Category: M’s Track of the Day

This is a preliminary list of performers that I will never include in my pop selections, though many of them had big hits in the 50s, 60s and 70s. I … Continue readingThe Blacklist

This was written by Peter DeRose and published in 1933 as a piano number. Mitchell Parish added lyrics in 1938. Larry Clinton and His Orchestra with Bea Wain had a … Continue readingNino Tempo and April Stevens: Deep Purple

Written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco, this was released in June 1956 by the incomparable Little Richard. It reached No 17 in America and No 30 in the UK. … Continue readingLittle Richard: Rip It Up

The first release was in February 1968 by the Bystanders, whose manager Ronnie Scott co-wrote the song with Marty Wilde, using the pseudonyms Jack Gellar and Frere Manston. At that … Continue readingThe Casuals: Jesamine

One of my objections to the Kinks was that Ray Davies couldn’t sing, and this proves my point. It was written by Davies and released as a single on June … Continue readingThe Kinks: Sunny Afternoon

According to Wikipedia, this was composed in 1963 by Brian Wilson, Artie Kornfeld, Roger Christian and Jan Berry at Wilson’s mother’s house in Santa Monica. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man%27s_Curve_(song) It was recorded on November … Continue readingJan and Dean: Dead Man’s Curve

This was written by Shadows guitarist Bruce Welch and Peter Chester, an old friend who had been with Welch and Hank Marvin in a band called The Five Chesternuts. Welch … Continue readingCliff Richard and the Shadows: Please Don’t Tease

This was written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook and released in 1966. It reached No 14 in the UK and No 82 in America. This is a live performance.

This was written by Eugene ‘Gene’ Pearson, whose real name was Joshua Leviston, and first recorded in 1953 by his group, the Rivileers (how on earth did they come up … Continue readingBilly Fury: A Thousand Stars

I think this is one of the best Buddy Holly tracks but information about it is sparse. He wrote it and I believe it is an acoustic demo recorded in … Continue readingBuddy Holly: What To Do