Rosie and the Originals - Angel Baby (1960)

Born in Oregon in 1945 to a Mexican mother and American father, Rosalie “Rosie” Hamlin spent her youth living in Alaska and California before finally settling with her family in National City, California.

In 1958, at the age of thirteen, Rosie lied about her age and joined her first band as its lead singer. At the age of fourteen, she wrote her first song, based on her first boyfriend, heard below; and at the age of fifteen, Rosie and a group of her friends drove one hundred miles to the closest recording studio so that they could record her song.

After shopping their record around for a while, the group received an offer for a contract from Highland Records under the stipulation that David Ponci, the oldest member of the group, would receive the writing credits. By the time the song was receiving airplay, the members of the group still had not received their copies of the contract. Unfortunately for Hamlin, when she finally did receive the contract, she quickly learned that she would be unable to collect royalties from the song since she wasn’t listed as the songwriter. This, quite immediately, lead to the break-up of the group. And although Hamlin won the copyright to her music in 1961, decades of legal battles followed.

Despite credit originally being given to David Ponci, the song below was written entirely by Rosie Hamlin. It was released in November 1960 and featured the vocal talents of Rosie Hamlin when she was only fifteen years old. By January 1961, the song reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later covered by John Lennon in 1973 (though not released until 1986), where Lennon referred to it as one of his "all-time favorite songs." In the song's intro, he also adds, "Send my love to Rosie, wherever she may be..."



Rosie and the Originals - Angel Baby (1960)

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Lyrics:

It's just like heaven being here with you
You're like an angel, too good to be true
But after all, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby

When you are near me, my heart skips a beat
I can hardly stand on my own two feet
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby

I love you, I do
No one could love you like I do

Please, never leave me blue and alone
If you ever go, I'm sure you'll come back home
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby

I love you, I do
No one could love you like I do

Dave Van Ronk - Leave Her Johnny (1960)

Nicknamed the “Mayor of MacDougal Street,” Dave Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) spent a large portion of his youth singing in a barbershop quartet and twice sailing with the Merchant Marine. In the mid-1950s, he desperately wanted to play with a traditional jazz band, and thus joined up with one in his native New York, playing the banjo and singing unamplified. Unfortunately, jazz had seen its day, and the outfit didn’t last very long. One day, while searching for jazz records in a music shop, Van Ronk stumbled upon blues artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Lemon Jefferson. After finding this new style of music he could get into, he began to emulate the voices and styles which he heard during his own performances. And while doing so, Van Ronk continued to sing as if he was still unamplified and trying to be heard over the jazz arrangements. What resulted was a very loud, brash, and gritty style, which Van Ronk became known for, and which vastly contrasted with the other folk artists of the time who generally sang in a much more subdued style.

The song heard below was released in 1991 on the album The Folkway Years, 1959-1961. And although the specific year this song was recorded is not mentioned, the track listings for compilation albums such as these are usually listed in a sequential order. Assuming this to be true for this album, and noting that this song is smack-dab in the middle of the track listing, I'm taking the liberty of assuming it was recorded in 1960.

The song itself is a traditional sea shanty whose author or authors have been lost to time. Songs like this one were often sung by the crews of wooden ships to pass the time during the more menial tasks required to maintain a vessel. This song in particular was the song sung when a crew reached their final destination, after docking and being tied up in port, telling the everyman “Johnny” that it’s time to “leave her,” the ship.



Dave Van Ronk - Leave Her Johnny (1960)

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Lyrics:

Oh, times were hard and the wages low
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
I guess it’s time for us to go
(It’s time for us to leave her)
Beware these packet ships, I say
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
They’ll steal your stores and your clothes away
(It’s time for us to leave her)
There’s Liverpool Pat with his tarpaulin hat
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
And Yankee John, the packet rat
(It’s time for us to leave her)
She would not wear and she would not stay
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
She shipped great seas both night and day
(It’s time for us to leave her)
It’s rotten beef and waverly bread
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
It was “pump or drown,” the old man said
(It’s time for us to leave her)
The sails all furled, our work is done
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
And now ashore, we’ll take our run
(It’s time for us to leave her)
Oh, what will us poor shellbacks do?
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her)
Our money’s gone; no work to do
(It’s time for us to leave her)

The Drifters - This Magic Moment (1960)

In the summer of 1958, with his original lineup of The Drifters being entirely disintegrated, George Treadwell was desperate to find a new lineup, call them The Drifters, and complete the remaining year’s worth of bookings he had signed his vocal group up for at The Apollo. Luckily for Treadwell, he was able to get into contact with Lover Patterson, the manager of the doo-wop group known as The Five Crowns. Through some finagling and persuading, Treadwell managed to take The Five Crowns and turn them into the “new” Drifters. Lead by Five Crowns lead singer Ben E. Nelson, the group featured Charlie Thomas, Dock Green, and Elsbeary Hobbs. Poppa James Clark had been a member of The Five Crowns but wasn’t invited to join The Drifters because of a drinking problem, a problem that plagued Treadwell’s last group. Ben E. Nelson changed his stage name to the now widely recognized Ben E. King and although these “new” Drifters were initially met with crowd hostility at their shows, they would go on to release hits such as “There Goes My Baby,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “Dance with Me,” and the hit heard below to be considered by many as the truly “golden” lineup of The Drifters history.

Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, this song was one of the best-selling hits of Ben E. King’s era of The Drifters. It’s almost one of the most recognizable songs by any Drifters lineup. Featuring the B-Side “Baltimore,” the song was released on Atlantic Records in 1960 and reached number sixteen. It has since been used in a wide variety of media; you may remember it being used in The Sandlot.



The Drifters - This Magic Moment (1960)

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Lyrics:

This magic moment
So different and so new
Was like any other
Until I kissed you

And then it happened
It took me by surprise
I knew that you felt it, too
By the look in your eyes

Sweeter than wine
Softer than the summer night
Everything I want, I have
Whenever I hold you tight

This magic moment
While your lips are close to mine
Will last forever
Forever ‘til the end of time

(Magic)
(Magic)
(Magic)
(Magic)

Sweeter than wine
Softer than the summer night
Everything I want, I have
Whenever I hold you tight

This magic moment
While your lips are close to mine
Will last forever
Forever ‘til the end of time

(Magic)
(Magic)
Magic moment
(Magic)
Magic moment
(Magic)
Magic moment
(Magic)
(Magic)
(Magic)…

Ray Peterson - Corrina, Corrina (1960)

Ray Peterson was born in Denton, Texas 1939 and suffered from polio as a child. Managing to overcome his disease, he moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of nineteen to pursue a career in singing. After having only been there a year in 1959, Peterson released “The Wonder of You” which reached number twenty-five in the US and twenty-three in the UK. The song would later be covered by Elvis Presley. His biggest hit song came the following year, in 1960, when he released the “teenage tragedy” song titled “Tell Laura I Love Her.” Later that same year, Peterson created his own record label, Dunes Records with his manager Stan Shulman, where he hired record producer Phil Spector. He had a string of mild hits in 1961 and a couple of cooler ones in 1963 and 1964 before the British Invasion took off. After the waning of his popularity, Peterson moved to Nashville, Tennessee and became a Baptist Church minister, where he would occasionally take part in “oldies” tours that celebrated the music of the ‘50s and early ‘60s. He died from cancer in 2005 in Smyrna, Tennessee at the age of 65, leaving behind his widow and seven children.

Although this traditional song was first recorded in December 1928 by Bo Carter, the song has roots dating much farther back. Iterations of the song can be traced back to 1918 via sheet music written by Roger Graham. This particular version of the song, recorded by Peterson in 1960, was the first hit that Peterson released on his newly formed Dunes Record label. It was also his second-highest charting song, after “Tell Laura I Love Her,” reaching number nine in the US and number forty-one in the UK. Other artists to have performed the song include Big Joe Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley & His Comets, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. The version by Bob Dylan was re-arranged to mix with Robert Johnson’s 1937 song “Stones in My Passaway” and released on his 1963 album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.



Ray Peterson - Corrina, Corrina (1960)

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Lyrics:

I love Corrina,
Tell the world I do
I love Corrina
Tell the world I do
I pray every night
She'll learn to love me, too

Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
I love you so

Oh, little darling
Where you been so long?
Oh, little darlin’
Where you been so long?
I ain’t had no loving
Since you been gone

Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
I love you so

I left Corrina
Way across the sea, oh me
I left Corrina
Way across the sea
If you see Corrina
Send her home to me

Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
I love you so

Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
Corrina, Corrina
I love you so

Oh, darling, don't you know
I love you so?
Darling, don't you know?

The Ventures - Walk, Don't Run (1960)

In 1958, Bob Bogle went looking for a new car in Seattle, Washington. At a local car lot, he met the son of an auto-dealer, Don Wilson. The two found a mutual interest in guitars and music and soon began playing at parties, in clubs, and in bars as The Versatones. Eventually renaming themselves to the moniker seen above, the group only performed instrumental songs, more often than not of the surf variety. All in all, thirty-eight of their albums charted in the US; fourteen of their singles charted (with six of them being in the Top 40); and three of their singles made it into the Top 10. They were number six in the 1960s for total number of albums sold and have the distinct honor of being the best-selling instrumental group of all time. Bob Bogle passed away in 2009 at the age of seventy-five.

