"Johnny Preston Johnny Preston (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011) was an American pop singer, who is best known for his international number one hit in 1960, ""Running Bear"". Born as John Preston Courville in Port Arthur, Texas, of Cajun ancestry, Preston sang in high school choral contests throughout the state of Texas. He formed a rock and roll band called the Shades, who were seen performing at a local club by J. P. ""The Big Bopper"" Richardson. Richardson offered Preston the chance to record a teenage tragedy song he had written, ""Running Bear"", which they did in Houston,"
"Coincidentally, ""Running Bear"" was immediately preceded in the Hot 100 No. 1 position by Marty Robbins' ""El Paso"", another song in which the protagonist dies. ""Billboard"" ranked ""Running Bear"" as the No. 4 song of 1960. Richardson was a friend of Preston and offered ""Running Bear"" to him after hearing him perform in a club. Preston recorded the song at the Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas in 1958. The saxophone was played by Link Davis. Preston was signed to Mercury Records, and ""Running Bear"" was released in August 1959, seven months after Richardson's death in the plane crash that"
"""Running Bear"", but the recording was not released until August 1959, six months after his death. The song became a #1 hit for three weeks in January 1960. The man who launched Richardson as a recording artist was Harold ""Pappy"" Daily from Houston. Daily was promotion director for Mercury and Starday Records and signed Richardson to Mercury. Richardson's first single, ""Beggar to a King"", had a country flavor, but failed to gain any chart action. He soon cut ""Chantilly Lace"" as ""The Big Bopper"" for Pappy Daily's D label. Mercury bought the recording and released it at the end of"
"the Dutch group Het Cocktail Trio recorded a version of the song called ""Grote Beer"" ('Great Bear', but also 'Ursa Maior') about an Indian who travels in space. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sonny James enjoyed an unprecedented streak of success with his commercially released singles, many of them covers of previous pop hits. One of his 16 consecutive No. 1 singles on the ""Billboard"" Hot Country Singles chart was a cover version of ""Running Bear."" Released in April 1969, James topped the Hot Country Singles chart in mid-June and spent three weeks at No. 1. The song"
"1999. Del Shannon was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005. Del Shannon Del Shannon (born Charles Weedon Westover; December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990) was an American rock and roll and country musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his 1961 number 1 ""Billboard"" hit ""Runaway"". Westover was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grew up in nearby Coopersville. He learned to play the ukulele and guitar and listened to country-and-western music, by artists such as Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and Lefty Frizzell. He was drafted into the Army in 1954, and while"
"Del Shannon Del Shannon (born Charles Weedon Westover; December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990) was an American rock and roll and country musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his 1961 number 1 ""Billboard"" hit ""Runaway"". Westover was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grew up in nearby Coopersville. He learned to play the ukulele and guitar and listened to country-and-western music, by artists such as Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and Lefty Frizzell. He was drafted into the Army in 1954, and while in Germany played guitar in a band called ""The Cool Flames"". When his service ended, he returned"
"in downtown Beaumont, playing 1,821 records and taking showers during 5-minute newscasts. Richardson is credited for creating the first music video in 1958, and recorded an early example himself. Richardson, who played guitar, began his musical career as a songwriter. George Jones later recorded Richardson's ""White Lightning"", which became Jones' first #1 country hit in 1959 (#73 on the pop charts). Richardson also wrote ""Running Bear"" for Johnny Preston, his friend from Port Arthur, Texas. The inspiration for the song came from Richardson's childhood memory of the Sabine River, where he heard stories about Indian tribes. Richardson sang background on"
"on their album ""All the Best"" and later on the re-issue of their live album, ""Hanx!"". The song is a staple of Williams and Ree's live set and is one of the duo's most popular songs. Ree performs the lead vocals while Williams provides Indian chants and humorous alternatives, such as lyrics from Pump Up the Jam and Ice Ice Baby. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys frequently performed the song and it appears their album ""Time Changes Everything"", and on many greatest hits compilations. Running Bear ""Running Bear"" is a song written by Jiles Perry Richardson (a.k.a. The Big"
