{"id":6474,"date":"2022-05-23T17:59:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T23:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/?p=6474"},"modified":"2022-05-23T17:59:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T23:59:22","slug":"newsletter-for-may-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/newsletter-for-may-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter For May 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/b><\/h4>\n

DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

THIS MONTH’S MEETING <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

SUNDAY, MAY 1ST 2:00 PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

NEXT MEETING, JUNE 12TH 2:00 PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

THIS MONTH’S MEETING <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to Tom Faison who was with us last month as our speaker. We really appreciate what he is now doing for BRC as one of our website radio host. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This month we will have Jenny Hudson as our speaker. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>Jenny is a native of Alabama. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong> <\/b>She was a Runner-up in the Miss Alabama pageant. She graduated from University of AL and then moved to the Big Apple. She had a dual career as a professional singer, as well as working in the music industry for Holt, Rinehart & Winston in the Children’s Records area, <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>Columbia Records <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>and Reader’s Digest Music.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

AND THE ANSWER IS…….<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Record collectors started collecting vinyl for various reasons over the years. Maybe they listened to music but couldn’t afford records on their ‘allowance’ (remember those days) and now they can, maybe they are discovering recordings they never heard over the air-waves years ago and now they find that much of that music is better than what they listened to. Some want to ‘run’ a particular label or person’s recordings. Some people collect LP and EP covers, some collect for their jukebox and the reasons go on. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One more reason is that some people collect a particular genre or type of music. One of those genre’s of music<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong> is the ‘answer songs’ category. Answer songs have been around for over 150 years with an example being written in 1875 entitled ‘I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen’ as an answer to an earlier song, ‘Barney, Take Me Home Again’. Did you know that Woody Guthrie’s 1940 song, ‘This Land Is Your Land’ is an answer to Irving Berlin’s 1918 song, ‘God Bless America’? If you were listening to the radio in the 50’s and 60’s I am sure you remember answer songs and probably enjoyed them and had a favorite. What I want to do in this commentary is to list some of the answer songs that made the charts and many of those that didn’t but were a specific answer to a charted song. So, let’s get started. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is the first answer song you remember hearing? I really think of two that seem to be the first ones I heard. My dad was a C\/W music listener and I remember hearing Kitty Wells sing ‘It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels’. Now, I have to admit being very young I didn’t realize that it was an answer song to Hank Thompson’s ‘Wild Side Of Life’ at the time because at the time because I wasn’t familiar with that one. Also, early on I remember Skeeter Davis’ answer to Hank Lockin’s ‘Please Help Me I’m Falling’ when she recorded ‘(I Can’t Help You) I’m Falling Too’. Both songs charted and came out in 1960. I do remember both of those songs being played on the radio so maybe that is my first answer song I remember as being that.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of the charted answer songs include Damito Jo’s answer to The Drifters ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ with ‘I’ll Save The Last Dance For You’. Both making the Billboard chart. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

How about Jeanne Black’s, ‘He’ll Have To Stay’ answering Jim Reeve’s, ‘He’ll Have To Go’. Her version made all three charts of the time, Pop, C\/W and R&B as well as the UK chart. Number 4,6,11,41 respectively. I don’t know if this is one of the best selling answer songs of all time but it surely must be up there. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ray Charles had a #1 hit with the Percy Mayfield composition ‘Hit The Road Jack’ in 1961. The same year The Chantels released ‘Well I Told You’ as answer asking Jack to come back home. Their song went to #29 on the pop chart. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bobby Vinton hit big with ‘Roses Are Red’ and a song that answered it an charted was Florraine Darlin’s ‘Long As The Rose Is Red’. It made it to #62. And no, Florraine was not a member of the Darling family from The Andy Griffith Show. Notice the spelling is different.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my favorite songs is Sam Cooke’s ‘Bring It On Home To Me’, which by the way has Lou Rawls doing the backing vocals. It went to #13 on the pop chart and #2 on the R&B chart. Carla Thomas recorded ‘I’ll Bring It Home To You’ and the song went to #41 on the pop charts and #9 on the R&B chart. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

