Marcie Blane / Susan MaughanBOBBY’s GIRLBobby’s Girl” is a song and single written by Gary Klein and Henry Hoffman. The original was performed by American teenage singer Marcie Blane, and became a #3 hit on the US charts. A near-simultaneous cover by British singer Susan Maughan was the hit in the UK, coincidentally also reaching #3 on the UK charts. Both Blaine and Maughan are one-hit wonders; for both these artists, “Bobby’s Girl” marked their only appearance on a national top 40 chart.Blane’s version of the song was released in the United States in August, 1962. It has a spoken introduction and a backing refrain of “You’re not a kid anymore” and was popular with the American teenage audience. It entered the charts in October and made the Top 10 within a month reaching 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 by December, where it stayed for four weeks. It reached 2 on the Cash Box chart staying on the charts for nineteen weeks and made Blane (very briefly) the top selling female singer in the US.Marcia Blank (born May 21, 1944), known as Marcie Blane, was an American pop singer from 1962 to 1965.Blane was born in Brooklyn, New York.As a favor to a friend, Blane recorded a demo for Seville Records. The song was “Bobby’s Girl”. Released in the fall of 1962, “Bobby’s Girl” made No. 2 on the Cash Box chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was later recorded for the German market in their language. It sold over one million copies by 1963, and was awarded a gold disc. In the United Kingdom the song was covered by Susan Maughan who had the hit. “What Does A Girl Do?”, the follow-up single, rose to No. 82 on the Hot 100 list in early 1963, and was Blane’s only other appearance on any Billboard chart.Susan Maughan’s cover version was released in the UK, also in 1962. It featured Wally Stott and his orchestra and chorus. Substantially re-arranged from Blaine’s original, Maughan’s version dropped the spoken word intro, and had a more sophisticated, less ‘teen-age’ sound. It spent nineteen weeks on the UK’s Record Retailer chart, peaking at No. 3.Susan Maughan (born Marian Maughan, 1 July 1938) is an English singer who released successful singles in the 1960s. Her most famous and successful song, “Bobby’s Girl” (a cover of the Marcie Blane single), reached number three in the UK Singles Chart at Christmas time in 1962. It also reached number six in the Norwegian chart in that year and number 23 in the Dutch singles chart.shapemedia.uk 51 | 6 26 2
SHOUT SHOUT KNOCK YOURSELF OUT© Ernie MarescaWop, wop, wop, wop wop, adada dada) (Wop, wop, wop, wop wop, adada dada) (Wop, wop, wop-, wop wop, adada dada) (Wop, wop, wop-, wop wop, adada dada) (Shout, shout, knock, yourself out) (Come on yell, yell, loud, and swell) (You gotta scream, scream, you, know what I mean) (Put another dime in the record machine) HeyWe’re, havin’ a party now it’s just begun We’re all over here and havin’ fun Joe’s all alone and he wants to be kissed WhileMary’s in the corner and she’s doin’ the twist So let’s (Shout, shout, knock, yourself out) (Come on yell, yell, loud, and swell) (You gotta scream, scream, you, know what I mean) (Put another dime in the record machine) HeyPlay, another song like Runaround Sue whoa, Let’s do a dance that we all can do Turn that jukebox up mighty loud Let’s liven up this crazy crowd Come On (Shout Shout, knock, yourself out) (Come on yell, yell, loud, and swell) (You gotta scream, scream, you know what I mean) (Put another dime in the record machine) Instrumental Break, Every party that I attend Believe me now it’s the livin’ end Movin’ and groovin’ with some friends of mine Saturday night now we’re havin’ a time So let’s (shout, shout, knock, yourself out) (Come on yell, yell, loud, and swell) (You gotta scream, scream, you know what I mean) (Put another dime in the, record machine) HeyDoing, the fly with our hands in the sky Yeah, foot, stompin’ baby just a you and I School was out about a quarter to three And we’re havin’ fun it’s plain to see So let’s (shout, shout, knock, yourself out) (Come on yell, yell, loud, and swell) (You gotta scream, scream, you know what I mean) (Put another dime in the record machine)| 52 shapemedia.uk1 9 1 9