Inspired by the traditional song “Softly, As in the Morning Sunrise,” this song was originally written and recorded by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1954. When recorded by this band in the fall of 1960 as a surf tune, it quickly became a hit in both the US and the UK. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later revisited by the group in 1964, calling the later version “Walk, Don’t Run ’64.” Despite more than a dozen artists covering this song, this version remains the mostly widely known.



The Ventures - Walk, Don't Run (1960)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

The Shadows - Apache (1960)

The five years leading up to the music chart domination by The Beatles has been widely regarded as the “Before-Beatles” period. This group, also known as Cliff Richard and the Shadows, was the top UK group of that era. As John Lennon once said, “Before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music.” Originally known as The Drifters, they had sixty-nine UK hit songs over a span of twenty-one years, with their most successful years occurring between 1960 and 1963. The group has featured numerous members and broken up on four occasions. As of their latest break-up in 2010, the group is still currently disbanded.

This song was written by the English songwriter Jerry Lordan. He initially gave the song to Bert Weedon, but was unhappy with the result. With that version’s release on hold, Lordan next taught the song to this group, who he was on tour with at the time. They were the first group to release the song (July 1960) and it went to number one in seven countries. Since, the song has found continued success from being covered or sampled by artists such as Jørgen Ingmann, the Incredible Bongo Band, The Sugarhill Gang, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and many others. Because the melody is now associated with classic hip hop, it’s nice to remember its roots.



The Shadows - Apache (1960)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

The Safaris - Image of a Girl (1960)

Formed in 1959, this group was only a one-hit wonder. Coming out of Los Angeles, California, they released the song heard below in 1960 on Eldo Records and watched it cruise to number six on the Billboard Hot 100. With high hopes, the group put out another song, “Girl with the Story in Her Eyes,” the same year only to watch it flop. Two songs in 1961 had the same ill-fated demise. Disappointed with their lack of success, they changed their name to The Suddens and tried one last time to release a song in 1961. Unfortunately, it flopped as well and the group became nothing more than a fond memory.

It’s unfortunate that this song, written by members Richard Clasky and Marvin Rosenberg, was the first release to be put out by the group. If it had been one of their later releases, the group could have celebrated their success after having a few bumps in the road. But, as it is, the group started with success and unfortunately failed to ever reach it again.

[Update 01/09/2015: Alan Brackett of The Peanut Butter Conspiracy left some interesting anecdotes in the comments section below.]



The Safaris - Image of a Girl (1960)

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Lyrics:

As I lie awake resting from the day
I can hear the clock passing time away
Oh, I couldn't sleep, for on my mind
Was the image of the girl I hope to find
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh

I look straight up at the ceiling above
Thinking of the girl whom I will love
Oh, would it be soon when she exists?
The image of the girl I've always wished
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh

I twisted and I turned, ooh, trying to sleep
But all I could do was only to weep
For I haven't found that image yet
Of all the girls that I have met

And now the clock is still passing time
And I know someday that she will be mine
And I know she'll always bring me love
For she's the image of the girl I love
Whoa, (image of a girl) oh, oh, oh, oh

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh (image of a girl) oh, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh (image of a girl)
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh (image of a girl)…

Percy Faith - Theme from a Summer Place (1960)

This man went from playing violin and piano to conducting after his hands were badly burnt in a fire. He has the honor of being credited with the creation of “easy listening” and “mood music,” which he achieved by increasing the size of his band’s string section and balancing out the heavy brass section which was heavily favored by others at the time.

This song, which originally had lyrics, was written for the film A Summer Place. This particular version heard below used no lyrics and went to number one in the US for nine weeks, a record still held today for an instrumental song. It reached number two in the UK and number one in Italy.



Percy Faith - Theme from A Summer Place (1960)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

The Kingston Trio - We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1960)

Responsible for influencing countless artists of the 1960s and beyond, this trio was largely responsible for the folk revival movement in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Although they were frequently shunned by folk music purists for being politically neutral, they still, even to this day, ranked on lists such as “most weeks with a number one album,” “most consecutive number one albums,” “most top ten albums,” and other acclamations.

This song comes from sixteenth-century England. This particular version was released by the trio in 1960 on their album The Last Month of the Year. It failed to reach the commercial success anticipated and was quickly removed from the shelves. In 1992, it was re-released on CD, but was again taken off of the shelves before too long. The album was said to be one of the most sophisticated albums for the group, but also one of the least well known.



The Kingston Trio - We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1960)

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Lyrics:

Once in a year it is not thought amiss
To visit our neighbors and sing out like this:

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year

We want some figgy pudding
We want some figgy pudding
We want some figgy pudding
And a cup of good cheer

We won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some
So bring it out here

Of friendship and love, good neighbors abound
And peace and good will the whole year around
Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?
Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year