"Runaway (Del Shannon song) ""Runaway"" is a number-one ""Billboard"" Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit. It is No. 472 on ""Rolling Stone""s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, compiled in 2010. Singer-guitarist Charles Westover and keyboard player Max Crook performed together as members of ""Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band"" in Battle Creek, Michigan, before their group won a recording contract in 1960. Westover took the new stage name ""Del Shannon"", and Crook, who had invented"
"Running Scared (Roy Orbison song) ""Running Scared"" is a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison. An operatic rock ballad, the song was released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in March 1961 and went to number one on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 chart. ""Running Scared"" also reached No.9 in the UK Singles Chart. It sold over one million copies in the US alone. The song was included on Orbison's 1962 album ""Crying"" as the final track on the album. Noted for being a song written without a chorus, the song builds in the"
"became Hunter's only ""Billboard"" Hot 100 entry, stopping at No. 12. Atlantic licensed the recording to Quality Records in Canada and EMI's Columbia label in the UK. Hunter was presented with a gold record for this song which was awarded during his appearance on ""The Ed Sullivan Show"". Sonny James had major success covering pop standards, both of the present time and of the past, during the 1960s. In 1969 alone, he had reached the top of the ""Billboard"" Hot Country Singles chart with two such covers: ""Only the Lonely"" and ""Running Bear."" ""Since I Met You Baby"" was James'"
"Philadelphia native Chubby Checker followed in 1960. His single became a smash hit, reaching No. 1 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 and started a national dance craze. Also in 1960, Jack Scott had his final top 10 hits with ""What In The World's Come Over You"" and ""Burning Bridges"". The following year, rocker Del Shannon had his own No. 1 hit in March 1961 with the song ""Runaway"". This was followed by the top 10 hits ""Hats Off to Larry"" in June 1961 and ""Little Town Flirt"" in 1962. In 1964, Detroit's one-hit wonders The Reflections had their own Top"
"Run"" and ""Bananas"". In addition, Hamlisch co-wrote the song ""California Nights"" (also with Liebling), which was recorded by Lesley Gore for her 1967 hit album of the same name. The Bob Crewe-produced single peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100 in March 1967, two months after Gore had performed the song on the ""Batman"" television series, in which she guest-starred as an accomplice to Julie Newmar's Catwoman. Among his better-known works during the 1970s were adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime music for the motion picture ""The Sting"", including its theme song, ""The Entertainer"". It hit No. 1 on ""Billboard""s"
"One More"", ""Yearning"", ""Too Much Water"" and ""Don't Stop the Music"", all during 1956 and 1957. The Big Bopper's hit ""Chantilly Lace"" was released in 1958, whilst Johnny Preston's ""Running Bear"", James O'Gwynn's ""Talk to Me Lonesome Heart"" and Eddie Noack's ""Have Blues Will Travel"" / ""The Price of Love"" followed in 1959. Willie Nelson's first two songwriting hits were ""Family Bible"", written for Claude Gray, and the 1960 release, ""Night Life"", recorded by Ray Price. The early 1960s saw the beginnings of the psychedelic Texas rock era, particularly with the release of Sir Douglas Quintet's hit song ""She's About"
"Zoom / Big Feet 1960 5017 Marsha Renay (with The Don Juans?) It's Nice / Our Cha-Lypso Of Love 1960 5018 John Lee Hooker Big Fine Woman / Blues For Christmas 1960 5019 Dave Hamilton and his Peppers Cooter Bug / Donna's Cha-Cha 1961 5020 Tino Cairo Wow Baby Sitter / Love In Portofino 1961 5021 The Creators Wear My Ring / Booga Bear 1961 5022 Karol Jackman Sometimes I Get Lonely / I Wanna Cry 1962 5023 Bobby Allen I Sent You Roses / You're My Love 1962 5024 Dave Kirk Oh, Baby / Those Lonely Blue Nights 1962"
"Slim Harpo James Isaac Moore (January 11, 1924 – January 31, 1970), better known by his stage name Slim Harpo, was an American blues musician, a leading exponent of the swamp blues style, and ""one of the most commercially successful blues artists of his day"". His most successful and influential recordings included ""I'm a King Bee"" (1957), ""Rainin' In My Heart"" (1961), and ""Baby Scratch My Back"" (1966) which reached no. 1 on the R&B chart and no.16 on the US pop chart. A master of the blues harmonica, his stage name was derived from the popular nickname for that"