Ernie MarescaSHOUT SHOUTKNOCK YOURSELF OUTShout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)” is a song written by Ernie Maresca and Thomas F. Bogdany, and originally recorded by Maresca in 1962. The single was released on Edward Kassner’s fledgling Seville Records label. It also appeared on Maresca’s similarly titled album which was issued the same year. In 1961, Maresca was offered a recording contract with Seville, a small New York based label. His protestations that he was not much of a singer were brushed aside, and he co-wrote “Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)” while sitting in a Manhattan bar with his friend Tom Bogdany.Maresca’s recording reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1962. Backing vocals on the record were by The Del-Satins, who also sang on many of Dion’s records, several of which were written or co-written by Maresca. The song’s lyrics made reference to one of Maresca’s earlier compositions, “Runaround Sue”, which was recorded in 1961 by Dion, in the lines, “Hey, play another song like ‘Runaround Sue’, let’s do a dance that we all can do”. The song has been covered by several other popular singers and bands, including Rocky Sharpe and the Replays. Recordings have also been made in French, by Les Chaussettes Noires and Les Forbans, and in Dutch, by Wim Leys. The Australian band Ol’ 55 covered the song on their album, Fiveslivejive (1977).The Buffalo Bills used a version of the song for a brief period in 1993 as its team fight song, during a dispute with the Polaroid Corporation over the rights to “Shout” by the Isley Brothers, which the team had used for that purpose since 1987. Poor response to the change led the Bills to resolve the dispute and return to their custom version of the Isley Brothers song. Ernest Peter Maresca (August 21, 1938 – July 8, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion’s biggest hits, including “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer”.Maresca was born in the Bronx, New York. He began singing and writing in a doo-wop group, the Monterays, later renamed as the Desires, and, after Maresca left, as the Regents, who had a hit with “Barbara Ann”. In 1957, his demo of his song “No One Knows” came to the attention of Dion DiMucci, who recorded it successfully with the Belmonts on Laurie Records, the record reaching No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart in 1958. Maresca then began songwriting full-time, and recording his own demos. He wrote “Runaround Sue” with Dion (the singer’s only US number one hit), and then other big hits with and for him. These included “The Wanderer”, originally a B-side which became a US million seller and a UK hit twice over, in 1962 and 1976 on reissue; the song was also a hit for Leif Garrett, Status Quo (in the UK), and Eddie Rabbitt for whom it was a number one country hit in 1988. Maresca also co-wrote Dion’s follow-up hits, “Lovers Who Wander”; and “Donna the Prima Donna”.In 1961, Maresca was offered a recording contract with Seville, a small New York label. His protestations that he was not much of a singer were brushed aside, and he wrote a hit for himself, “Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)”, which reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1962. The song was recorded in 1982 by Rocky Sharpe and the Replays, whose version made number 19 on the UK singles chart. Maresca continued to record, with less success, for the remainder of the 1960s, both under his own name and using the pseudonym Artie Chicago (From The Bronx), including his own version of “The Wanderer” in 1968.He had greater success as a writer, with hits including “Runaround” by the Regents, “Whenever a Teenager Cries” by Reparata and the Delrons, “Hey Dean, Hey Jean” by Dean & Jean, and “Party Girl” by Bernadette Carroll. He also wrote, along with Jimmy Curtiss, the Jimmie Rodgers 1967 comeback (and last) hit, “Child of Clay”. By the 1970s he was head of Laurie Records’ publicity department, and continued as a record company executive. In 1992 he was responsible for selling the Laurie catalogue to Capitol Records on behalf of Laurie’s founders Gene and Bob Schwartz, and Eliot Greenberg. He continued to work until the 2000s, as a consultant to EMI and administrator of Laurie’s publishing.Ernie Maresca died on July 8, 2015 at his home in South Florida, after a brief illness at the age of 76.shapemedia.uk 53 | 6 26 2
