reached the top 10, should eliminate the Crests from being considered a one-hit wonder. Most folks, however, know the group via "16 Candles", which reached #2 on the Hot 100 in early 1959.

"You Don't Know Me" by Lennie Welch. (95, 45, 13)
Three-and-a-half years later, as Lenny Welch, he enjoyed the biggest hit of his career, "Since I Fell for You". Yes, this is the same song that Ray Charles remade two years later, effectively making this version disposable.

"Mountain of Love" by Harold Dorman. (96, 21, 19)
Dorman's only visit to the Hot 100 resulted in a 19-week stay. Remade by Johnny Rivers in 1964.

"Road Runner" by Bo Diddley. (97, 75, 6)
Although "Bo Diddley" is #62 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Bo Diddley's signature, self-referential song never appeared on Billboard's Hot 100. It did, however, spend 18 weeks, two at #1, on R&B chart.

"Old Payola Roll Blues" by Stan Freberg & Jesse White. (99, 99, 1)
The satirist's final appearance on the Hot 100.

"Just Give Me a Ring" by Clyde McPhatter. (100, 96, 2)
Of his 21 singles that charted, only 2 of them reached the top 10. Both have "lover" in their titles: "A Lover's Question" (1958) and "Lover Please" (1962).

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "This Magic Moment" by the Drifters

Most folks are probably more familiar with the serviceable remake by Jay & the Americans. The Drifters' version debuted at #67 for the week ending February 28, 1960, but reached no higher than #16 and dropped off the Hot 100 after just 11 weeks.

In Retiring Guy's opinion, the group is responsible for two of the most transcendent recordings of the 1960s: "Up On the Roof" and "On Broadway", songs that get airplay on oldies and soul stations -- not to mention SiriusXM's Little Steven's Underground Garage and the Music of Your Life programming format.

Other singles making their first appearance this week:

"(Welcome) New Lovers" by Pat Boone. (60, 18, 12)
After 16 top 10 hits in just over three years (April 1955 to 1958), Pat was well into the twilight of his career by this time.

"String Along" by Fabian. (61, 39, 8)
Not a one-hit, but certainly a one-year, comet-like wonder. After his 3 top 10 hits in 1959 -- "Turn Me Loose", "Tiger", and "Hound Dog Man" -- his career quickly flamed out.

"Puppy Love" by Paul Anka. (62, 2, 14)
His last really big hit until 1974's controversial "(You're) Having My Baby".

"Mama" by Connie Francis. (63, 8, 13)
From her 1959 album, Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites, which spent 81 weeks on Billboard album chart.

"O Dio Mio" by Annette. (68, 10, 12)
One of her 2 top 10 hits. Like millions of other 10 year olds in 1960, Retiring Guy had a HUGE crush on Annette.

"Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy" by Freddie Cannon. (70, 34, 7)
A dud for the "Boom Boom" guy.

"Don't Fence Me In" by Tommy Edwards. (86, 45, 8)
Tommy's first release, "It's All in the Game", spent 6 weeks at #1 in 1958. None of his subsequent songs came close to the success of his debut effort.

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" by Gary Stites. (88, 47, 9)
Stites recorded one LP and quite a few singles for the Carlton label, in the late fifties and early sixties. His biggest hit was "Lonely For You" (# 24, spring 1959), the arrangement of which is very similar to Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe"

"Anyway the Wind Blows" by Doris Day. (91, 50, 7)
From the film Please Don't Eat the Daisies. Doris's next-to-last appearance on tbe Hot 100.

Cover of Please Don't Eat the Daisies

"Angela Jones" by Johnny Ferguson. (92, 27, 15)
Freguson's only appearance on the Hot 100.

"Sleepy Lagoon" by the Platters. (93, 65, 5)
The "B" side of "Harbor Lights". Very classy tune, which probably deserved to step out on its own.

"Greenfields" by the Brothers Four. (94, 2, 20)
Fraternity brothers at University of Washington when they started. Of their 7 singles that charted, this is the only one that came anywhere near the top 10.

"Alvin's Orchestra" by David Seville and the Chipmunks. (98, 33, 5)
This song has an interesting chart history: 98, 71, 33, 33, 60. It's as though America's radio-listening audience suddenly woke up from a bad dream and said "Get that shit off the air." One of the major scourges of popular culture. But then what does Retiring Guy know. Their latest movie has grossed $215,581,073 as of February 21, 2010.

"El Matador" by the Kingston Trio. (99, 32, 11)
Surprisingly -- at least in retrospect -- the Kingston Trio had just 2 top 10 hits: "Tom Dooley" (1958) and "Reverend Mr. Black" (1963). Retiring Guy always found the group a little too earnest for his tastes.

