From Detroit, Michigan, The Supremes started out as The Primettes in 1959. It was when they signed for Motown that they changed their name to The Supremes and would go on to become Motown’s most commercially successful group, and eventually end up as America’s most successful vocal group. I’m not sure when their first release on Motown will be, but I’m guessing during 1961. And I have to say that I am really looking forward to it.

January also brought us the release of Disney’s «101 Dalmatians», and it was the end of the Danish Barber Assistants’ strike which had lasted for 33 years. Now, I haven’t really read about this strike, but it just sounds too dumb not to mention. I mean, if an entire workforce went on strike for 33 years wouldn’t that mean that the occupation would become obsolete? How are they gonna come back from this? And what does a barber assistant do? Wash the knives? Clean the brush? I don’t really know. But this sure sounds funny, and I can only hope that they got their jobs back.

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THE ALBUMS

1961 will offer up shitloads of releases, and my problems will start only one year into this crazy project. Cause I won’t be able to write about everything, and I really want to write about everything. But I’ll figure out a compromise and go from there.

This month I’ve picked out five albums. And I’m dropping a couple that I would like to write about as well. Ray Charles’ «The Genius After Hours» is one of them. As the title suggests it’s a calm and relaxing record, perfect for a late-night, candlelit dinner with your significant other. It’s jazz, but it’s the kind of jazz that works incredibly well as background music. Serge Gainsbourg was intriguing as well, but his third studio album, «L’etonnant», is another one I decided to skip. The opening track La chanson de Prévert is really good though.

BOBBY «BLUE» BLAND – TWO STEPS FROM THE BLUES

Bobby Bland is a blues artist who should have gotten way more recognition. At least if it was based on this album right here. He started his career in the late ‘40s in a gospel ensemble called the Miniatures, and later, when he met B.B King, joined the Beale Streeters. The Beale Streeters was a group of Memphis blues musicians that met up and jammed, including King himself and some other guys (probably legends, but I didn’t bother to look them up). Now before Bobby Blue would get his first record contract he would work as B.B. King’s chauffeur, and it wasn’t until 1954 that he signed for Duke Records.

I’m thinking that hanging out with, or jamming, or just driving around with B.B. will eventually get you somewhere. If you got any talent that is. And Bobby’s got talent. His voice is made for singing the blues. And what makes him, or this record, so special, is his band. Cause where the other blues musicians just play blues, Bobby’s band is like a jazzy big brass band, and it works so god damn well. It’s even a bit like listening to soul music. So where you would nod your head to Muddy Waters, you will move your entire body to Bobby «Blue» Bland.

He did enjoy some success though, and during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, he had over 30 singles in the R&B Top 20. So it’s not like he is completely overlooked. But I find it interesting that I’ve never heard of him before now. «Two Steps From The Blues» is his debut studio album and the title is incredibly fitting. Cause that’s exactly what this is; two steps from the blues. I’m pretty stoked that I came across this album, not because it is the best album I’ve ever heard, but because it is a great album from an artist I’ve never heard of. And what’s more fun than discovering new artists? That’s right; nothing!

For a quick introduction to what this album is about, check out Cry, Cry, Cry, I’m Not Ashamed, Don’t Cry No More, and Little Boy Blue. And of course, I’ll Take Care of You which has been sampled and covered a lot. Covered by artists such as Elvis Costello, Gil Scott-Heron, and Van Morrison, and sampled by Drake on his hit song Take Care with Rihanna.

BUCK OWENS – BUCK OWENS

Buck Owens is a legend. He is the pioneer (alongside Merle Haggard) of the honky-tonk music dubbed the Bakersfield Sound, and he has released over 100 albums(!). He was also the co-host of a country comedy television show called «Hee-Haw» from 1969 to 1986. So this guy knew how to keep his balls in the air. I’m thinking that since this is his debut album, it’s pretty obvious that I won’t be able to write about all his records, but I’ll try to pick out the best ones. Cause if all of them are anything like this one, it’s worth checking them all out.

This album contains a couple of Buck’s old hits, as he has been releasing singles for some years, so we’ll get to listen to his #4 hit Under Your Spell Again from 1959, and the best song on the album Above and Beyond to name a couple. Other than being able to name one song as the best, there isn’t much else I can say really. All the songs are good and I truly enjoy listening to this fine piece of country music. And considering the massive amount of music Buck is gonna release in the next three decades I’m gonna leave it at that. But if you don’t wanna listen to all of it you should also check out Tired of Livin’ and I’ll Take A Chance On Loving You.

GARY U.S. BONDS – DANCE TILL QUARTER TO THREE

I got introduced to Gary U.S Bonds when he charted with the song New Orleans in November 1960, and he made a pretty good impression. The song is featured on this album as well, so that’s a decent start at least. Now I kinda felt that Gary Bonds had that little something when I first heard him sing, that he was a couple of years ahead when it came to rock’n’roll, but I can’t say for sure. All I can say is that a couple of songs on here, including New Orleans, have a certain je ne sais quoi. 

Gary Anderson, as his real name is, found himself with a new identity when the single New Orleans was released, as the record label just decided to credit the song to Gary U.S. Bonds. And because the song became a hit, he (or they) decided to stick with it. On this album, his debut, you’ll find the hit song School Is Out, and other cool songs like Quarter To Three and That’s All Right. I guess the ones mentioned now are the best cuts on the album, but it really is a pretty cool collection of songs. And I’m stuck with a feeling that something was wasted here as he could have become a pretty big star if he carried on in this fashion.

