Remember Always - Margaret Schneider

It is another important date

on the Shady Dell calendar.

Today we remember and honor

Margaret Brown Schneider,

precious child of the Dell.

Blessed with longevity,

Margaret earned the

nickname The Oldest

Living Dell Rat as she

approached and then

passed the century mark.

Margaret died four years ago

at the age of 105. Last month

as we celebrated Margaret's

109th birthday, I posted old

songs Margaret might have

known in her youth. Today,

as we remember Margaret

on the date of her death,

I offer a few more songs

I think she would enjoy.

 KATE SMITH AND 

 THE 5 DeMARCO SISTERS 

Our dear Margaret would be the first

to remind you not to dwell on your

setbacks and losses. To remember

Margaret today, here's a song that

urges you to leave your worries on

the doorstep and direct your feet to

the sunny side of the street. Written

in 1930 when Margaret was 18, the

song was introduced in the Broad-

way musical Lew Leslie's Inter-

national Revue. To sing it here

are the Five DeMarco Sisters,

the close harmony group from

Rome, New York, that was a hit

on radio, TV and film from the

30s thru the 60s. In early 1953

the sister act performed the

song with host Kate Smith

on The Kate Smith Hour.

 

"On The Sunny Side Of The Street"

 Kate Smith and The Five DeMarco Sisters

(perf. on Jan. 30, 1953, ep. of The Kate Smith Hour) 

Last month on Margaret's birthday

you saw Tatiana Eva-Marie and

her Avalon Jazz Band perform

"Fit As A Fiddle," a popular

standard best known for

being featured in the

1952 movie musical

Singing in the Rain.

I'd like you to hear

how the famous title

song sounded back

in 1929, the year

Margaret (right)

was 17 years old. 

 THE BROX SISTERS 

I present to you The Brox Sisters, a trio of singing siblings that was popular in

the 1920s and 30s. In this rare clip, The Brox Sisters along with the cast of the

film Hollywood Revue of 1929 perform a grand rendition of "Singing in the Rain." 

"Singing in the Rain" - The Brox Sisters

and cast of film Hollywood Revue of 1929. 

 THE SHOUT SISTERS 

In last year's post honoring Margaret, I introduced The Boswell Sisters,

the close harmony singing trio of the 1930s jazz and swing era. Today

I present The Shout Sisters, a London-based three-part vocal harmony

group that pays musical tribute to The Boswell Sisters and other

girl groups of the early and mid 20th century. Let's peek over

their shoulders as The Shout Sisters, Louise Messenger,

Noelle Davies-Brock and Elise Roth, gather 'round

the piano and practice their Boswell Sisters

arrangement of "Lullabye of Broadway,"

a song introduced in the musical

film Gold Diggers of 1935.

"Lullabye Of Broadway" - The Shout Sisters

(January 2021)

 THE SHOUT SISTERS 

At the start of 1932, Louis Armstrong had a hit with the popular song

and jazz standard "All Of Me." Some say Billie Holiday's 1941

version is definitive. Here again are The Shout Sisters,

the amazing retro girl group from the UK, doing

their outstanding rendition of "All Of Me." 

"All Of Me" - The Shout Sisters

(March 2020) 

 THE SWING NINJAS 

 FT. THE SHOUT SISTERS 

It's a Shout Sisters triple play! Watch & listen as they do "Bye Bye Blues,"

a popular song and jazz standard written and published in 1925 when

our dear Margaret Schneider was 13 years old. The most successful

version of the song was recorded in 1952 by Les Paul and Mary Ford.

In a performance staged earlier this year, these wonderful warblers,

The Shout Sisters, are backed by the Brighton band The Swing Ninjas.

"Bye Bye Blues" - The Swing Ninjas

featuring The Shout Sisters

(January 2021)

I hope you enjoyed this musical tribute

to Margaret Schneider... and I can't

help believing that she did, too.

Yours was a long life and

a life well lived, Margaret.

We love you... miss you...

and will remember you always.

Joe Niagara's Knocked Out Nifties of the Past - Vol. 1: Last Night I Ran All the Way Home to Knock On Wood!

LISTEN TO THIS 60 SECOND SHOW OPEN TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH JOE NIAGARA'S VOICE:

Hello, this is Joe Niagara, and I've got a stack

of Knocked-out Niagara Nifties of the Past.

If you're ready... this Rockin' Bird will fly!