"Let Them Talk" by Little Willie John. (100, 100, 1)
Thumbnail biography. R&B singer. Born William Edgar John on November 15, 1937, in Cullendale, Arkansas, raised in Detroit. Brother of Mabel John of the Raelets, Ray Charles' back-up singer. Convicted of manslaughter in 1966. Died of a heart attack in Washington State Prison on May 26, 1968. Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Let the Little Girl Dance" by Billy Bland

"Let the Little Girl Dance" by Billy Bland. (99, 7, 20)
A one-hit wonder, but a song with a lot of staying power. It spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, a feat only a handful of songs accomplished in 1960.

Other singles appearing on the Hot 100 for the first time.
(Entry position, peak position, weeks on chart)

"Beatnik Fly" by Johnny and the Hurricanes. (69, 15, 13)
Surf instrumental version of "Blue Tail Fly", a.k.a. "Jimmy Crack Corn". Annoying, push-button ditty.

"Outside my Window" by the Fleetwoods. (74, 28, 9)
Another sweet bit o' fluff from the trio.

"Too Pooped to Pop" by Chuck Berry. (78, 42, 6)
A song that lives down to its name.

"Teensville" by Chet Atkins. (79, 73, 3)
The B side of "One Mint Julip", which struggled to reach #82. Atkins was more at home on the country charts.

"Mumblin' Mosie" by Johnny Otis. (80, 80, 2)

"Baby What Do You Want Me To Do" by Jimmy Reed. (82, 37, 14)
Influential blues singer and harmonica player who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991,.,

"Forever" by Billy Walker. (83, 83, 1)
Although this is Walker's only appearance on the Hot 100 -- one measly week -- "The Tall Texan" charted more than 50 singles on Billboard's country chart -- 16 of them reaching the top 10.

"(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" by Nat Kendrick & the Swans. (84, 84, 2)
The groups is also known as the JB's, James Browns' backing band. As Nat Kendrick & the Swans, this is their only appearance on the Hot 100.

"Just a Little Bit" by Roscoe Gordon. (85, 64, 7)
The R&B singer/guitarist/pianist's only appearance on the Hot 100. (Is there an echo in here?) Elvis recorded a respectable cover of this song.

"You're My Baby" by Sarah Vaughan. (87, 87, 2)
The B side of "Eternally", which entered the chart a week earlier.

"What's Happening" by Wade Flemons. (97, 94, 2)
This song deserved better but must not have clicked with listeners at the time. Flemons was the electric pianist in Salty Peppers, Maurice White's pre-Earth, Wind & Fire group. (There's a hint, a very small one, of Brook Benton in his voice.)

"If You Need Me" by Fats Domino. (98, 98, 1)
The B side of "Country Boy", which entered the chart two weeks earlier.

"Paradise" by Sammy Turner. (100, 46, 11)
The 5 songs of his that reached the Hot 100 were all produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" by Ray Charles

Only 8 new songs -- and one "accounting" error -- on Billboard's Hot 100 for the week ending February 14, 1960. None of them made an impact.


The same title, though not the same song, as Gerry and the Pacemakers' first big U.S. hit record. This tender, beautifully rendered Ray Charles song is the "B" side of "Let the Good Times Roll", which entered the Hot 100 during the first week of 1960. Just one listen tells you that it was much too sophisticated for AM radio 50 years ago. No surprise then that it spent only 2 weeks on the chart, entering at #95 and "setting" at #93.

Other songs making their first appearance this week.

"Eternally" by Sarah Vaughan. (61, 41, 8)
This cover of a Charlie Chaplin tune, complete with lush strings, probably did much better with an easy-listening audience. Retiring Guy's favorite Vaughan song, "Broken Hearted Melody" was a big hit in the later summer/early fall of 1959.

"Delaware" by Perry Como. (71, 22, 11)
Without a doubt, the lamest song that Como every recorded. Ay-yi-yi!

"I Was Such a Fool" by the Flamingoes. (94, --, 72, 71, 76, 74, 100)
This single entered the Hot 100 at #94 two weeks earlier, a fact not indicated on this week's chart.

"Bad Boy" by Marty Wilde. (90, 45, 8)
Wilde's only appearance on the Hot 100.

"Closer Walk" by Pete Fountain. (94, 93, 3)
One of two singles by the New Orleans clarinetist that reached the Hot 100.

"I Know What God Is" by Perry Como. (95, 81, 2)
The "B" side of "Delaware".

"Honey Love" by Narvel Felts. (99, 90, 2)
A most unnecessary remake of the 1954 R&B hit by the Drifters.

