Sound + Vision | The Blog

  • Mac Curtis : HAPPINESS LIVES IN THIS HOUSE

    by Frank Shankly
    In 1954, in Weatherford, Texas, Mac Curtis formed a band with two classmates, Jim and Ken Galbraith. They played at school events. During one of th...

  • Donnie Elbert : WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO

    by Frank Shankly
    At All Platinum, Donnie Elbert and had a run of minor R&B hits, but left after a disagreement over the claimed authorship of Shirley & Comp...

  • Tommy Cooper : WALKIN' HOME FROM SCHOOL

    by Frank Shankly
    Fantastic proto-teen pop, with a spoken word bridge.  After this, Tommy would soon begin recording country songs.

  • Speaking of WIPE OUT

    by Frank Shankly
    Have you heard the Fat Boys' version? In the summer of 1987, the Fat Boys collaborated with the Beach Boys on a version of WIPE OUT that made it to...

  • A Tale of Three 45s

    by Frank Shankly
    In 1973, the Incredible Bongo Band recorded a cover version of a Preston Epps’ 1959 song, BONGO ROCK (The Surfaris' 1963 hit single WIPE OUT was b...

  • Jody Miller's HE'S SO FINE

    by Frank Shankly
    “It's a Cinderella story. ... I got in L.A. and I had been married six months. It was in the summer of '62, and by that next year, I had a contract...

  • A Recent Rare Arrival

    by Frank Shankly
    Remember those The Gap television commercials that featured Gen X dancers Lindy Hopping in their baggy khakis to Louis Prima? Well, Frank got hi...

  • Five Fabulous Cuts From Crystal Gayle

    by Frank Shankly
    Maybe it’s because she’s more unassuming than her older sister Loretta Lynn, or maybe it’s just the fickleness of pop music history, but it feels l...

  • Eric Clapton : AFTER MIDNIGHT/ I CAN'T STAND IT Eric Clapton : AFTER MIDNIGHT

    by Frank Shankly
    In August 1976, Clapton took the stage at the Birmingham Odeon in England, a venue full of fans eager to bask in the magic of his music. During a p...

  • Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown : CAN'T LET YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT

    by Frank Shankly
    Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown are two of the most beloved artists in '60s soul music, synonymous with quality and distinction throughout all phase...

  • David Ball : STEPPIN' OUT

    by Frank Shankly
    David Ball recorded his self-titled debut album in 1989 for RCA Nashville.Three singles from it charted between 1988 and 1989: STEPPIN’ OUT, YOU GO...

  • Chicago : YOU'RE NOT ALONE (REMIX)

    by Frank Shankly
    Recorded by Chicago for their 1988 album Chicago 19, with Bill Champlin (Peter Cetera had departed the band three years earlier) singing lead vocal...