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

(COLD SHOW OPEN)

"Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)" - The Impalas

(May 1959, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

#14 R&B, perf. on Dick Clark's Sat. Night Beechnut Show)

We're off and running with "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home),"

a top 3 platter from 1959 by The Impalas, a doo-wop quartet

from Brooklyn, New York, with three white members and

black lead singer Joe "Speedo" Frazier, no relation to

Joe Frazier the boxing champ. That record soared like

a bird to the #2 spot on the pop chart and stayed there,
held back by two #1 charting hits - "The Happy Organ"

by Dave "Baby" Cortez and "Kansas City,"

the smash by Wilbert Harrison.

Hello again, I'm Joe Niagara -"The Rockin' Bird" - veteran radio

personality from Wibbage - WIBG Philadelphia, now coming

to you on S-P-M-M... the station that's #1 for music and fun.

You're listening to the debut of my new show Joe Niagara's

Knocked Out Nifties of the Past featuring the great sounds

of doo-wop, rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues and classic soul

from the 1950s and 60s, the kind of tuneage you enjoy

hearing me play on Wibbage. I put down a wailin'

pound of sound... so without further

delay, on with the show!

Stay out on the floor.

You'll be beggin' for

more when you hear

this next Niagara Nifty.

This little cat takes a

toe hold, cuts from

the heels and POW!

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

It's Roy Tyson, only 12 years old

when he waxed this ton of a tune--

"Oh What a Night For Love!"

"Oh What a Night For Love" - Roy Tyson

(Dec. 1963, highest chart pos. #106 Bubbling Under)

Bubbling Under the Hot 100 at

Christmas time 1963, that was

young R&B artist Roy Tyson

with a rousing up tempo record,

a song written by Lloyd Price--

"Oh What a Night For Love."

The Rockin' Bird knockin' you out

with my Nifties of the Past, and here,

from the vaults of Atlantic Records,

is a doo-wop relic that missed the

chart but went straight to the heart.

Listen now to the terrific sound of

the mixed race, New York-based

group Tex And The Chex as they

sing-- "I Do Love You."

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

"I Do Love You" - Tex And The Chex

(Aug. 1961, uncharted)

The stuff that dreams are made of..."I Do Love You," a lost

musical treasure by no-hit-wonders Tex and the Chex... an

act that evolved into a pop/rock group called The Magicians.

If you're just tuning in, you're listening

to Joe Niagara, The Rockin' Bird from

Wibbage, W-I-B-G in Philadelphia...

moonlighting as a new member of

The Shady Bunch DJ team here

on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

We're right smack dab in the middle

of a 7-song non-stop block party

and there ain't no stoppin' us now!

I told you so... on this one. I said it

would be a hit and it is. Eddie Floyd

 on Where The Action Is doing his

chart-topper-- "Knock On Wood!" 

"Knock On Wood" - Eddie Floyd

(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos.

#1 R&B/#28 Hot 100/#41 Cash Box, perf.

on Nov. 1, 1966, ep. of Where The Action Is) 

Doing his signature song "Knock On Wood" on Dick Clark's

Where The Action Is, that was Stax R&B great Eddie Floyd.

Hard to believe Eddie's record barely cracked the Billboard

Top 30 and missed the Cash Box top 40 entirely, but it shot

to number one on the Black Singles chart in October 1966.

The song returned to the chart in 1979 as a chart-topping

disco hit for Amii Stewart. Niagara says the original is

still the greatest... Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood." 

Up next The Kodaks of Newark, NJ.

Formed in the mid 50s as an all boy

group, The Kodaks didn't click until

 they added a female lead singer.

Her name was Pearl McKinnon,

a young lady with a powerful

voice who sounded a lot like

boy star Frankie Lymon. With

their new lineup, The Kodaks

hoped to become as big as

Frankie and his group

The Teenagers.

The Kodaks were popular in Jersey, New York and along

the East Coast, but failed to catch on nationally, possibly

due to confusion over their name. Some of their records

were released as by The Kodaks while others were

 were credited to The Kodoks to avoid a lawsuit

from Eastman Kodak. Niagara says they're

the real deal. Listen as Pearl McKinnon

and her group The Kodoks sing--

"Little Boy And Girl!"

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

"Little Boy And Girl"

The Kodoks (The Kodaks)

featuring  Pearl McKinnon

(Sept. 1957, uncharted)

The Kodaks aka The Kodoks,

featuring the lead vocals of

Frankie Lymon sound-alike

Pearl McKinnon, singing

"Little Boy And Girl," the

up tempo fab flip of their

 first single... the ballad

"Teenager's Dream." 