| 54 shapemedia.ukLET ME IN© The SensationsLet me in whee-ooh (whee-ooh, whee-ooh, hoop-whee-ooh)(Whee-ooh, whee-ooh, hoo-ooh-oop-whee-ooh, whee-ooh)I can see the dancin’ (let me in)The silhouettes on the shadeI hear the music (music), all the lovers on paradeOpen up (let me in), I want to come in againI thought you were my friendPitter patter of those fee-ee-ee-ee-eetMovin’ and a-groovin’ with that be-eatJumpin’ and stompin on the flo-o-o-o-oor(Lemme in) Let me in!(Open up) Open up!Why don’t you open up that door? (let me in)I-uh (open up) hear music let me in (music)I want to come in againLet me in (let me in), a-well I heard it just thenI thought you were my friendPitter patter of the fee-ee-ee-ee-eetMovin’ and a-groovin’ with that be-eatJumpin’ and stompin on the flo-o-o-o-oor(Lemme in) Let me in!(Open up) Open up!Why don’t you open up that door? (let me in)I-uh-I-uh-I (open up) hear music, let me in (music)Oh I heard it just thenLet me in (let me in)I want to come in againI thought you were my friendFADE(Hoo-ooh-oop-whee-ooh)1 9 1 9
The SensationsLET ME INLet Me In is the name of a 1961 song with music and lyrics by Yvonne Baker, recorded the same year by Baker and The Sensations, which went to No. 2 on the US R&B singles chart and No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It was the group’s highest charting and most successful single. “Let Me In” may be most memorable for its repetitive “weeoo” refrain in the chorus.The song was covered by Bonnie Raitt on her 1973 album Takin’ My Time.The song was used in the 2003 movie Secondhand Lions.The song was used in a Cadillac television commercial in 2018.The Sensations were an American doo-wop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.The group formed in 1954 under the name the Cavaliers, soon after changing to the Sensations. The group scored two hits on the US R&B chart in 1956 with the Atco Records singles “Yes Sir That’s My Baby” (#15) and “Please Mr. Disc Jockey” (#13). By 1957 they were managed by Kae Williams. The group disbanded soon afterwards, and lead singer Yvonne Mills married and started a family.In 1961, bass singer Alphonso Howell persuaded Yvonne Mills Baker that the group should re-form, and they won a contract with Chess Records subsidiary label Argo. They soon had a hit with a version of “Music, Music, Music”, which reached #12 on the R&B chart and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. A few months later, they released the tune “Let Me In”. It was their biggest success, peaking at #2 R&B and #4 on the Hot 100. However, later releases were less successful and the group broke up.Yvonne Baker later started a solo career, recording a number of tracks that achieved cult status among Northern soul fans, most notably “You Didn’t Say a Word” on Parkway Records in 1966.shapemedia.uk 55 | 6 26 2
I’M THE GIRL FROM WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN© Jo Ann Campbell| 56 shapemedia.ukYes, I’m the girlFrom Wolverton MountainI wish someone wouldMake me their wifeI can’t help being lonesomeOn Wolverton MountainWhen your daddy’s handyWith a gun and a knife(CHORUS)They said my lipsWere sweeter than honeyBut how do they knowWhen no one’s made the dareI hate the bears and the birdsOn Wolverton MountainThey tell my daddyAnd it just ain’t fairMany a lad has triedTo climb this mountainBut they never seemTo reach the topMy daddy, Clifton ClowersIs always there to meet themHis gun and a knifeBring them to a stop(CHORUS)Yes, I’m the girlFrom Wolverton MountainAnd if something don’t changeI’ll be an old maid all my lifeBut I keep hoping somebodyWill climb this mountainAnd take me to the valleyTo be his wife(CHORUS)There’ll be somebodyWho really loves me andHe’ll climb up on the mountainHe won’t be killed by Clifton Clowers...1 9 1 9