"Clementine" by Jan & Dean. (100, 65, 6)
1960 was an arid year for this duo. They somehow lost their way and drove their woody to the desert. It's the same oh-my-darling-oh-my-darling-oh-my-darling folk ballad you remember from grade school -- done up surf style. Definitely not one of their greatest hits.

Golden Anniversary Record of the Week: "Wild One" by Bobby Rydell

The Teen Idol Holy Trinity, circa 1960.

Bobby Rydell. Born Robert Ridarelli on April 26, 1942, in Philadelphia.

Frankie Avalon. Born Francis Avallone on September 18, 1939, in Philadelphia.

Fabian. Born Fabiano Forte on February 2, 1943, in Philadelphia.

Top 10 records.

Rydell. 6. (None reached #1.)

Avalon. 7. (2 reached #1.)

Fabian. 3. (None reached #1.)

Rank among Top Artists. (As determined in Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1955-1990.

Rydell. #90

Avalon. #108

Fabian. #418

Number of appearances on American Bandstand. (According to imdb. These numbers should be double-checked.)

Rydell. 6.

Avalon. 3.

Fabian. 7.

Notable Hollywood movies.

Rydell (Bye Bye Birdie)

Frankie Avalon (The Alamo, Beach Party, I'll Take Sweden)

Fabian (North to Alaska, The Longest Day, Ride the Wild Surf)

"Wild One", Bobby Rydell's highest-charting single, entered the Hot 100 at #72 for the week ending February 7, 1960. It reached #2 and spent 16 weeks on the chart.

Other songs that debuted the same week.
(Entry position, peak position, weeks on chart)

"Country Boy" by Fats Domino. (61, 25, 10)
Eleven of the Fat Man's 66 singles reach the top 10 -- all but one of them from 1955 to 1959. "Blueberry Hill" is his best chart performer. In 1956, it spent 27 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #2.

"China Doll" by the Ames Brothers. (70, 38, 13.)
Their last song to reach the Hot 100.

"Lady Luck" by Lloyd Price. (71, 14, 13)
Best known for "Stagger Lee" and "Personality", two of the most popular songs of 1959.

"Let It Rock" by Chuck Berry. (81, 60, 4)

"Time and the River" by Nat King Cole. (83, 30, 8)

"That Old Feeling" by Kitty Kallen. (85, 55, 5)
Kitty started singing with big bands in 1936.

"Little Bitty Girl" by Bobby Rydell. (86, 19, 15)
The "B" side of "Wild One".

"Sixteen Reasons" by Connie Stevens. (89, 3, 24)
Her follow-up to "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb". Those were the days.

"Tall Oak Tree" by Dorsey Burnette. (92, 23, 15)

"Money" by Barrett Strong. (95, 23, 17)
Strong is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

"Peace of Mind" by Teresa Brewer. (96, 66, 4)
Teresa had 4 top 10 hits in the mid-1950s: "Let Me Go, Lover!", "A Tear Fell", "A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl", and "You Send Me".

"Fanny Mae" by Buster Brown. (97, 38, 17)

"Hully Gully" by the Olympics. (98, 72, 7)
Learn to do the dance.

"Whiffenpoof Song" by Bob Crewe. (100, 96, 2)

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Baby (You Got What It Takes)" by Brook Benton and Dinah Washington

The combination of Brook Benton and Dinah Washington was as smart a pairing of vocal styles as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The first of just two singles they recorded together to reach the charts, "Baby (You Got What It Takes)"* debuted at #79 on Billboard's Hot 100 for the week ending January 31, 1960. It reached as high as #5 and spent 15 weeks on the chart. The song still sounds as fresh as it did 50 years ago.

(*Link includes Marc Myers bizarre, almost hallucinogenic description of the recording session. Whooooooooa, mama!)

Other songs making their first appearance:
(Entry position, peak position, weeks on chart)

"Midnight Special" by Paul Evans. (70, 16, 13)
We have our first "national breakout" of 1960, a single that entered the Hot 100 at position 70 or better. This song is a follow-up to the "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat", which charted for 18 weeks in the fall of 1959, although it only reached as high as #9. It must have been responsible for a lot of button-pushing on car radios back then.

"Forever" by the Little Dippers. (77, 9, 14).
The group's only appearance on the Hot 100.

"On the Beach" by Frank Chacksfield. (84, 47, 8)
From the movie of the same name. Another artist with just one song on the Hot 100.

"Harbor Lights" by the Platters. (86, 8, 16)
The last of seven top 10 hits by the group. Ten years earlier, just about anyone who recorded this song ended up with a big hit. There were five different versions that reached the Top 10.

"My Little Marine" by Jamie Horton. (89, 84, 3)
Horton's only Hot 100 appearance -- and a very unsuccessful one.