Hey, give me the title,

then sing your song!

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

"Long Lonely Nights" - Lee Andrews

And The Hearts (Aug. 1957, highest chart

 pos. #11 R&B/#33 Cash Box/#45 Hot 100)

Born in Carolina, raised right here in Philly, that was Lee Andrews

with his vocal group The Hearts brushing the top 10 on the R&B

chart with their breakthrough hit "Long Lonely Nights." By the

way, the original release of that 45 on the green colored

Philadelphia label Main Line is now worth hundreds

 of dollars to record collectors.

That does it for my first show.

I hope you dug my spun gold

because I'll be back before you

know it with another stack of

Knocked Out Niagara Nifties

of the Past here on S-P-M-M,

your number one station for a

rock & roll nation. How about

one last song for the road?

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

You're listening to the exciting

sound of The Mar-Keys, the

house band at the legendary

Stax/Volt studio in Memphis, 

playing us off with "Last

Night," their top 3 charting

instrumental from 1961.

 Stick around. Coming up on the flip side of news, it's the

premiere of another new Shady Bunch show, Beth Boland's

Adrenaline Rush. This is Joe Niagara - The Rockin' Bird -

saying thanks for joining me and so long for now!

"Last Night" - The Mar-Keys

(July/Aug. 1961, highest chart pos.
#2 R&B/#3 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

My Role as a Social Media Influencer - I Take it Seriously..... So Should You.

SCROLL DOWN 

OMG! For a split second, you took me seriously,

dear friend. You shoulda seen the look on your face!

I hope you never make that mistake again. You should

know by now that the only thing I want to influence

you to buy is my brand of humor, and the only thing

I want to influence you to do is to sing, dance,

laugh and have fun. With that in mind, I'll

reveal the actual title of today's post: 

Let's All Play -

Name That Sample!

I can't tell you how many times per day,

(maybe 10 or more, maybe even a hundred!)

people come up to me on the street and

ask the following question:

"WHAT IS SAMPLING?"

Actually the number of times is zero. It's never
happened... but I'm gonna tell you anyway.

Sampling is the process of taking a portion of one sound recording
and making it part of another sound recording. Hip hop was the
first pop music genre based on the art of sampling. The craze
started in the 70s with deejays playing vinyl records on twin
turntables and, using a mixer, creatively combining them
to make new dance sounds. In today's post I bring you
five 21st century recordings that sample five hits of
the 20th century. Please listen to all five songs and
see if you can Name That Sample - name the old
recording sampled in the more recent recording.

SONG #1:

THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS

ft. will.i.am

The Pussycat Dolls were a Los Angeles based girl group and dance troupe
that specialized in R&B, pop, hip hop and dance music. will.i.am is a

hip hop artist and producer also from LA. In 2006 the two acts
came together on the international hit single "Beep."

"Beep" - The Pussycat Dolls ft. will.i.am

(Feb. 2006, highest chart pos. #13 Hot 100/#2 UK,

#1 Australia & New Zealand, from Sept. 2005 album PCD)

SONG #2:

RIHANNA

Rihanna is a R&B and dance-pop singer from Barbados now

based in New York. In 2006 Rihanna topped the U.S. pop, dance

and top 40 charts with her international hit single "SOS."

"SOS" - Rihanna

(Feb. 2006, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100,
#1 U.S. Dance Club Songs, #1 U.S. Mainstream Top 40,

#2 UK/#1 Australia, from Apr. 2006 album A Girl like Me)

SONG #3:

JOJO

She hails from Foxborough, Mass. Her real name is Joanna Noëlle
Blagden Levesque. Wisely the young pop/R&B singer chose "JoJo"
as her stage name. In 2007 JoJo reached the top 40 on the U.S.
Pop Songs chart and brushed the UK top 20 with "Anything."

"Anything" - JoJo

(May 2007, highest chart pos. #38 U.S. Pop Songs,
#21 UK, #18 Ireland, from Oct. 2006 album The High Road)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 1:45 MARK!

SONG #4:

MISSY ELLIOT

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot is a hip hop/R&B singer

from Portsmouth, Virginia. In 2006 Missy went

top 50 U.S., top 40 UK, top 25 in Australia

with the funky number "We Run This."

