Eternal Father Strong to Save
THIS week’s choice links Britain and the United States because for both countries it is known as the Navy Hymn. The words vary slightly but the melody is the same, … Continue readingEternal Father Strong to Save
Author: Margaret Ashworth
Square
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs: Stay
Maurice Williams wrote this song in 1953 when he was 15 after failing to persuade his date not to go home at 10pm as she was supposed to. When it … Continue readingMaurice Williams and the Zodiacs: Stay
Brahms: Ballade Op 10, No 1
When I was at school in the 60s, there were several highly talented musicians among the pupils, and I often heard this work. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) wrote his Ballades, Op … Continue readingBrahms: Ballade Op 10, No 1
The Jaynetts: Sally Go ‘Round the Roses
THIS strange and unique song, written by Zelma Sanders and Lona Stevens, was a one-hit wonder which reached No 2 in the US in September 1963. Although released in the … Continue readingThe Jaynetts: Sally Go ‘Round the Roses
Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels: Jenny Take A Ride!
THIS thumping number released in 1965 reached No 10 in the US and 33 in the UK. It was written by the song’s producer Bob Crewe, Enotris Johnson (co-writer of … Continue readingMitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels: Jenny Take A Ride!
John Mayall: Medicine Man
I AM not any sort of expert on blues, but I love this one. It’s on Blues From Laurel Canyon (1968), Mayall’s first album after splitting with the Bluesbreakers the same year. … Continue readingJohn Mayall: Medicine Man
The Adventures of PC 49
MANY of us remember Dixon of Dock Green on TV, in which Jack Warner played the oldest copper on earth. But he was not the BBC’s first bobby on the … Continue readingThe Adventures of PC 49
Robert Mosley: Goodbye My Lover, Goodbye
THERE’S a bit of a fog about the details of this. For a start I can’t pin down if the name is Mosley or Mosely. It appeared as Mosley on … Continue readingRobert Mosley: Goodbye My Lover, Goodbye
Mike Berry: Don’t You Think It’s Time/Loneliness
WRITTEN by Joe Meek and Geoff Goddard, Don’t You Think It’s Time reached No 6 in the UK chart in January 1963. It was one of my very early singles purchases. I … Continue readingMike Berry: Don’t You Think It’s Time/Loneliness
Don Gibson/The Searchers: Sea of Heartbreak
THIS was written by Hal David and Paul Hampton, and released by Don Gibson in 1961. It reached No 21 in America and 14 in Britain. The Searchers recorded it … Continue readingDon Gibson/The Searchers: Sea of Heartbreak