"I Can't Say Goodbye" by the Fireflies. (90, 90, 3)
Unsuccessful follow-up to one of Retiring Guy's favorite doo-wop songs, "You Were Mine".

"I Was Such a Fool" by the Flamingoes. (94, 71, 6)
This Chicago R&B group is responsible for one of the best songs of 1959, "I Only Have Eyes for You". (My love must be a kind of blind love/I can't see anyone but you/doo-bop sh-bop.........doo-bop sh-bop)

"Mediterranean Moon" by the Rays. (95, 95, 2)
It took nearly two-and-a-half years for this one-hit wonder group ("Sillhouettes") to reach the charts again. Barely.

"I'll Take Care of You", by Bobby (Blue) Bland. (96, 89, 3)
This is the second of 37 of Bland's singles to reach the Hot 100. And there's not a top 10 song among 'em. His best effort was 1964's "There's Nothing You Can Do", which peaked at #20

"Livin' Dangerously" by the McGuire Sisters. (97, 97, 1)
Part of a series of last gasps by a once phenomenally popular group. ("Sincerely", "Something's Gotta Give", "Sugartime")

"Secret of Love" by Elton Anderson. (100, 88, 4)
Hot 100 one-timer.

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Uptown" by Roy Orbison

Apparently, the world -- or, at a minimum, the U.S. radio-listening public -- wasn't ready for Roy Orbison in early 1960. "Uptown" debuted at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 24 and ran out of gas at #72 a few weeks later. It charted for a mere 6 weeks.

Released in 1956, Orbison's first single "Ooby Dooby" -- Well you wiggle and you shake like a big rattlesnake/You do the ooby-dooby til you think you have a break, so, no, I don't think so -- didn't fare much better. It spent 8 weeks on the Hot 100 and peaked at #59.

But just wait until June 1960 rolls around.


The rest of the class of January 24, 1960. (Entry position, peak position, weeks on chart)

"Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin. (74, 6, 14)
Darin already had an impressive run of top 10 hits going back to the summer of 1958. "Splish Splash", "Queen of the Hop", "Dream Lover", and "Mack the Knife". From this point on, though, only 5 of his next 34 singles would reach the top 10. Tragically, Darin died of heart failure in 1973, at the age of 37.

"Waltzing Matilda" by Jimmie Rodgers. (75, 41, 8.)
The "B" side of "Tender Love and Care", which debuted the week before.

"Why Do I Love You So", by Johnny Tillotson. (84, 42, 14)

"Am I That Easy to Forget" by Debbie Reynolds. (86, 25, 17)

"Amapola" by Jacky Noguez. (88, 63, 6)

"Too Much Tequila" by the Champs. (89, 30, 11)
A prophetic title. "Tequila", still in regular rotation on oldies stations, spent 5 weeks at #1 in 1958.)

"Cry Me a River" by Janice Harper. (91, 91, 3)

"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" by Sonny James. (95, 80, 3)

"Time After Time" by Frankie Ford. (96, 75, 6)
A one-hit wonder. His "Sea Cruise" spent 17 weeks on the Hot 100 in 1959, though it never reached the Top 10.

"The Happy Muleteer" by Ivo Robic. (99, 58, 6)

"Since I Made You Cry" by The Rivieras. (100,
Not the same Rivieras of "California Sun" fame.

Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Let It Be Me" by the Everly Brothers

"Let It Be Me" debuted at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 17, 1960. It spent 4 weeks in the top 10, reaching #7, and 15 weeks overall.

The company it kept, i.e., other singles that debuted the same week. (Debut position/highest position, weeks on chart)

"What in the World's Come Over You" by Jack Scott. (75, 5, 16)

'Tender Love and Care" by Jimmie Rodgers. (83, 24, 10)

"Theme from a Summer Place" by Percy Faith. (96, 1, 21)

"Let the Good Times Roll" by Ray Charles. (97, 78, 3)

"Tell Her for Me" by Adam Wade. (98, 66, 7)

"Bulldog" by the Fireballs. (99, 24, 11)

"Teenage Hayride" by Tender Slim. (100, 93, 2)


From Songfacts

T6his is a reworking of a French song recorded in 1955 by Gilbert Becaud called "Je T'Appartiens."

The first English version of this was recorded in 1957 by an actress named Jill Corey.

One of the first pop songs to use a string section. 8 violins and a cello were used. It was also the first Everly Brothers song to use strings.

Just before this became a hit, The Everly Brothers left their original label, Cadence Records, and signed with Warner Brothers for a $100,000 bonus, which was huge at the time.

This was the first Everly Brothers song they did not record in Nashville. It was done in New York.

Three other versions have entered the US top-40: Betty Everett & Jerry Butler in 1964, Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry in 1969, and Willie Nelson in 1982.