"We Run This" - Missy Elliot

(Feb. 2006, highest chart pos. #48 Hot 100, #38 UK,
#23 Australia, from July 2005 album The Cookbook,
Sept. 2006 album Respect M.E. & OST of 2006 movie Stick It)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 1:10 MARK!

SONG #5:

MADONNA

In 2005/2006 Madonna, The Queen of Pop, topped charts

worldwide with the album Confessions on a Dance Floor,

a set of songs influenced by 1970s and 80s disco.

"Hung Up," the lead single from the album,

was also an international hit.

"Hung Up" - Madonna

("LaRCS" - "Live and Record Combined Stereo") 

(Oct. 2005, highest chart pos. #1 U.S. Dance Club Songs,
#1 UK, #1 in 18 other countries, from Nov. 2005

album Confessions On a Dance Floor)

How many samples were

you able to name?

(SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE ANSWERS)

ANSWERS

SONG #1:

"Beep" by The Pussycat Dolls ft. will.i.am samples "Evil Woman,"
the 1975 hit by the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).

START PLAYING VIDEO AT 2:40

MARK TO HEAR THE SAMPLE!

SONG #2:

"SOS" by Rihanna samples "Tainted Love," the

1981/82 hit by the English synthpop duo Soft Cell.

SONG #3

"Anything" by JoJo samples "Africa,"

the 1982 hit by the American rock band Toto.

SONG #4

"We Run This" by Missy Elliot samples "Apache,"
the 1982 hit by The Sugarhill Gang

SONG #5

"Hung Up" by Madonna samples "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

(A Man After Midnight)," the 1979 hit by the

Swedish pop supergroup ABBA.

How many sampled songs were you

able to name? Check below to

determine your sampling I.Q.:

ALL 5 RIGHT:

Samply sensational!

3 OR 4 RIGHT:

Samply sufficient!

1 OR 2 RIGHT:

Samply seek some support.

0 RIGHT:

Sample Simon says

put on the dunce cap

and start studying!

Have a samply Shady Day!

Helen Ettline - The Mother of All Dell Rats: Adorable... and a Little Bit of Heaven

 Shady Dell owner Helen Ettline 

 didn't have any children of her own. 

 In a way, we were all her kids 

 and she was our mom. 

Clearly Helen & John

loved kids. Why else

would they have

put up with the

aggravation all

those years?

The Ettlines

believed in kids.

They enjoyed

counseling and

helping kids.

The pictures above and below remind me ever so much of Helen's snack bar

and the jukebox in the adjoining room where rows of diner booths were located.

To remember and honor

Helen on Mother's Day,

I picked four songs that

I think she would enjoy.

Helen, these are for you.

"Straight A's for Helen." My "A to Z" friends

might appreciate knowing that the titles of

all four songs begin with the letter "A." 

 RONNIE DOVE 

The first of my 'A" songs for Helen is by Ronnie Dove, a Virginia

country pop singer whose records were quite popular in Central PA.

Ronnie put together a string of hits in the mid 60s and here's one of

them. Cracking the top 5 on the Easy Listening chart and hovering

around the top 15 on the pop survey, Ronnie Dove describes what

it's like to be with his girl-- "A Little Bit Of Heaven." 

 "A Little Bit Of Heaven" - Ronnie Dove 

 (June/July 1965, highest chart pos. #4 Easy Listening, 

 #15 Cash Box/#16 Hot 100) 

 THE DRIFTERS 

The song "Adorable" was first recorded in the fall of 1955 by the California

based R&B group The Colts. The original 45 on the Mambo label is worth hundreds

of dollars to collectors. At Christmas that year and into the early weeks of 1956,

The Fontane Sisters, famous for recording capable covers of R&B originals,

charted their version of "Adorable" on the B side of their hit "Daddy-O."

The most successful recording of the song was by The Drifters who

hit #1 on the R&B chart during the Christmas holiday season.

 "Adorable" - The Drifters 

 (Nov./Dec. 1955, highest chart pos. #1 R&B) 

 JEANETTE JURADO 

In the early weeks of 1961, the San Diego doo-wop group Rosie & The Originals

achieved a top 5 crossover hit with "Angel Baby." A great cover of the doo-wop

classic can be found in a scene from the 1995 film My Family. In the movie

Jeanette Jurado, lead singer of the popular 80s freestyle group Exposé,

portrayed Originals' lead singer Rosie Hamlin. Watch and listen!