Even though Gary might not be a household name for a lot of people, and maybe he never became any bigger than he was at this point in time, he did manage to get a pretty well-known fan. Bruce Springsteen is, according to Rolling Stone, a pretty big fan. And it’s actually possible to hear that Bruce might have found some inspiration in Gary U.S. Bonds. Later, in the late ’70s/early ’80s, they met up, and jammed together, and Bruce Springsteen ended up producing his comeback album «Dedication», together with Steve Van Zandt, released in 1981. 

I’d check this guy out if I was you.

ROY ORBISON – LONELY AND BLUE

Roy Orbison came to rock through country music. I’m not sure how rock this is, but I can accept that it is put under that umbrella. And he sure does have the rock’n’roll image with his sunglasses and black suit, so who am I to say otherwise (except that the sunglasses were to cover up some kind of eye disease, according to Virgin’s Encyclopedia of Sixties Music). Roy had a greater liking for slower country material to start with, but after writing the song Ooby Dooby and sending it to Sun Records, he was signed by Sam Phillips with his band, The Teen Kings. After a stint with Sun Records (he stayed on as a solo artist after The Teen Kings disbanded, and wasn’t very successful)  he moved to Nashville where he wrote songs for Acuff-Rose Publishing, and his first success Claudette, named for his wife, was performed by The Everly Brothers. Then in 1960, he signed a record deal with Monument Records, and the hits started coming.

But this album isn’t really packed with what might sound like hit songs. There’s Only The Lonely of course, and Blue Angel, but other than that there aren’t many highlights. However, considering the fact that this guy is some kind of virtuoso when it comes to doom-laden ballads, it would be a shame not to mention I’m Hurtin‘, and if you’re really into depressive tunes there are a bunch on here that would probably take care of your yearning.

I’m pretty sure that Roy Orbison will come back stronger than this, so I’m not that worried that I didn’t fall in love with this album. And I’ve got all the time in the world, so just take your time.

WANDA JACKSON – THERE’S A PARTY GOING ON

The “Queen Of Rockabilly”. In 1955 she did a show with Elvis Presley and the fact that he raved that her voice was perfect for rockabilly convinced her to add it to her repertoire. Not a bad decision as she scored some pretty big hits with songs like Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad, Fujiyama Mama (which for obvious reasons became a big hit in Japan), Mean, Mean Man, and her biggest hit Let’s Have A Party. This album would mark the end of her rockabilly period though, as the genre was waning in popularity and she would return to country music where she started as a young girl. She actually had her own radio show at the age of thirteen for some reason.

You know what, it makes sense that she was dubbed the “Queen of Rockabilly”. Her voice is rowdy and robust, which works perfectly with this kind of music. And even though I’m not a huge fan of this genre, this album is definitively listenable. I know a couple of bars in Oslo that should, or maybe they have, play a bunch of her songs to get the floor pumping. Wanda Jackson likes to party, at least according to her song lyrics and titles, but the coolest song on this record is the one that mixes a bit of country music in it, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore. The rest is rockabilly, and even though they are pretty good, it’s just a safe, tried and true recipe of music that won’t shake anyone’s world.

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THE SINGLES

Patsy Cline released I Fall To Pieces with The Jordanaires. It topped the country charts and would become Patsy’s biggest hit, but it’s a pretty boring tune. I wouldn’t call it bad, as there are some scenarios in this song that could work for me as well, but my initial thought was that I didn’t need to listen to it a second time. I did though, and it sure does have some quality to it. It has become a country standard over the years, covered by various artists, and earned recognition from several music associations. 

Little Boy Sad follows Johnny Burnette‘s hit single You’re Sixteen, and this one is a lot better. That might be because it sounds exactly like a younger Elvis Presley, but why wouldn’t you do something that you know works, right? Slim Harpo co-wrote and released Rainin’ In My Heart; a country ballad that is nothin’ but OK, and Connie Francis keeps on smothering us with her mundane catalog with Where The Boys Are. She sounds a bit like a super dull old version of Lana Del Rey to put it some kind of perspective. And lastly Kyu Sakamoto became known around the world with his hit song Sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is really a Japanese dish, and it has nothing do with the song at all. The real title of the song is Ue o Muite Aruko but they changed the title so that it would be easier to pronounce and remembered by the Western world. The song is quite nice and it is one of the best-selling singles in the world with over 13 million copies sold.

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THE CHARTS

New songs in the Top 3 at the beginning of 1961 are Exodus by Ferrante & Teicher, Calcutta by Lawrence Welk, and The Shirelles with Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Other than The Shirelles there isn’t much to get excited by.

In the Top 10 Neil Sedaka pops up with Calendar Girl, The Miracles starts their climb towards the top with Shop Around, Bobby Vee will get his breakthrough in the UK with his song Rubber Ball, and Brenda Lee is the last one to break into the Top 10 this month with a tune called Emotions. I’ve written about Neil Sedaka earlier, and I’m not really blown away by the others, so I’ll just leave it at that.

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Petter Milde

This Band Could Be Your Life