Jo Ann CampbellI’M THE GIRL FROMWOLVERTON MOUNTAINJo Ann Campbell (born July 20, 1938 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American singer who was one of the pioneers of rockabilly.Campbell began attending music school at the age of four, and won many honors as a drum majorette at Fletcher High School. In 1954 she travelled Europe as a dancer, then moved to New York, where she joined the Johnny Conrad Dancers and made several television appearances on shows such as The Milton Berle Show and The Colgate Comedy Hour.In 1956, Campbell decided to quit dancing and become a singer. She received her first recording contract with RKO-Point Records in New York and released her debut single “Where Ever You Go” / “I’m Coming Home Late Tonight” with them in 1956. It was unsuccessful and she then signed a recording contract with Eldorado Records after performing at Harlem’s Apollo Theater.[2] She wrote and released her second single, “Come On Baby” in 1957. Later that year she released “Wait a Minute”, and appeared at the Brooklyn Paramount and on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand show.Campbell appeared in two films: Go, Johnny, Go (1959) and Hey, Let’s Twist! (1962), while continuing to release records. In June 1961 she reached No. 41 in the UK Singles Chart with “Motorcycle Michael”. She had her biggest hit in August 1962 with “I’m the Girl from Wolverton Mountain”, an answer song to Claude King’s “Wolverton Mountain”. Some pressings showed the title as “(I’m the Girl on) Wolverton Mountain”. The song reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In April 1963, she followed up with “Mother, Please! (I’d Rather Do It Myself)”, a take-off on an Anacin television commercial of the day, but this reached No. 88.After marrying Atlantic Records record producer Troy Seals in 1964, Campbell left the music industry.“Wolverton Mountain” is a country music song and 1962 crossover hit that established Claude King’s career as an American country singer-songwriter. The song was a rewrite of the original version by Merle Kilgore, which was based on a real person named Clifton Clowers (Kilgore’s own uncle). Clowers lived on Woolverton Mountain (the spelling was changed for the song), located north of Morrilton, Arkansas, some 50 miles (80 km) west of Little Rock. The song spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart in the United States in June and July 1962. A giant crossover hit, “Wolverton Mountain” reached number six on the Billboard 100 pop chart and number three on the easy listening chart.The song’s storyline deals with the narrator’s desire for Clowers’ daughter and his intention to climb the titular mountain and marry her. It opens with the recounting of a legendary warning to the listener not to “go on Wolverton Mountain”, as its inhabitant Clifton Clowers, who is “handy with a gun and a knife”, poses a lethal threat to anyone who tries to approach his beautiful daughter, whose “tender lips are sweeter than honey”. If a stranger attempts to enter, Clowers is alerted by “the bears and the birds”. The narrator has decided to defy Clowers and climb the mountain despite the acknowledged danger. What will eventually happen to him is not revealed in the lyric, but the positive tone suggests optimism.shapemedia.uk 57 | 6 26 2
LOOKIN’ FOR A LOVEPerformed By The Valentinos(I’m lookin’ for a love)(I’m lookin’ for a love)Mmmm ... I’m looking for a love(I’m lookin’ for a love)Lookin’ for a love(I’m lookin’ for a love)Well nowI’m lookin’ here and thereAnd I’m searchin’ everywhereAnd I’m lookin, I’m lookin, I’m lookin, I’m lookinOh lookin’ for a love to call my ownWell, someone to get up in the mornin’ and rub my head(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)Someone to fix my breakfast and bring it to my bed(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)Someone to do a little housework and back with me again(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)Well now with lots of love and kisses and people until then(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)I’ll be lookin’ for a love(I’m lookin’ for a love)I’m lookin’ for a love(Oh-oh-oh-oh I’m lookin’ for a love)Well well wellI’m lookin’ here and thereAnd I’m searchin’ everywhereI’m lookin, I’m lookin, I’m lookin, I’m lookinOh lookin’ for a love to call my ownYes, someone to be in my corner all the way(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)She’ll be working to the end no matter what the people say(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)I’ll give her my love to soothe her all the time(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)I’ll be glad to have her know that she’s mine, all mine(I’m lookin’ for a love to call my own)| 58 shapemedia.uk1 9 1 9