 "Angel Baby" - Jeanette Jurado 

 (orig. version Jan. 1961, highest chart pos. #5, 
 scene from May 1995 film My Family) 

 RICKY NELSON 

Finally, I'm thinking Helen might enjoy being serenaded by teen idol Ricky Nelson.

In March, 1957, Ricky waxed his first set of songs and so began his very successful

recording career. One of the songs, a cover of Fat Domino's chart-topping R&B hit

"I'm Walkin'," was released as the A side of Ricky's first single. Ricky's version

became a major hit as well, cracking the top 5 on the pop chart and reaching

the top 10 R&B. As it turned out, Ricky's first record was a doublesider.

The killer B, "A Teenager's Romance," surpassed the A side and went

all the way to #2. Ricky performed the ballad on an episode of his

family television series The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet. 

 "A Teenager's Romance" - Ricky Nelson (June/July 1957, 

 highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100, #8 Cash Box, B side of 

 "I'm Walkin'"... scene from 1957 ep. of TV series 

 The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet) 

 Happy Mother's Day, Helen! 

 We love you and miss you! 

Top Hit Club of America Inc. - Old York/Shady Dell Chapter Volume 3: ...a Ron... a Ronnie... and a Rainbow!

Hi, I'm Debbie the Dellette...

a teenager of the 1950s

 dancing at the Shady Dell.

I am also president of the Old York -

 Shady Dell chapter of the

Top Hit Club of America!

 Today my friends and I will make  

 you regret the day you were born! 

What do I mean by that? When you hear the records my fellow Dell rats

play at today's meeting, you will wish you had been a teenager in York, PA,
in the 1950s and 60s and a regular at Shady Dell during those golden years.

Remember, as these original

Dell rats spin their songs:

"Don't just listen with your ears -

listen with your heart."

The rats are restless and eager to get started. I second that emotion.
(Debbie bangs the gavel.) The meeting of the Old York - Shady Dell

chapter of the Top Hit Club of America will hereby come to order!

As I review the minutes of our last

meeting, I recall that in volume 2,

original Dell rat Jerre Slaybaugh

joined Dell rat Tom Anderson,

and the veteran vermin took

turns playing Dell classics.

Today our good friend Dell rat

Ron Shearer returns to play

dueling banjos turntables

with Tom. Rat Ron...

the floor is yours!

 THE TEMPTATIONS 

Sup, Debbie? The Dell jukebox was home to many
records by The Temptations including their first pop
chart hit, "The Way You Do The Things You Do."
 I wonder how many people remember the B side
of that single. Most Dell rats do, and we have the
Del-chords, York's great doo-wop soul group, to
thank for that. The Del-chords were influenced
by The Temptations, covered their songs and
always made sure we knew all of the Temps'
early recordings, even most of the B-sides.
It was like a personal triumph for so many

of us when "The Way You Do the Things
You Do" hit both nationally and in the
Dell jukebox, and the B-side I am

about to play, "Just Let Me Know,"
also received heavy airplay.

"Just Let Me Know" - The Temptations

(Mar./Apr. 1964, B side of "The Way You Do The Things You Do")

 MARCY JOE 

Shady, years ago on your old blog, Shady Dell Music & Memories, you posted

"Lover's Medley: The More I See You; When I Fall In Love"... a beautiful duet

recorded by Pittsburgh songstress Marcy Jo and Hazleton's Eddie Rambeau.

I've got another great one, a solo record by Marcy Joe aka Marcy Jo, this

time backed by a group called Lugee & the Lions which consisted of

Lou Christie, his older sister Amy, Kay Chick and Bill Fabec.

Here's Marcy Joe with her 1961 regional hit (and I like

the name of the song)-- "Ronnie."

"Ronnie" - Marcy Joe aka Marcy Jo

(June 1961, highest chart position

#64 Cash Box/#81 Hot 100)

Thanks for that "Ronnie"

song, Ronny... and that

killer B by The Temps.

 Now let's hear from

Dell rat Tom who's

standing by with his

first play of the day.

 THE SIX TEENS 

 FEAT. TRUDY WILLIAMS 

Thanks, Debbie. The first song I'm going to

spin today was recorded by a Los Angeles

based vocal group called The Six Teens.

 In 1956, when they began making

records, The Six Teens were all

teenagers or younger. The group's

youngest member was their twelve

year old lead singer Trudy Williams.

 Did... did you

say Trudy?