That list could go on for a while with songs and the answer songs both charting. Now how about some charted songs that had answer songs that didn’t chart. Most only known by record collectors. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

You might remember Linda Laurie had a hit with ‘Ambrose (Part Five)’ in 1959. Linda would record a song entitled ‘Stay At Home Sue’ as an answer to Dion’s ‘Runaround Sue’.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Beattle-Ettes, an all girl group took The Beatles ‘I Saw Standing There’ and answered it with ‘Only Seventeen’. At least two versions were recorded which were not really an answer but a female version which was entitled ‘I Saw HIM Standing There’.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Chantilly Lace’ had quite a few answer songs to it but two that really stick out for collectors are Jayne Mansfield’s ‘That Makes It’ and Donna Dameron’s ‘Bopper 486609’. A little more on the Dameron recording. The song was written as a sequel to ‘Chantilly Lace’ by the Big Bopper intended to be recorded by a female singer. It was recorded in December of 1958 with a release date to be in February 1959. But things changed when the Big Bopper was killed in the plane crash with Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly. Producers decided not to release the record but later did. The Big Bopper is even on the recording at the end of the record. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The song that may have more answer songs to it that any other would be Jimmy Dean’s ‘Big Bad John’. Over 40 songs were recorded in response to the song and even Jimmy Dean recorded two songs as answers \u2013 ‘Little Bitty Big John’ and ‘The Cajun Queen’ both done by Jimmy Dean. If you don’t know ‘Cajun Queen’ was about the woman who came to the mine where Big Bad John was trapped and saved him. The couple would marry and have children including one known as Little Bitty Big john.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

How about Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs’, ‘Stay’? Pearline Caesar recorded a song entitled ‘Go’. And it is a good one.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Carole King had some great songs during her career as a singer\/songwriter but do you know about these two answer songs? Some may call them more of parody songs but they are in answer to a charted songs. To Neil Sedaka’s ‘Oh! Carol’, which was a reference to an ex-girlfriend and co-worker at the Brill Building, Carol Klein aka Carole King, Carole recorded ‘Oh! Neil’. Then she answered Annette’s, ‘Tall Paul’ with ‘Short Mort’. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Well before I end this I have to add one more. Brian Hyland had a hit with ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ so someone came up with this idea. Jeri Lynne Frazier recorded a song entitled ‘Poor Begonia (Caught Pneumonia)’. You can’t make this stuff up.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is just a fraction of a fraction of answer songs recorded. I didn’t even mention responses to Hank Ballard’s ‘Work With Me Annie’. I’ll have to continue this later. Hope you enjoyed it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

THE ALABAMA MUSIC AWARDS 2022<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

BRC Hall of Fame members and Birmingham music legends Country Boy Eddie and Roscoe Robinson will be honored on Sunday, July 24th<\/sup>\u00a0at the Bessemer Civic Center beginning with the pre-award show at 5:00 PM and the award show at 6:00 PM.\u00a0 This event is sponsored by the Alabama Music Awards group.\u00a0 Tickets can be purchased online at alabamamusicawardsshows.com or by calling 205-503-6840.\u00a0\u00a0Congratulations<\/span>\u00a0to both gentlemen.\u00a0 A well-deserved award.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

ANSWER SONGS<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Go’<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pearline Caesar<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Bopper 486609’<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Donna Dameron<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Only Seventeen’<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Beattle-Ettes
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

BRC RADIO<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out our latest shows at birminghamrecord.com. Click on ‘RADIO’ and listen to some long-lost music and even some new sounds. There is a wide variety of music now that we have 4 hosts doing shows with the addition of John Horton. Check out all our shows.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

See ya,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Charlie<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP THIS MONTH’S MEETING SUNDAY, MAY 1ST 2:00 PM HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209 NEXT MEETING, JUNE 12TH 2:00 PM THIS MONTH’S MEETING Thanks to Tom Faison who was with us last month as our speaker. We really […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newletters","comments-open"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p46vzC-1Gq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6475,"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6474\/revisions\/6475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.birminghamrecord.com\/brc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}