"Billboard Top Country Hits: 1960 Billboard Top Country Hits: 1960 is a compilation album released by Rhino Records in 1990, featuring 10 hit country music recordings from 1960. Four of the tracks included on this album reached No. 1 on the ""Billboard"" Hot C&W Sides chart during 1960. This is largely in part because there were only four songs that topped the chart during the entire year, although one of the tracks — ""El Paso"" by Marty Robbins, also a chart topper on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 — actually topped the chart in December 1959; on the album's track listing,"
"successful answer song ""Hot Rod Lincoln"", a hit for Charlie Ryan (recorded 1955 and 1959, charted 1960, # 33 pop), Johnny Bond (1960, # 26 pop) and Commander Cody (1972, # 9 pop). Shibley's record also directly influenced Chuck Berry's ""Maybellene"", Gene Vincent's ""Race With The Devil"", and the succession of hot rod records by the Beach Boys and others in the early 1960s. Arkie Shibley Jesse Lee Shibley, known as Arkie Shibley (21 September 1914 – September 1975) was an American country singer who recorded the original version of ""Hot Rod Race"" in 1950. The record was important because"
"Gary Lewis & the Playboys Gary Lewis & the Playboys were an American 1960s era pop and rock group, fronted by musician Gary Lewis, the son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 ""Billboard"" Hot 100 number-one single ""This Diamond Ring"", which was the first of a string of hit singles they had in 1965 and 1966. The band had an earnest, boy-next-door image similar to British invasion contemporaries such as Herman's Hermits and Gerry and the Pacemakers. The group folded in 1970, but a version of the band later resumed touring and continues to tour,"
"Roger Hallmark Roger Hallmark (August 9, 1946 – November 29, 2014) was an American country music singer from Cullman, Alabama; he actively recorded from the early 1970s until the early 1980s. His work was done in Birmingham, Alabama, and included an album of fight songs for the Crimson Tide Football team entitled ""Alabama Football Songs."" His best known work is ""Bear,"" a tribute song to the late football coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide, Paul ""Bear"" Bryant. In the late 1970s, he had a minor hit with the song ""A Message to Khomeini"". His other political satire songs"
"""Billboard"" magazine ranked the song as the 27th biggest song of all time that charted on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the chart. It is one of only six songs from the 1960s to spend at least seven weeks in the number one position on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100. Tossin' and Turnin' ""Tossin' and Turnin'"" is a song written by Ritchie Adams and Malou Rene, and originally recorded by Bobby Lewis in the fall of 1960. The record was released in December 1960,and it reached number one on both the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 on July 10,"
"Brenda Lee Brenda Lee (born Brenda Mae Tarpley; December 11, 1944) is an American performer and the top-charting solo female vocalist of the 1960s. She sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s, and is ranked fourth in that decade surpassed by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles. She is known for her 1960 hit ""I'm Sorry"", and 1958's ""Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"", which has become a Christmas standard. At 4 ft 9 inches tall (approximately 145 cm), she received the nickname Little Miss Dynamite in 1957 after recording the song"
"Preacher and the Bear Preacher and the Bear is an American folk song. Ragtime artist Arthur Francis Collins recorded the song in 1905 and it became a huge hit selling over a million records. He continued performing and recording the song for various records over several decades. Composer Joe Arizona wrote sheet music for the song in 1905 that was published by Jos. Morris. The song was also recorded by various artists including Phil Harris in 1947, The Jubalaires, and Jerry Reed on his album Georgia Sunshine. The song was also recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet. A ""coon song"","
"Johnny Horton Johnny Horton (born as John LaGale Horton, April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American country music, honky tonk and rockabilly singer and musician, during the 1950s and early 1960s, best known for his international hits beginning with the 1959 single ""The Battle of New Orleans"", which was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and in 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America's ""Songs of the Century"". His first number 1 country song was in 1959, ""When"