 My wife's name

was Trudy.

In 1957, 25 years before the English new wave band

ABC scored a U.S. hit with "Poison Arrow," little

Trudy Williams and The Six Teens made a dent

 in Billboard's pop chart with "Arrow Of Love."

"Arrow Of Love" - The Six Teens

featuring Trudy Williams (Aug. 1957,

highest chart position #80 Hot 100)

Thank you, Tommy boy!
Now let's turn the table
and the mic back over
to Dell Rat Ron and
listen to a couple
more of his faves.

 JAMES BROWN AND 
 HIS FAMOUS FLAMES 

Earlier I played a record by The Temptations.

The Motown men were heavy hitters at the

Shady Dell, and so was this R&B titan dubbed

The Hardest Working Man in Show Business -

James Brown. In 1962 Brown released his

5th studio album Good, Good, Twistin' which

contains the hit single "Shout and Shimmy"

along with two other JB gems, "I Don't Mind"

and "Good, Good, Lovin'." I'm going to play

another song from the album. It was released

on the B side of Brown's 1964 single "So Long,"

a great ballad from his 1963 Prisoner Of Love

album that sold poorly as a single and merely

Bubbled Under at #132. Here's that obscure

flip side-- James Brown And His Famous

Flames doing "Dancin' Little Thing!"

"Dancin' Little Thing" - James Brown And His Famous Flames

(June/July 1964, B side of "So Long," from
 1962 album Good, Good, Twistin')

 MAJOR LANCE 

Now here's one of my favorite songs that

our hometown heroes The Delchords liked

to cover. It was written by Curtis Mayfield

 and recorded by Major Lance, the man

who hit big with "The Monkey Time."

I think Major Lance did just as good

a job on his record as the Delchords

 did in their live sets. Is Major backed

by The Impressions or by Billy Butler

and The Enchanters? It was a topic

that often came up when Dave, Buddy,

Ike and the other Chords  discussed

records that involved Curtis Mayfield. 

"It Ain't No Use" - Major Lance

(July 1964, highest chart pos.

#68 Hot 100 & R&B) 

Thank you, Ron.

Now, it's back to

you, Dell Rat Tom,

to bring today's club

meeting to an end. 

 MONICA ROCHA 

To wrap up today's club meeting, I've got a

double dose of a sensational young Latina

singer from SoCal's Inland Empire region.

 Described as "a young voice from an old

soul"... Monica Rocha covers R&B and

soul songs of the 1960s and 70s, sounds

Dell rats love, and she makes them her

own... turning them into new classics

that will surely stand the test of time. 

You just heard Dell rat Ron play "It Ain't No Use," a song written by

Curtis Mayfield and recorded by Chicago R&B singer Major Lance.

Now you're about to see and hear Monica Rocha perform another

song penned by Mayfield and originally recorded by another

Chitown soul great -- Gene Chandler. In the late winter and

early spring of 1963, "Rainbow," not to be confused with

Russ Hamilton's pop hit of the 50s, brushed the top 10

on the R&B chart and went top 50 pop. A live version

entitled "Rainbow '65 Part 1" recorded by Chandler

at the Regal Theater in Chicago, cracked the top 3

on the Black Singles survey early in 1966. Fast

 forward to March, 2021, when Monica Rocha

laid down this fine cover of the deep soul ballad. 

"Rainbow" - Gene Chandler cover by Monica Rocha

(March 2021) 

 MONICA ROCHA 

 & MALIK MALO 

Finally, Monica is joined by singing partner

Malik Malo on a cover of "Hello Stranger,"

the official theme song of the Shady Dell.

First recorded in 1963 by Barbara Lewis,

a crossover hit for the diva, "Hello Stranger"

was waxed again in 1966 by the R&B group

The Capitols and released as the B side of

their top 10 hit "Cool Jerk." Both songs on

that Capitols 45 were huge hits at the Dell.

In early 2020, Monica and Malik brought

the smooth groove back to life in fine

chicano soul style. 

"Hello Stranger" - Barbara Lewis/Capitols cover

by Monica Rocha & Malik Malo (Feb. 2020) 

I hope you had a good time eavesdropping on this meeting of the

Old York - Shady Dell Chapter of the Top Hit Club of America. 

Stay tuned for more golden greats of the 50s and 60s spun by

Dell rats Ron, Tom and Jerre Slaybaugh coming up in future

volumes.  This is Debbie the Dellette. See you next time!