MUSIC FROM THE LATE SUMMER OF 1958

PLAY THE SHOW

Fifty years removed from the release dates, a lot of this material may sound ancient to modern ears, but many of these songs have been extraordinarily influential on subsequent artists. By late Summer of 1958, rock and roll had apparently won the battle for supremacy of the charts. Conservative (read ‘older’) listeners still thought rock and roll was too dumb to be taken seriously, but the some of the music they offered to combat the rock and roll attack could now be recognized as dumber still, and a LOT less influential. For example, when was the last time you heard a track from any of the “Sing Along with Mitch” records? A batch of these albums reached #1 in the late ‘50s, but it’s the rock and roll that lingers. Here’s a list of tracks from today’s show;

1)    Rebel Rouser – Duane Eddy

2)    It’s All in the Game – Tommy Edwards

3)    Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) – Domenico Modugno

4)    Tears on My Pillow – Little Anthony & the Imperials

5)    Chantilly Lace – The Big Bopper

6)    Ginger Bread – Frankie Avalon (as a ‘Bad Hit”)

7)    Stupid Cupid – Connie Francis (as a “Bad Hit”)

8)    The Freeze – Tony and Joe (as a “Bad Hit”)

9)    Devoted to You – The Everly Brothers

10)  Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran

11)  Somethin’ Else – Cannonball Adderley (as an album track)