"performances, he was known for standing still and solitary, and for wearing black clothes, to match his dyed jet-black hair and dark sunglasses, which lent an air of mystery to his persona. Born in Texas, Orbison began singing in a rockabilly and country-and-western band in high school. He was signed by Sam Phillips, of Sun Records, in 1956, but his greatest success came with Monument Records. From 1960 to 1966, 22 of his singles reached the ""Billboard"" Top 40, and he wrote or co-wrote almost all that rose to the Top 10, including ""Only the Lonely"" (1960), ""Running Scared"" (1961),"
"include ""Pluck Kahdaffy Duck"" and ""You Don't Mess with Uncle Sam"". Roger Hallmark Roger Hallmark (August 9, 1946 – November 29, 2014) was an American country music singer from Cullman, Alabama; he actively recorded from the early 1970s until the early 1980s. His work was done in Birmingham, Alabama, and included an album of fight songs for the Crimson Tide Football team entitled ""Alabama Football Songs."" His best known work is ""Bear,"" a tribute song to the late football coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide, Paul ""Bear"" Bryant. In the late 1970s, he had a minor hit with"
"hit song would be followed up by the same artist. Answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer songs were also extremely popular in country music in the 1950s and 1960s, most often as female responses to an original hit by a male artist. The original ""Hound Dog"" song sung by Big Mama Thornton reached number 1 in 1953, and there were six"
"Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and pianist, often known by his nickname, The Killer. He has been described as ""rock & roll's first great wild man."" A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis. ""Crazy Arms"" sold 300,000 copies in the South, but it was his 1957 hit ""Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"" that shot Lewis to fame worldwide. He followed this with ""Great Balls of Fire"", ""Breathless"" and ""High School Confidential"". However, Lewis's rock and roll"
"but she is briefly addressed in the second person in the lyric ""wishin' you were here by me"". Runaway (Del Shannon song) ""Runaway"" is a number-one ""Billboard"" Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit. It is No. 472 on ""Rolling Stone""s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, compiled in 2010. Singer-guitarist Charles Westover and keyboard player Max Crook performed together as members of ""Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band"" in Battle Creek, Michigan, before their group won"
"Answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer songs were also extremely popular in country music in the 1950s and 1960s, most often as female responses to an original hit by a male artist. The original ""Hound Dog"" song sung by Big Mama Thornton reached number 1 in 1953, and there were six answer songs in response; the most successful of these was"
"copies and reached No. 41 on the US ""Billboard"" Hot 100. The Bears finished with a 15–1 record for the 1985 season. Randy Weigand, a die-hard Bears fan and music lover, had the idea to write, produce, and choreograph a rap song for the Chicago Bears. Weigand's girlfriend, cheerleader Courtney Larson, introduced them to Willie Gault who put them in touch with other Bears players and the “Super Bowl Shuffle” was born. The lyrics related to each player and his craft on the field, and fame in the community. “The Super Bowl Shuffle” fell in line with the Bears high-media"
"(a journalist whose husband was former Bears teammate Johnny Morris) and featured passages written by Piccolo himself for a planned autobiography. Brian Piccolo Louis Brian Piccolo (October 31, 1943 – June 16, 1970) was a professional American football player, a running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) for four years. He died at age 26 from embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of germ cell testicular cancer, first diagnosed after it had spread to his chest cavity. Piccolo was the subject of the 1971 TV movie ""Brian's Song"", with a remake (of the same title)"
"Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (born Benjamin Earl Nelson, September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015), known as Ben E. King, was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He was perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of ""Stand by Mea US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name), a number one hit in the UK in 1987, and no. 25 on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century—and as one of the principal lead singers of"