The ValentinosLOOKIN’ FOR A LOVELookin’ for a Love” is a song written by J. W. Alexander and Zelda Samuels and was the debut hit of the family group the Valentinos, which featured Bobby Womack. The song was a hit for the Valentinos, climbing to number eight on the R&B chart and crossing over to number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962, released on Sam Cooke’s SAR label. The song became a much bigger hit when Womack issued a solo version in 1974; this version reached number one on the R&B chart and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. As well, an interim version of “Lookin’ for a Love” by the J. Geils Band in 1971 was a top-40 hit for them, peaking at number 39.The melody originally came from a gospel hymn titled, “Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray,” recorded and released in 1961 when they were still known as the Womack Brothers. Sam Cooke produced that session as well as the sessions for “Lookin’ For a Love”. Following the release of “Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray” and convinced that 17-year-old Bobby Womack would “go places”, Cooke hired his staff writers J. W. Alexander and Zelda Samuels to rewrite the song as a doo-wop dance number, basing the song’s chord structure on the melodic motif found in “Pray”.When the brothers were presented with the song, they protested initially fearing a backlash from their minister father, Friendly Womack. However, Cooke convinced them name to the Valentinos and while both Bobby and Curtis that the song would be a hit and guarantee the Womacks some financial success as well as commercial. Like “Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray”, the song featured Bobby on lead. Prior to its release, Cooke suggested a name change, thinking the change would do wonders for their career as it had done for him. Cooke settled on the Valentinos and released the song that spring.The Valentinos (also known as The Womack Brothers) was an American family R&B group from Cleveland, Ohio, best known for launching the careers of brothers Bobby Womack and Cecil Womack. Bobby went on to find greater fame as a solo artist while Cecil became successful as a member of the husband and wife duo of Womack & Womack with Linda Cooke. The group was well known for R&B hits such as the original versions of “Lookin’ for a Love”, notably covered by the J. Geils Band and later a solo hit for Bobby Womack, and “It’s All Over Now”, covered by the Rolling Stones.The foundation of the Valentinos started in church where the five Womack brothers – Friendly, Jr. (born 1941), Curtis (1942–2017), Bobby (1944–2014), Harry (1945–1974) and Cecil (1947–2013) – performed at their father Friendly’s church located from the East 85th & Quincy area of Cleveland. The group started out around 1952 when eight-year-old Bobby Womack played guitar for his father after he had broken a string. Following this, he discovered that all five of his sons could sing, forming the Womack Brothers.Attracting a gospel following, in 1954, the group, under the name Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, cut a single, “Buffalo Bill” with the Pennant label; both Curtis and Bobby Womack were only ten years old at the time of the recording. In 1956, Sam Cooke discovered the group performing while he and his then group, the Soul Stirrers, were headlining and was so impressed with the brothers that he promised to help the group advance in their careers. In 1960, a couple of years after he founded SAR Records and becoming a crossover solo sensation, Cooke made good on his promise signing the teenage act to the label. The group arrived to California in a beat-up Cadillac prior to Cooke signing them.Still going by The Womack Brothers, SAR cut two gospel singles the group recorded in 1961 and 1962 including “Somebody’s Wrong” and “Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray”.After the singles failed to chart, Cooke advised the group to go a secular direction. Upon this, they changed their continued to switch leads, Sam Cooke reportedly favored Bobby and while some SAR singles featured Curtis in lead, the Bobby-led singles garnered the most airplay.shapemedia.uk 59 | 6 26 2
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